Hilton announced the highly anticipated opening of Conrad Rabat Arzana, marking the first brand entry into Morocco for Conrad Hotels & Resorts. With its modern architecture and pioneering design, the luxurious 120-guest room hotel will provide guests with a new sense of modern hospitality, premier dining experiences and personalised service for a memorable stay. Located north of Harhouara, 15 minutes from the corniche and 35 minutes from Rabat Salé Airport, the property’s prime location close to the city’s cultural centre provides convenient access to historic tourist attractions such as Mausoleum Med V, Old Medina, Moorish Gardens and The Zoo of Rabat. “The entry of our iconic Conrad Hotels & Resorts brand, named after our founder, Conrad Hilton, into Rabat marks a significant milestone in the growth of our portfolio in the Middle East & Africa – underscoring our strategy to bring Hilton’s luxury brands to new destinations across the region,” said Jochem-Jan Sleiffer, president, Middle East, Africa and Türkiye, Hilton. “Conrad Rabat Arzana is our sixth property in Morocco, and we believe this incredible addition will redefine luxury and enhance the hospitality offering in Rabat for business and leisure travellers alike. We look forward to welcoming guests to this extraordinary property.” With its fascinating history, inspiring ancient vestiges, old ramparts and outstanding Atlantic coastline, Rabat offers a fine selection of monuments, shops, and museums. The city is a popular destination for city breaks and celebrates with a myriad of year-long events and music festivals. Deeply rooted in arts and culture, Rabat is also home to beautiful imperial gardens, minarets, domes, wide avenues, and the Grand Theatre of Rabat, one of Africa’s largest theatres. The theatre hosts many Moroccan troupes, with …

During COP15 in Montreal, the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC), United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) and the Sustainable Hospitality Alliance (the Alliance) announced a new collaboration which will bring together the public and private sectors in a shared vision to halt and reverse biodiversity loss by 2030. The vision sees the global Travel & Tourism sector supporting and inspiring governments, businesses, and society to implement the post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework and help to transform our relationship with the natural world. Signatories to the vision have committed to adopt a nature positive approach to tourism through integrating biodiversity safeguards by reducing carbon emissions, the impact of pollution, the unsustainable use of resources, and by protecting and restoring nature and its wildlife. This collaboration follows the release of WTTC’s ‘Nature Positive Travel & Tourism’ report, which was created jointly with ANIMONDIAL, and focuses on halting and reversing damage to nature so the living world can recover from its current depleted state. This involves minimising ongoing harm and taking positive action to restore nature to produce an overall benefit to biodiversity and help achieve Net Zero. Almost 150 organisations have signed up to the vision so far including international hotel groups, tour operators, travel agents, destinations, and international wildlife charities. Complementing the power of the private sector, UNWTO, as the voice of tourism at the global governance level, will work to bring governments and international organisations on board and announce the shared vision of tourism as a pillar of wildlife conservation and habitat protection. Progress will also be guided by UNWTO’s trusted data and analysis, including groundbreaking Measuring the Sustainability of Tourism (MST) initiative and its growing International Network of Sustainable …

‎Qatar Airways announced that it will resume services to Taif starting 3 January 2023 with three weekly flights. This is the airlines’ sixth destination in Saudi Arabia. The resumption of services will enable passengers flying from and to Taif to benefit from the airline’s extensive international network to across Asia, Africa, Europe and the Americas via the World’s Best Airport, Hamad International Airport. Qatar Airways flight QR1206, will depart from Hamad International Airport at 07:40, arriving at 10:10 at Taif International Airport. Qatar Airways flight QR1207, will depart from Taif International Airport at 11:10, and arrive at Hamad International Airport at 13:20. Qatar Airways is currently operating two daily flights from Riyadh, four daily flights from Jeddah, two daily flights from Medina, five daily flights from Dammam, and a daily flight from Qassim. Qatar Airways recently announced that Privilege Club has officially adopted Avios as its reward currency, opening up a world of new opportunities for members travelling across the airline’s extensive network. This partnership offers a combination of benefits, including a wide range of greater guaranteed award seats and competitive prices on Qatar Airways flights, in addition to experiencing the World’s Best Airline and enjoying the World’s Best Airport, Hamad International Airport (HIA). Hamad International Airport (HIA) ranked “Best Airport in the World” for the second year in a row by SKYTRAX World Airport Awards 2022, is preparing to welcome 58 million passengers annually. A stunning expansion was recently unveiled featuring a 10,000-sqm, lush, tropical indoor garden named “The Orchard.” Drenched in natural light and featuring sustainably sourced plants and shrubs, it offers a show-stopping, luxury shopping experience to passengers with many first-of-a-kind retail outlets. A multiple award-winning airline, …

Visionize Technology, is helping pave the way for hotels and resorts around the region to reach new heights with the implementation of a state-of-the-art automation technology which facilitates internal staff operations, enhances the guest experience using in-room apps, lower overall business costs and generate more revenue within the F&B sector. The properties have estimated a staggering increase in the average spent per guest after the implementation of Visionize, mainly due to built-in smart marketing and upselling features, along with fantastic visual experience and a seamless multilingual interface. Visionize Technology Founder & CEO Mazen Chedid stated, “With the future of hospitality gearing towards a more seamless and data-driven experience, the implementation of our systems across numerous hotels around the region seems to be opening new doors to achieving higher revenue, faster operations and an improved guest experience.” Moreover, as the system’s artificial intelligence entirely tracks and analyzes F&B operations including the staff, kitchen and clearances, hotels have witnessed a significant decrease in human error and delivery time.

After its Dubai launch in 2019, Vistara held the first press conference post covid, with the presence of its CEO Vinod Kannan addressing media on the importance of the Gulf region. Kannan reiterated that there has been a consistent rise in passenger volumes and demand from the Gulf countries, paving way for the airline to bolster its presence in the region. It was a special day for the airline that they launched its daily, non-stop flights between Mumbai (India) and Muscat (Oman), its fourth destination in the Gulf region, as part of expanding its footprint in the Middle East. Muscat is the third Gulf city (Abu Dhabi and Jeddah being the other two) that Vistara has added to its network in the last four months. Vistara also operates daily flights to Dubai to/from Mumbai. In the context of the increase in demand for travel between India and the Gulf region, Vistara’s Middle Eastern routes have been performing remarkably well. The inaugural flight will depart from Mumbai at 2000 Hours (IST) and arrive in Muscat at 2135 Hours (GST). With this, Vistara becomes the only carrier to offer the choice of Premium Economy class on the route, in addition to Business and Economy class. Mr. Vinod Kannan, Chief Executive Officer, Vistara, said, “The launch of operations to Muscat is in line with our goal to steadily enhance our footprint in the Middle East. The firm bilateral relationship and robust cultural and economic ties between India and states in the Gulf region have given great impetus to our growth plans, and our successful business on the other Middle Eastern routes is a testament to that. We are excited to bring India’s finest …

As travel picks up, travellers seek new destinations, understanding this need Al Rais Travel will be introducing a very special destination to agents, known as the Land of 1001 Delights, Tatarstan. A special B2B event will be conducted on Wednesday 14th December 2022 at 7pm at Sofitel Dubai the Obelisk. The agents who will attend would have the opportunity to engage with the key partners who will be present to share the many offerings of the destination followed by a presentation to understand more of the beautiful land of 1001 delights. Speaking with Tourismbreakingnews.ae, Mohamed Jassim Al Rais Deputy Managing Director Al Rais travel reiterated, “We have seen post covid, not just the increase of travel, but travellers opting for new destinations which they can explore, we at Al Rais travel ensure that our clients are given more bucket list opportunities, to tick off their boxes to new experiences, unique locations etc. Tatarstan has a lot to offer our travellers from the UAE, from historical wonders, to traditional locations, natural beauty of the destination with its many rivers, lakes, hills and not forgetting the culinary journey to be explored. We want our agents from the UAE to familiarise themselves with the destination and personally speak with the team from Tatarstan about every aspect necessary for their travellers.” Please RSVP using the following link, and do let me know in case you are facing challenges to access the page: Please click here to confirm your participation   Event Program Item​ Details Start​ End​ Arrival & Registration ​ Guests arrive to the venue 19:00​ 19:30​ Al Rais Welcome address, explanation of the format of the event ​ Guests and participants make their way to the ballroom …

Under the directives of His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Chairman of the Dubai Media Council, the #DubaiDestinations winter campaign returns this year to showcase the attractions and experiences that make the emirate a top pick among global destinations in the cooler months of the year. The collaborative campaign, implemented by Brand Dubai, the creative arm of the Government of Dubai Media Office (GDMO), highlights an array of activities and experiences that people can enjoy amidst the wonderful winter weather. This season, Dubai offers residents and visitors amazing adventure, entertainment, food, art, culture, sports and fitness experiences and more. Featuring engaging content from diverse stakeholders, the campaign tells the story of Dubai’s emergence as one of the world’s best winter destinations. To mark the launch of the campaign, Brand Dubai hosted an event for the media, influencers and content creators at the Government of Dubai Media Office to showcase the activations and experiences the latest campaign will be highlighting to local and global audiences. Brand Dubai also announced the launch of the #DubaiDestinations website www.dubaidestinations.ae, which will share content, videos and guides related to the campaign.   Vindicating Dubai’s strengths, a global study released late last month named the emirate the “world’s best winter-sun destination”. According to The Winter Sun Index issued by travel package provider ParkSleepFly, Dubai has been tagged on Instagram more than 111 million times and has the most winter-related ‘things to do’ Google searches in the world, reaching 55,000. The iconic city is also blessed with more than eight hours of sunlight daily and a pleasant average temperature of 20.4 degree centigrade in the winter. Another study by Remote, a global talent …

The 28th edition of the world’s longest-running festival starts on 15 December 2022 and runs until 29 January 2023. Over 800 participating brands at 3,500 outlets will offer 25% to 75% reductions throughout the 46-day festival across Dubai’s malls and shopping destinations. Ahmed Al Khaja: We invite everyone to celebrate with us and explore the diverse experiences across entertainment, gastronomy, shopping, leisure and lifestyle that only Dubai can deliver. “The seven-week festival showcases the incredible experiences, events and entertainment that our great city has to offer” Drone shows, fireworks, Etisalat MOTB, Tunes DXB, and Dubai Lights City Art installations will complement discounts and bargains across Dubai’s malls and shopping destinations. New attractions for this edition include the Dubai 80s pop-up and the COREUNITY festival, a community wellness weekend in Hatta. The Dubai Shopping Festival (DSF) returns with the very best the city has to offer, including unmissable deals, a kaleidoscope of entertainment experiences, mouth-watering food, and mega prizes. The 28th edition of the world’s longest-running retail festival starts on 15 December 2022 and runs until 29 January 2023 across an action-packed 46-day calendar. Over seven weeks, the DSF will feature only-in-Dubai shopping, winning, entertainment, and gastronomic experiences at citywide locations, including malls, high street shops, festival and community markets, and beachside destinations. The festival will see the world’s best New Year’s Eve celebrations, unique dining experiences, life-changing raffles, the best deals from homegrown and global brands, and live concerts by regional and international music icons. The DSF fireworks displays will be back with a bang this year, along with the return of the incredible drone show. Tunes DXB, too, returns by popular demand, bringing ten days of celebration for music …

Emirates and Air Canada have expanded their partnership to offer frequent flyer members joint loyalty programme benefits. Emirates Skywards members can now earn and redeem Miles on all flights operated by Air Canada – accessing a network of more than 220 destinations worldwide. Aeroplan members will also benefit from earning and redeeming Points on all flights operated by Emirates – with access to more than 130 destinations across six continents, via the airline’s home and hub, Dubai. The agreement was signed yesterday by Dr. Nejib Ben Khedher, Divisional Senior Vice President Emirates Skywards, and Mark Youssef Nasr, Senior Vice President, Product, Marketing, e-Commerce, Air Canada and President, Aeroplan, at the Emirates Group Headquarters in Dubai. Dr. Nejib Ben Khedher, Divisional Senior Vice President Emirates Skywards, commented: “We’re very pleased to be enhancing our partnership with Air Canada and officially kicking off our joint loyalty programme offering. Together, close to 40 million frequent flyer members will be able to earn and redeem Miles across a joint network of more than 350 destinations and enjoy selected benefits, such as lounge access. We look forward to opening new horizons for our loyal members and to also welcoming Aeroplan customers on-board Emirates with our award-winning products and exceptional services.” Mark Youssef Nasr, Senior Vice President, Product, Marketing, e-Commerce, Air Canada and President, Aeroplan commented: “The two most recognized loyalty programmes in their respective regions provided by the two most recognized airlines in their respective regions are coming together to offer something truly great. Whether it’s connecting friends and family from Canada’s rich immigrant diaspora or it’s helping travellers explore some of the world’s most exciting destinations, there’s something for everyone. We’re proud to partner …

Etihad Airways announced it is reintroducing four of its A380s from the summer of 2023. The move follows a surge in demand for air travel across the airline’s network and customer feedback for the return of one of the most remarkable commercial flying experiences in the sky. His Excellency Mohammed Ali Al Shorafa, Chairman, Etihad Aviation Group, said: “It is wonderful to announce the return of this splendid aircraft. The A380’s reintroduction provides a further boost to Etihad’s capacity into the key UK market, with a knock-on effect for the wider GCC and Indian subcontinent that will bring more visitors to the city of Abu Dhabi.” Antonoaldo Neves, Chief Executive Officer, Etihad Airways, said: “We know this will be welcomed by our guests who love Etihad’s incredible A380 and its award-winning cabins. We have decided the time is right to return some of our A380s into the fleet to satisfy the demand which has made them financially viable once more. We look forward to welcoming our guests again on board this remarkable aircraft.” Etihad’s A380s feature The Residence as well as three cabin classes on the double-decker aircraft, including 9 First Apartments, 70 Business Studios and 405 Economy Smart Seats. This includes 80 Economy Space seats with a seat pitch of up to 36 inches. The nine First Apartments set across a single-aisle, offer a private living space with a large leather lounge chair and an ottoman which opens up to become a separate 80.5″ long fully-flat bed. The First Apartment is one of the most spacious in its class and also offers a 24″ swiveling LCD TV monitor and personal vanity unit. For the first time, Etihad plans to …