Celebrating World tourism day this year comes in with a lot more hope and aspirations for the sector, as UNWTO declares its theme as “Rethinking tourism” – it also amplifies “tourism for all”. Accessibility and sustainable tourism are key factors that are being addressed by the world tourism organisations, Iftikhar Hamdani – Area General Manager – Norther Emirates – Coral Beach Resort Sharjah and Bahi Ajman Palace Hotel, share his views on accessibility in tourism, “in my opinion this is moral responsibility to focus on all means to accommodate all type of accessible guests. In our hotel we made sure that guests with hearing difficulties enjoy using Amsaan technology to be at par with other guests. We hosted groups with hearing difficulties from Pakistan and Armenia and their experience was awesome. I personally met with them and hear the story of their amazing stay. In the past I personally organized Blind World Cricket Cup, 8 International blind cricket teams stayed in my previous hotel without any issue, it was one of best event in my life. Seeing people with visual challenge enjoyed the international event and staff played vital role in the success. At HMH level we are trying our best to make sure that our hotels to offer positive travel experiences to people with different needs by addressing them from various perspectives, and by providing service solutions that fit to their needs as much as possible. This is moral and responsible thinking for hospitality business to provide physical and communication access to the people of determination. Tourism Board globally to make it mandatory for the accommodation provider to establish accessible facilities. to ensure tourist destinations, products, and services are accessible to …

The G20 Tourism Ministerial Meeting hosted under the 2022 Indonesian Presidency, brought together Ministers from across the globe under the theme ‘Recover Together, Recover Stronger’ to address key issues arising in the aftermath of the pandemic. Steered by the theme, the G20 Bali Guidelines aim to provide a framework to advance the transformation of the tourism sector through policy action on MSMEs and communities, and focused on three priority issues, Global Health Architecture, Digital Transformation and Sustainable Energy Transition. His Excellency Ahmed Al Khateeb called on tourism leaders during the Ministerial Meeting to join collaborative efforts to build a more resilient and sustainable future for the sector. Alluding to the importance of public and private partnerships, His Excellency addressed the first meeting of private sector leaders at a G2O Tourism Minister’s Meeting and expressed the importance of co-operation in shaping the future of the sector. Saudi Arabia has a strong history of cross-sector collaboration, it is home to the first regional office of the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) and last year agreed plans to open the Tourism Academy in Riyadh to empower young people with the skills needed to flourish in the tourism sector. Supporting the recovery of the sector by investing in human capital is a key focus for the Kingdom, further demonstrated by the roll-out of internationally acclaimed Tourism Trailblazer’s program that is investing $100m to train 100,000 young Saudis for different roles across the hospitality industry. In November of this year, the Kingdom will welcome the largest edition of the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) which brings together leaders from across the world to discuss and address key priorities affecting the sector. During the …

Leading travel trade agents in Abu Dhabi attended the first ever roadshow from St.Petersburg recently with partners from DMCs, hoteliers, cruise/shipping companies and medical tourism specialists. The roadshow was divided into three main parts, the first was the one on one B2B sessions where the travel trade could spend time and get to know the destination, followed by detailed presentations by the partners. The final part of the event was the grand dinner with authentic St.Petersburg entertainment, which included a ballet performance as well. Ksenia Narvatkina, Chief Specialist of the development department from St. Petersburg City Tourist Information Bureau and Committee for tourism development of Saint Petersburg, opened the presentation sharing, “we would like to share with you the tourism potential of St.Petersburg and hope that today’s presentation will allow you to know more about our unique city and its many offerings. In 2018, committee for tourism development of St.Petersburg and city tourism bureau organised a roadshow to the cities of the United Arab Emirates. The presentation of tourism development was held with great success and the event aroused great interest among people of the United Arab Emirates.” Mahesh Perera – Travel Consultant – BCD Travels Abu Dhabi shared, “After the pandemic during the past two and half years we did have on and off a few events but this was the first in Abu Dhabi and this was a very well organised roadshow. It was interesting to meet many partners including cruise partners this evening at the St.Petersburg roadshow. For agents like us in Abu Dhabi it was really a very productive and interactive event which enabled us to meet many partners.” Kumar Jiandani Business Development Manager Over Seas …

Saudi Arabian Airlines (SAUDIA), the Kingdom’s national flag carrier, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority (SDAIA) and the Saudi Company for Artificial Intelligence (SCAI) to utilize Digitalization and Artificial Intelligence (D&AI) solutions and cement the Kingdom’s global leadership in the field. The signing took place in the Global AI Summit, which was held at King Abdulaziz Conference Center in Riyadh from 13 – 15 September under the patronage of His Royal Highness Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Chairman of SDAIA. Under the terms of the MoU, the three parties will establish a joint framework for utilizing the latest AI and emerging technologies to enhance customer experiences. In addition to exploring ways to collaborate on developing and deploying AI applications. The three parties have agreed to utilize advanced technology and natural language processing across SAUDIA’s customer care and digital channels. Dr. Majid Altuwaijri, Chief Executive Officer of the National Center for Artificial Intelligence (NCAI), signed the MoU on behalf of SDAIA, while Eng. Ayman AlRashed, CEO of SCAI, and Dr. Khaled Alhazmi, SAUDIA’s Vice President of Operations and IT Support, signed for their respective companies. “We at SAUDIA are delighted to be joining forces with SDAIA and SCAI on developing and deploying advanced, sophisticated digital products,” said Dr. Alhazmi. “Throughout our digital channels, our never-ending quest to enhance our guests’ experiences has always been digital-first, and we will be working with emerging technologies, AI, and the Internet of Things to take the way we communicate with them to the next level.” Eng. AlRashed, CEO of SCAI, expressed his enthusiasm to be working with the Kingdom’s national flag carrier to enhance its customer …

The Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi) has announced its line-up of events for the 2022/2023 winter season, which are set to create excitement and elevate the destination experience of the UAE capital. Revealed during a TV talk show-style launch event, the up-to-date Abu Dhabi Calendar spans 180 days and features extraordinary concerts by regional and international artists, exhilarating sporting and e-sports action, immersive cultural festivals, live interactive family shows, crowd-pleasing concerts, and unmissable theatre, opera and dance performances. Highly anticipated events in the Abu Dhabi Calendar include the live concerts by Sting, Andrea Bocelli and A. R. Rahman, the first NBA Abu Dhabi Games, the return of Abu Dhabi Showdown Week, headlined by UFC 280: OLIVEIRA vs MAKHACHEV, Disney’s The Lion King, and IIFA Awards Abu Dhabi 2023. For rap and global urban music fans, the Wireless Festival makes its Abu Dhabi debut in March 2023. H.E. Saleh Mohamed Al Geziry, Director General for Tourism at DCT Abu Dhabi, said, “Abu Dhabi Calendar has an incredible line up of events to thrill and excite our residents and visitors this season. We’re looking forward to sharing Abu Dhabi with the world by playing host to spectacular musical acts and action-packed global sport spectacles that will attract fans and families from across the globe. It’s a jam packed and incredibly diverse agenda of events which promises to connect friends, excite youth and unite families for unforgettable moments they can enjoy at their own pace.” Mohamed Abdalla Al Zaabi, CEO of Miral, said, “Through our collaboration with DCT Abu Dhabi and the support of our trusted partners, Abu Dhabi will host an action-packed line-up of world-class events …

NEOM, the sustainable regional development taking shape in northwest Saudi Arabia, announced the NEOM Beach Games 2022 that will bring together leading world class sport events with high performance athletes from over 25 countries, as the region aims to become a hub for sport. The series of major sport events will launch on October 19 and feature five dynamic sports; kitesurfing, triathlon, 3×3 basketball, beach soccer and mountain biking. Commenting on the announcement, NEOM’s CEO, Nadhmi Al-Nasr, said, “We are delighted to host the NEOM Beach Games which brings together local and international rights holders for five globally popular sports in one diverse location in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. NEOM is a place of unparalleled natural beauty and will be the ideal backdrop for what promises to be a period of exciting competition amongst world-class athletes competing in a variety of challenging sports.” The dynamic sport event will commence with world cup kitesurfing over the first five days, closely followed by Olympic level competition of short course triathlon on October 29. Other events to be held include an international 3×3 basketball tournament and a four-day beach soccer competition that will see 12 teams from around the world compete in the intense tournament.  In total, NEOM will host over 25 nations over these four sports. The NEOM Beach Games 2022 will then conclude on December 9 with the desert mountain biking race which will host 220 male and female riders from around the world for a four-stage event, varying 80 – 120 kilometers per stage. Jan Paterson, Managing Director of Sport at NEOM, added, “We are excited to be hosting world class events in NEOM as we aim to develop …

The Spain Tourism office in Abu Dhabi celebrated an event to celebrate the World Paella Day. The event was held in El Sur restaurant – The Westin Mina Seyahi , Dubai with trade partners from different sectors, including travel trade profesionals , influencers and media. The objective of this event was to promote and to share with the world the iconic Spanish dish, its different variations and its origin. For this reason, everyone was able to see the chef prepare and cook the different types of paellas (seafood, chicken, vegetarian & black paella ) while also sharing some insights about the history of this special dish. The menu also presented typical spanish starters (croquetas, cheese) and ended with some “churros”  . Invitees could also enjoy a traditional show of our typical Flamenco dance, which was one of the key moments of the evening. This year was quite special as this year was the first time a chef represented UAE at the Paella World Cup. This years’ edition has taken place from the 16 to 20 of September, gathering the best chefs  from all over the world in Valencia, Spain. Representing the United Arab Emirates-our candidate, Chef Piedade Fernandes along with Mariano from Sevilles . He was just 20 years old when he switched  from playing  football to cooking. Since then, he has been working for 22 years at the Seville’s Restaurant in Dubai, where he is in charge of the paella section, among other activities. Our representative was able to attain the final quarters elaborating a “classic paella”. Piedade was able to return with the 4th position for best paella chefs in the world. The World Paella Day aims to …

‘Beyond Better, Forward Together’ went way beyond a catchy tagline for Emirates’ Commercial Operations Management Conference, delivering action-packed, high-voltage sessions for more than 300 of its leaders and senior executives based globally and locally. Over two days this week, the audience were taken through an inspirational journey that mapped out Emirates’ solid strategy around fleet, destinations, products, and unimaginable growth – all wrapped around the airline’s hub Dubai. Dinner at the Museum of the Future, Dubai’s latest iconic attraction and a strategic partner of the airline, served as a fitting backdrop for the programme on day one. All of it was topped by an impromptu visit by HH Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman and Chief Executive, Emirates Airline & Group that brought the attendees to their feet. Invited speakers enlivened the conference with their take on aviation, tourism and the economy. Speakers included: HE Helal Saeed Al-Marri, Director General of Dubai’s Department of Economy and Tourism; Arjun Vir Singh, Partner with Arthur D. Little’s Financial Services Practice; and Nawal K. Taneja, consultant and author with more than five decades of experience in aviation. Adnan Kazim, Emirates’ Chief Commercial Officer said: “We are once again firmly set on the path of a massive growth trajectory in travel, and Emirates is ready and revving up to optimise every opportunity, as is Dubai. This conference was one of our biggest platforms to rally our leaders and senior executives, who are also some of Emirates and Dubai’s biggest brand advocates globally. They’ve now witnessed first-hand the many exciting initiatives rolled out by the airline and the city over the past two years, thanks to strong and visionary leadership. We’re absolutely thrilled with …

IndiGo India’s leading carrier has commenced new daily direct flights between Mumbai and Ras Al Khaimah, starting September 22, 2022. Ras Al Khaimah is the 100th overall destination and 11th in Middle East in 6E network. Ras Al Khaimah was also named as Gulf Tourism Capital for the year 2020 and 2021 by Gulf Cooperation Council. The operator and managing body of Ras Al Khaimah International Airport welcomed the arrival of the inaugural IndiGo flight from Mumbai. The aircraft received a ceremonial water cannon salute as it taxied to the terminal to mark the occasion. Chairman of Ras Al Khaimah International Airport Engr. Sheikh Salem Bin Sultan Al Qasimi, Mr. Atanasios Titonis Chief Executive Officer of Ras Al Khaimah International Airport, Mr. Stanislav Bujnovsky, Director – Commercial & Business Development, welcomed Mr. Pieter Elbers, Chief Executive Officer, IndiGo who travelled in the inaugural flight to Ras Al Khaimah. Mr. Pieter Elbers, Chief Executive Officer, IndiGo said, “We are very pleased to commence this first direct connection between Mumbai and Ras Al-Khaimah. For IndiGo, this is 100thdestination in 6E network and our fourth Emirate. Ras Al-Khaimah, which is known for its bright agricultural surroundings, is also focused on becoming the regional leader in sustainable tourism, which aligns well with our overall focus on sustainability. In vast and diverse India, IndiGo already serves an unparalleled 74 cities and communities throughout the nation. This new route, warmly welcomed by our customers and authorities, further enhances connectivity in the region as envisioned in IndiGo’s strategy.” His Excellency Engr. Sheikh Salem Bin Sultan Al Qasimi, Chairman of The Department of Civil Aviation Ras Al Khaimah & Ras Al Khaimah International Airport said: “It is our …

Sudan’s most innovative and customer-focused conglomerate, DAL Group, and Air Arabia, the Middle East and North Africa’s first and largest low-cost carrier operator, today announced the planned launch of “Air Arabia Sudan”, a joint-venture company to be based in Khartoum International Airport. Air Arabia Sudan will follow the value-added product offering operated by Air Arabia Group. The ticket pricing model will be best-in-class and accessible to all income-groups, which empowers travellers to save and spend more wherever they may decide by paying for only the services they want. Sheikh Abdullah Bin Mohamed Al Thani, Chairman of Air Arabia, said: “We are delighted at Air Arabia Group to partner with DAL Group on this joint venture to launch Sudan’s new low-cost carrier. We are confident that Air Arabia Sudan will add significant value to the air transport sector of Sudan and directly contribute to the growth of the local economy and the development of the travel and tourism sector. We thank DAL Group and the Sudanese Civil Aviation Authority for their trust, and we look forward to working hand in hand to develop the new airline, which will serve as a new value-for-money air travel option for the country.” Osama Daoud Abdellatif, DAL Group’s chairman, commented: “DAL Group is excited to launch Air Arabia Sudan in partnership with Air Arabia Group. Our decision to partner with a leading pioneer of low-cost air travel is driven by our core commitment to perpetually contribute towards realizing Sudan’s long-term human and economic growth and development potential. Given Sudan’s rich national cultures, rarely publicized yet fascinating ancient history and breathtaking topography, our nation enjoys a unique untapped potential, and we are therefore steadfastly committed to …