During the Monaco Boat Show, Dubai’s Department of Economy and Tourism (DET) announced upgrades to marina facilities, new legislation, cruising permit extensions, the expansion of professional yachting and maritime academies for new industry talent, and more seamless processes for obtaining charter permits, alongside the streamlining of immigration and customs clearance services, further amplifying Dubai’s appeal as a global superyacht hub. Yousuf Lootah, Acting CEO of Corporate Strategy and Performance sector, Dubai’s Department of Economy and Tourism, commented: “Dubai continues to grow in stature as a leading marine tourism destination and a global superyacht capital through the combined efforts and support of our valued stakeholders. Inspired by our visionary leadership to position the UAE as the best destination in the world to live in, work and visit, we remain committed to investing in facilities and infrastructure, whilst ensuring that the process for docking in Dubai’s marinas is smooth and seamless. We also strive to inspire people by creating new experiences and will continue to play a pivotal role in showcasing the city to the globe as an international superyacht hub and a magnet for marine leisure tourists.” With its world-class infrastructure, advanced facilities, year-round sunshine, luxury marinas, award-winning tourism offerings, rich maritime history and picturesque coastline, Dubai has emerged as the quintessential yachting destination. Following Dubai’s participation recently at the Monaco Yacht Show, and the recent Gulf Superyacht Summit 2022 hosted in Dubai under the patronage of P&O Marinas with participation from government and private sectors, industry professionals, thought-leaders, experts, and yacht owners the future is looking brighter for Dubai’s yachting industry, with increased investment in marine infrastructure and facilities, streamlined industry legislation, and a proliferation of nautical events set to …

Emirates has announced it will scale up its A380 operations with the iconic double-decker returning to Glasgow (26 March 2023), Nice (1 June 2023) and Birmingham (1 July 2023). The airline has also announced it will resume its second daily service to Stansted starting from 1 May 2023, utilising its wide-body Boeing 777-300ER aircraft fitted with its renowned ‘Game Changer’ First Class product. With the return of the second daily flight to Stansted, Emirates will ramp up its operations to London with 11 daily flights, including six times daily to London Heathrow and three times daily to Gatwick. The airline continues to expand its global network and increase capacity in line with growing travel demand. Emirates currently deploys its flagship A380 to 40 destinations worldwide. By the end of this summer, the popular aircraft will be serving almost 50 destinations, restoring close to 90% of the airline’s pre-pandemic A380 network. Emirates is the largest operator of Airbus A380, with more than 80 aircraft currently in active service. The airline first launched A380 operations to Birmingham in 2016; Nice in 2017; and Glasgow in 2019.

With NEOM having moved to the building phase of the project and the first destination – Sindalah – due to open its doors in 2024, a progress film has been released. It shows real-world footage of the large-scale construction across NEOM regions including THE LINE, Trojena, Sindalah and Oxagon. We want to show the world that NEOM is really happening. As our CEO Nadhmi Al-Nasr puts it: “If we are to solve the challenges of tomorrow, we must face up to them today, no matter how difficult they may seem. At NEOM, we are addressing some of the most pressing challenges facing humanity by bringing together a community of the brightest minds committed to reimagining what a sustainable future will look like in 20 to 30 years, and building it today. We are redefining the future now. NEOM is open for business.” This video is ready to be shared with the world. It is the first film in what will be an ongoing series showing progress at NEOM. Stay tuned for further updates coming soon.

Continuing to enrich the travel experience, Oman Air’s frequent flyer programme, Sindbad, has been added to Ooredoo’s list of Nojoom partners. Nojoom members with Shahry postpaid or Home Internet plans can now convert their loyalty points to Sindbad Miles, which can be spent on a host of Oman Air’s products and services including flight tickets, upgrades, and much more. Whether going for a business trip or jetting away on a holiday, travel just got even more rewarding! Mundher Al Shaikhani, Senior Manager Holidays and Loyalty Programme at Oman Air, said, “As part of our ongoing transformation strategy, we continue to expand and diversify our partners, offering our members more ways to enhance their everyday lives, whether its earning Miles or spending them. Ooredoo is a great addition to our portfolio, and we look forward to a long and fruitful partnership that is mutually beneficial for our customers on both sides.” Feras Al Shaikh, Director of Marketing at Ooredoo, said: “Customer experience is at the heart of what we do and providing awesome rewards and value is something we know our customers love. We’re proud to be partnering with the country’s national airline to give subscribers even more ways to enjoy life to the max. We look forward to a long-standing and collaborative relationship.” Sindbad, the national airline’s award-winning frequent flyer programme, allows members to spend Miles both in the air and on the ground, including free flights, flight upgrades, raffles and promotions. Membership has three tiers, each offering a wide range of benefits, with the higher tiers bringing exclusive lounge access, extra baggage allowance, priority check-in and other exciting privileges. Meanwhile, Ooredoo’s loyalty programme, Nojoom, offers amazing deals on a …

According to new data UNWTO, more than 900 million tourists travelled internationally in 2022 – double the number recorded in 2021 though still 63% of pre-pandemic levels. Every global region recorded notable increases in international tourist numbers. The Middle East enjoyed the strongest relative increase as arrivals climbed to 83% of pre-pandemic numbers. Europe reached nearly 80% of pre-pandemic levels as it welcomed 585 million arrivals in 2022. Africa and the Americas both recovered about 65% of their pre-pandemic visitors, while Asia and the Pacific reached only 23%, due to stronger pandemic-related restrictions which have started to be removed only in recent months. The first UNWTO World Tourism Barometer of 2023 also analyses performance by region and looks at top performers in 2022, including several destinations which have already recovered 2019 levels. After stronger than expected recovery in 2022, this year could see international tourism arrivals return to pre-pandemic levels in the Middle East and Europe. Tourists are nonetheless expected to increasingly seek value for money and travel closer to home in response to the challenging economic climate. Based on UNWTO’s forward-looking scenarios for 2023, global international tourist arrivals could reach 80% to 95% of pre-pandemic levels this year, depending on the extent of the economic slowdown, the ongoing recovery of travel in Asia and the Pacific and the evolution of the Russian offensive in Ukraine, among other factors. UNWTO anticipates a strong year for the sector even in the face of diverse challenges including the economic situation and continued geopolitical uncertainty. UNWTO Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili said: “A new year brings more reason for optimism for global tourism. UNWTO anticipates a strong year for the sector even in the face …

According to bookings on Skyscanner by UAE travellers for travel this year are up +35% compared to the corresponding week in January 2019 (*comparing redirect volumes for all economy, return flights from UAE 31/12/18 – 6/1/19 versus 2/1/23 to 8/1/23). India, UK, Pakistan, and the Philippines are among top 5 searches from UAE travellers so far. Interestingly in the UAE, Skyscanner’s ‘Everywhere’ search function (which orders destinations by price, highlighting the cheapest destinations for your specific travel dates) also ranks in the top destinations – indicating travellers are considering prices and being flexible about their destinations. Their latest consumer polling (2000 UAE consumers, November 2022) found 69% of people are planning on taking more trips this year, with 24% planning the same number of holidays abroad in 2023 as 2022.  Ayoub El Mamoun, Skyscanner Travel Expert shares, “We’re seeing demand for holidays is extremely high going into 2023, and bookings in the first week in January exceeded the volume during the corresponding week in 2019, pre-pandemic, by over a third (35%). This large wave of interest shows that travellers are eager to make plans, as well as continuing to make up for lost time. Skyscanner surveyed over 2000 UAE consumers in November 2022 and the responses show that people are making experiences a top priority in 2023. In the same survey it was clear that most UAE respondents are planning to travel more than they did in 2022. There are great deals for those who know how to shop around – and remaining flexible on times and destinations will ultimately bag travellers the best prices. Skyscanner’s travel hacks including calendar view, ‘Everywhere’ search, nearby airports, mix and match airlines, as well as …

SAUDIA has signed an agreement with Saudi Arabia Railways (SAR) to improve the quality of their shared services and provide more initiatives that improve the travel experience. Signed by the SAUDIA Chief Hajj & Umrah Officer, Mr. Amer AlKhushail, and the Executive Vice President of the Haramain High-Speed Railway (HHR) and Al Mashaeer, Engr. Rayan Al-Harbi, the agreement provides special prices for SAUDIA guests who are traveling to and from Makkah and Al Madinah via HHR. Later this year, SAUDIA and HHR booking systems will be linked, and Makkah will be added in the list of stations in the booking process. SAUDIA’s customers will be able to issue boarding passes for both the flight and train at the same time, whether through the website, digital application, or sales offices. Mr. AlKhushail said: “This agreement falls in line with SAUDIA’s commitment to improve the travel experience for guests through implementing digital solutions that address the needs of SAUDIA and HHR’s guests. These solutions remove time-consuming steps in finalizing travel procedures and help facilitate trips between Makkah and Al Madinah. This reflects the government’s commitment to make Hajj and Umrah pilgrim’s journey as smooth as possible through providing best-in-class services.” He added, “This is an additional service added to the long list of integrated services provided by SAUDIA to facilitate the journey for Hajj & Umrah pilgrims through providing world-class air transport and logistical services such as self-check-in services, on-board entertainment packages, and more.” Engr. Rayan Al-Harbi said: “The collaboration between SAR and SAUDIA will contribute effectively to enriching and upgrading the pilgrims’ experience, the integration of travel services is one of the many different efforts done to elevate and diversify the …

Emirates is continuing its restoration of operations in Australia with the introduction of an additional daily service to Brisbane. This comes as the airline proudly celebrates 20 years of serving Brisbane, one of Emirates’ four Australian gateways in its global network. Starting 1 June 2023, Emirates will operate the second daily flight to and from Brisbane with a Boeing 777-300ER. Emirates flight EK 430 takes off from Dubai at 0230hrs, arriving in Brisbane at 2220hrs. The return flight, EK 431, departs Brisbane at 0250hrs, arriving in Dubai at 1100hrs local time. The airline currently serves Brisbane with a daily A380 flight. The additional service means Emirates will be back to operating at pre-pandemic levels to Brisbane. The expansion will boost capacity through Brisbane by more than a quarter of a million seats per year both ways. Barry Brown, Divisional Vice President Australasia at Emirates, said: “Our second daily service to Brisbane begins as we proudly celebrate 20 years of flying to the sunshine state. Not only will this service cater to the demand of Australians looking to travel overseas, but also welcome more travellers and tourists from Dubai and across our global network to enjoy Queensland, Australia’s tourism mecca. “The additional service combined with our daily A380 to Brisbane means Emirates will offer almost 12,000 seats to and from Brisbane every week. This is another important milestone in the resumption of our Australian capacity and reaffirms our longstanding commitment to flying down under. We look forward to welcoming more Australians on board to enjoy the Emirates experience.” “This is a huge vote of confidence in the Brisbane and Queensland market. It effectively doubles overnight the Emirates capacity between the two …

Etihad Airways will be introducing two exciting routes this year, connecting Abu Dhabi to Copenhagen in Denmark and Düsseldorf in Germany. Launching 1 October, the flights will provide business travellers and holidaymakers in the UAE and these key European cities with convenient travel options to and from Abu Dhabi, with four weekly flights to Copenhagen and three weekly flights to Düsseldorf. The flights will be operated using state-of-the-art Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft, offering one of the most comfortable experiences in the sky with 28 seats in Business and 262 in Economy. Antonoaldo Neves, Chief Executive Officer of Etihad Airways, said: “We are thrilled to start flying to Denmark for the first time and to expand our network in Germany to our third city, providing guests with more holiday options and easier access between Abu Dhabi and Europe. Our new flights will take off for the winter season — the perfect time for guests to escape the cold and enjoy Abu Dhabi’s beautiful beaches, world-class entertainment and rich heritage — and also ideal for travellers choosing to experience the unique allure of Europe in the winter. With our network expanding to 66 cities, there are even more must-see destinations to plan your next great adventure with Etihad Airways.” Visitors flying to Europe can look forward to discovering Copenhagen, the capital of Denmark and one of the most popular tourist destinations in Scandinavia, famous for its colourful canals, café culture and attractions including Tivoli Gardens, the oldest amusement park in the world. Previously served by Etihad, Düsseldorf is being relaunched and will be the airline’s third city in Germany after Frankfurt and Munich, both currently served with daily flights. The city lies …

Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority (RAKTDA) has announced new updates to its holiday homes system, simplifying the process for homeowners and operators to acquire permits and convert their units into perfect holiday homes for travellers visiting Ras Al Khaimah. The updates are part of the Emirate’s efforts to continue diversifying and strengthening its existing accommodation portfolio of four- and five-star hotels and resorts and to driving a sustained tourism economy that benefits not only investors but also its communities. The holiday homes system is an electronic registration portal that enables owners and operators to register their residential units for short term rentals.  The system also provides owners and operators with services to book an inspection appointment for the registered units and provide a classification service based on standard or luxury criteria for the units via the portal, ensuring easy and seamless compliance with the regulations related to holiday rentals in the Emirate of Ras Al Khaimah. Raki Phillips, CEO of Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority, commented: “We’re seeing a growing number of visitors booking longer stays in the Emirate to completely switch off and enjoy as much of the unique experiences the Emirate has to offer. We want to tap into this trend and have therefore updated our holiday homes rental system to make it even easier for homeowners and operators to register, organise permits for and convert their units. This is in line with our vision for a diversified tourism and hospitality sector, adding even more accommodation options to our portfolio, and enhancing liveability to benefit our communities and visitors who want to experience the high quality of life here and discover more of our stunning Emirate.” …