As visitors begin flying for the winter break and the many spectacular events taking place in Abu Dhabi, Etihad Airways looks forward to welcoming over 1.5 million travellers at Abu Dhabi International Airport. Shaeb Al Najjar, General Manager Hub Operations, Etihad Airways, said “There has never been a better time to experience Abu Dhabi, with the Formula 1 Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix taking place this weekend and many more attractions to be enjoyed over the winter season. Football fans from around the world will also be flocking to the region ahead of the most exciting football event of the year. As a result, Etihad with its partners, is geared up and ready to host 1.5 million expected guests over the next six weeks. Visitors flying via Abu Dhabi will enjoy the experience from the moment they take off with Etihad’s award-winning Cabin Crew and hospitality.” Guests flying with Etihad Airways can expect to fly with total peace of mind with services like its quick self-service bag drop facility. The service provides a faster check-in experience and can accommodate a greater number of guests who will then be able to skip the queues. Once checked-in online, the self-service facilities allow travellers to seamlessly retrieve their booking, print the bag-tag and process their bags in less than two minutes. Etihad Airways, has been awarded Best Airline Staff Service in the Middle East by the international air transport rating organisation, Skytrax. The accolade recognises the care and attention to detail the airline’s teams give to customers’ needs throughout their journeys. The airline is preparing to welcome over 1.5 million passengers at Abu Dhabi International Airport between 21 November and 08 January …

Air Arabia Abu Dhabi announced the launch of its new route from Abu Dhabi to Tashkent, Uzbekistan’s capital. The new direct flights will connect Abu Dhabi International Airport to Islam Karimov Tashkent International Airport with a frequency of two flights weekly, starting from December 7, 2022. Schedule to Tashkent, effective December 7, 2022 (all times local): Flight Departure Time Arrival Time Aircraft Frequency 3L 763 Abu Dhabi 08:15 Tashkent 12:45 Airbus 320 Wednesday/Saturday 3L 764 Tashkent 14:05 Abu Dhabi 17:00 Airbus 320 Wednesday/Saturday Adel Al Ali, Group Chief Executive Officer, Air Arabia, said: “We are glad to add Tashkent to our growing network with direct flights from Abu Dhabi. Air Arabia Abu Dhabi continues its expansion strategy to further strengthen the connectivity of UAE’s capital with many destinations while contributing to the growth of both travel and tourism of the UAE. The new route allows our customers the opportunity to discover the historic city and reflects our commitment to continuously offer our customers affordable and value driven air travel from our different hubs.” As part of its ongoing expansion plan, Air Arabia Abu Dhabi continues to add more connectivity to and from the capital city. The new route to Tashkent is considered the 26th destination after Alexandria, Sohag, Cairo, Dhaka, Khartoum, Chittagong, Kathmandu, Muscat, Salalah, Sarajevo, Trabzon, Tbilisi, Faisalabad, Multan, Cochin, Calicut, Trivandrum, Sabiha, Chennai, Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Bahrain, Beirut, Kuwait, and Moscow. Air Arabia operates a fleet of Airbus A320 and A321 neo-LR aircraft, the most modern and best-selling single aisle aircraft in the world. The cabin configuration across Air Arabia’s fleet provides added comfort with one of the most generous seat-pitch of any economy cabin. The aircraft is also …

Four Seasons and Bahrain-based real estate development firm Bayside Developments announce plans for what will soon be the address of choice for discerning homeowners in the city with Four Seasons Private Residences Bahrain Bay. Ushering in a new standard of luxury waterfront living, the collection of 112 bespoke homes will be set within the capital city and at the heart of its most sought-after neighbourhood, Bahrain Bay. Residents will enjoy access to the neighbouring Four Seasons Hotel Bahrain Bay as a remarkable extension of their homes with resort-style amenities, multiple restaurants, and a pristine beach just a short walk or chauffeured golf cart journey away via private bridge. The property will also be a short distance from The Avenues and MODA Mall, each offering the finest selections of shopping, dining and more. “As we expand our Private Residences portfolio globally, we seek locations where our luxury lifestyle offering can be thoughtfully integrated and where we can build upon the success of existing hotels and resorts,” explains Bart Carnahan, President, Global Business Development and Portfolio Management, Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts. “Following the complete sell-out of our Private Residences in Dubai and our extensive residential expansion in Egypt, I am confident that the upcoming Four Seasons Private Residences Bahrain Bay will give homeowners another opportunity to embrace this destination through its vibrant culture, history and lifestyle.” In addition to having access to the full spectrum of services and amenities from the neighbouring Hotel, Four Seasons Privates Residences Bahrain Bay will feature a wide array of dedicated offerings for residents to enjoy while at home with Four Seasons. Most notably, the development will include manicured gardens for entertaining or relaxing; a sunlit …

Dubai International (DXB) added a new connection to its growing list of destinations with the launch of SunExpress’ direct flights between Dubai and the Turkish city of Izmir recently. This is the second Turkish route the carrier now operates into DXB after it launched scheduled operations to Antalya in September earlier this year. SunExpress is operating three weekly flights to both the tourist hotspots on a B737-800 aircraft with a 189-seat capacity. Turkey is among the top 10 destination countries for DXB with more than 680,000 passengers recorded during the first half of 2022.

Known for his dynamic work in the hospitality sector, Khoori is Chairman of Hilton Salalah, Oman and Board Director of Golden Sands Hotels L.L.C, the owning company of several hotels in the U.A.E holding around 5000 keys, of which recent highlighted projects of hotel openings are Taj Exotica the Palm, Hilton the Palm and the upcoming Marriott the Palm. With a hospitality experience of over 26 years managing and heading the well-established local brand Golden Sands which was able to prove during the recent years being a strong competitor to worldwide chains by demonstrating innovative thinking which was validated unmistakably in its latest opening of its 5 stars hotel, one of a few true boutique hotels in Dubai. He demonstrates strong work ethic and creative, innovative thinking and a continuous commitment to further developing the hospitality industry with a focus on Excellence- a true representation of what the U.A.E. embodies.    

Jaal Shah, Group Managing Director, Travel Designer Group, Founder – RezLive.com was recognised as the DDP Gamechanger. Jaal Shah has been instrumental in the empowerment of travel partners globally. His company Travel Designer Group, which started out as a small business, is today considered as one of the leading and fastest growing wholesale travel company globally. Shah began his tryst with the travel industry in 1999, as an outbound tour operator offering short haul destinations. Early in 2001, his company, The Travel Designer Inc., started its first outbound consolidation division Designer Packages, which offered Middle East and South East Asia as core destinations to travel partners. After gaining a few years of hands-on experience in the trade, Shah diversified his business by launching RezLive.com, Designer Indya, RezLive Thailand and RezLive Dubai. Shah, a staunch believer in promoting new ventures in high technology businesses, was solely responsible for transforming the Travel Designer Group into a strategic think-tank. He is also the founder of XMLHUB.COM, a global travel network providing access to the extensive global content and excellent negotiated rates to OTA’s, Hotel booking portals, Travel agents/ tour operators, Wholesale travel companies and Travel Technology companies.    

Recognising for her dedication for the tourism sector, Basmah Abdulaziz Al-Mayman is the Regional Director for the Middle East, since 2018. She is still the first woman representing tourism in the Middle East that has garnered a position in the prestigious classification, and she is also the first GCC national to hold a leading position at the UNWTO and the first woman to lead the Middle East region in the history of this international organization. During her tenure, UNWTO opened its first Regional Office for the Middle East (Riyadh, Saudi Arabia). She permanently represents, as well, the UNWTO in the meetings of the Arab Ministerial Council for Tourism in the League of Arab States. Al-Mayman has an MBA, with honors degree, from Al Faisal University, in cooperation with the University of Oxford, where she studied Entrepreneurship and Comparative Managerial Issues and a Bachelor´s degree in English Literature and Linguistics from King Saud University,. She also studied several advanced specialized courses in International Relations, International law, Economic and Diplomatic affairs at Prince Saud Al-Faisal Institute of Diplomatic Studies at the Foreign Ministry in Saudi Arabia. She is fluent in both Arabic and English.    

Mohamed Jassim Al Rais is a young dynamic Emirati, who completed his graduation from American University, Sharjah in 2006. His initial introduction to the Al Rais Group of Companies was made in 2002 through a Management Development Programme and thereafter in 2008 was given a Leadership role in Al Rais Holidays, Al Rais Online Services and Al Rais Rent – A – Car Company. Mr. Al Rais is now the Deputy Managing Director of Al Rais Travel & Shipping agencies (Al Rais Group) and spearheads the Strategic Direction and Growth Plan of the Organisation. Mr. Al Rais has been managing the travel group business for the past fifteen years. His aspirations are truly global and he is committed to making the Al Rais Group of Companies a market leader in the UAE. Mr. Al Rais is the Honorary Chairman of the Dubai Travel & Tour Agents Group – DTTAG since February 2022. Mr. Al Rais is also actively involved in Department of Tourism & Commerce Marketing (DTCM).

It was an amazing night of glitter, grandeur, and glamour as the fifth edition of the Arabian Travel Awards concluded recognizing the stars of the travel, tourism and hospitality industry. The most important focus at the awards was sustainable drives from the industry, especially after the Herculean efforts put across by the stalwarts of the industry over the past year, as now the world is finally opening up to a new era of more responsible people, ready to make a commitment to focus on preserving for tomorrow. Mr.Ammar Sajwani Director of Tourism Development Department UAE, Ministry of Economy graced the occasion of Chief Guest presenting the awards to the stars of the night.

The day is finally here, as the most coveted awards in the region, Arabian Travel Awards will once again host the industry winners. This year’s edition is special as the focus is on sustainability. Arabian Travel Awards is a platform for the Middle East market to appreciate the efforts of the travel specialists who have contributed to the booming travel and hospitality industry. The aim is to encourage them to continue promoting tourism in the region. The Arabian Travel Awards are fair and unbiased, following a systematic method of internet-based voting. These awards are supported by Tourismbreakingnews.ae, TravelTVmiddleeast.news and TravTalk Middle East who are premier media partners for the coverage of the event. The awards will be divided into four categories: Personal Awards, Business Awards, Trending Awards and Partner Awards. They will include awards for Best Business Hotel, Best Family Friendly Hotel, Best City Hotel, Best Green Hotel, Best Leisure Hotel, Best Destination Management Company, Best Hotel Apartments, Best B2B Travel Portal, and Best Luxury Hotel to name a few. San Jeet Director Arabian Travel Awards shares, “Our awards this year is very special as it recognizes the untiring efforts of the industry experts. This year as the borders open, the travel, tourism and hospitality experts were able to restore to levels enjoyed pre-pandemic time. Most had to redefine the way forward in the post covid era, as we can confidently call it. Applications are still open to vote for those in the industry and who has been in the forefront promoting and working to go over and beyond the general norms of the industry. Middle East has always been the most resilient region, especially the UAE and Dubai in …