Rotana announced the signing of the management agreement for the Luxor Rotana. This luxury five-star resort in Egypt’s historic city is set to open in Q4 2023 catering to business and leisure travellers. Located in the heart of the “world’s greatest open-air museum”, this stunning new property will be in close proximity to the city’s ancient ruins including monuments, tombs and temples, set on the beautiful Nile offering stunning river views and more than 18,000 sqm of lush gardens. Integrating modern architecture with authentic designs, the luxury resort will boast 319 spacious rooms, including 48 suites and one exquisitely designed presidential suite offering unobstructed views of the cityscape. Guests will enjoy a wide selection of food and beverage options from four outlets including a lobby lounge, an all-day dining restaurant offering breakfast, lunch and dinner, a sophisticated bar, and Kamoon, a popular Rotana developed restaurant with spectacular views over the gardens and Nile river. Commenting on the announcement, Guy Hutchinson, President and CEO of Rotana said: “As we build on our expansion plans in the region, the signing of Luxor Rotana delivers on our strategic goal to further grow our portfolio in North Africa. Egypt is a key market for us with significant potential and we look forward to further building our brand presence in the country. Adding to our luxury portfolio, we look forward to delivering an unparalleled experience by providing our guests with “Treasured Time” in this timeless city of Luxor.” Luxor Rotana will offer a range of services and amenities including a luxurious state-of-the-art spa and treatment rooms, indoor and outdoor swimming pools, steam and sauna, and a dedicated kids club. Fitness enthusiasts will also enjoy two …

The President of Emirates Airline and the CEO of Heathrow Airport held a constructive meeting where Emirates agreed the airline was ready and willing to work with the airport to remediate the situation over the next 2 weeks, to keep demand and capacity in balance and provide passengers with a smooth and reliable journey through Heathrow this summer. Emirates has capped further sales on its flights out of Heathrow until mid-August to assist Heathrow in its resource ramp up, and is working to adjust capacity. In the meantime, Emirates flights from Heathrow operate as scheduled and ticketed passengers may travel as booked.

Limousine and e-hail sectors in Dubai have shown 85% growth rates in the first half of 2022 compared to the same period in 2021. As Limousine and e-hailing vehicles have made 6.3 million journeys in the first six months of 2022 compared to 3.4 million journeys made in the same period last year. Equally, the number of vehicles used to run this service has grown steadily from 6059 vehicles in the first half of 2021 to 6100 vehicles in the same period this year. “RTA attaches paramount importance to the role of the limousine sector in supporting tourism in Dubai. It offers top-class services to tourists, visitors and business leaders descending on Dubai from all over the world to benefit from the business and investment opportunities in exhibitions and activities hosted by the emirate. The limousine and e-hail sectors in Dubai have shown significant growth in the first half of this year, which is an important indicator of the growing demand for this private transport sector. The sharp growth was assisted by using sophisticated technologies such as artificial intelligence, channelling orders through smart apps, and forging partnerships with leading companies in the industry,” said Adel Shakeri, Director of Planning and Business Development, Public Transport Agency, RTA. It is noteworthy that commuting in limousines saves a lot of time, especially for attending events at specific times. The limo operators are very strict on the timing and oblige clients to do so considering the importance of time companies and clients alike.

Cathay Pacific will resume non-stop flights between Dubai and Hong Kong from 2 October, enabling passengers to rediscover the people, places, and experiences that matter the most. The airline will operate three flights per week on Monday, Friday and Saturday, providing travellers with direct access to Hong Kong in addition to seamless connections to onward destinations including the Philippines, Indonesia, Japan, and South Korea. All flights will depart from Terminal 1 at Dubai International Airport and can be booked on the Cathay Pacific website. Cathay Pacific Area Manager Middle East Vishnu Rajendran said: “Reactivating our link from the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) to Hong Kong is extremely important to us as the market remains a priority. We’re confident our offerings like the ease of connections, warm Asian hospitality, diverse in-flight entertainment options and customer-centric initiatives such as our health document verification tool, Fly Ready, make us one of the world’s greatest service brands. “Aside from the stream of those visiting friends and relatives and business travellers who we welcome on board from around the region, travellers from the GCC are also searching for cultural experiences abroad. Hong Kong and the various destinations that are easily accessible from our home hub, such as Japan and South Korea, offer these in abundance. Moreover, our much-anticipated thrice-weekly passenger flights will also support our cargo freighters, of which we have eight per week flying from the Emirate.” Cathay Pacific will deploy its Boeing 777-300 on its Dubai–Hong Kong route, catering to the increased cargo demand as well as passenger traffic. Moreover, the aircraft comes equipped with a three-class cabin configuration, featuring the airline’s forward-facing lie-flat seats in Business, spacious seats in Premium Economy as …

The Ascott Limited (Ascott) celebrates the opening of its eighth property in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) with the launch of Citadines Abha, in partnership with Almutlaq Real Estate Investment Co. The 140-unit apart’hotel marks the sixth regional opening for the group this year, as it forges ahead with its tenacious expansion plans for the Middle East, Africa and Turkey. Citadines Abha takes Ascott’s operational footprint to 1,062 keys in KSA, and 2,391 across the region. Nestled 7,450 feet above sea level in the mountainous district of Abha, the property overlooks the majestic Asir Mountains and provides residents and visitors with the perfect recluse from bustling city-life. It offers easy access to Abha’s vibrant leisure excursions, including shopping malls, restaurants, and entertainment hubs in close proximity, and is located just 6 kms away from the Abha Regional Airport. Aesthetically designed to optimise living spaces, Citadines Abha encapsulates the ideal adventurous and relaxing experience. With subtle hues of mustard yellow and inspiring modern Arabesque patterns, each apartment is equipped with spacious living spaces, stylish dining areas, sophisticated kitchenettes and scenic floor-to-ceiling windows. Featuring a variety of elegant apartments which cater to the needs of every traveller, the stellar property offers chic studio apartments for the adventure seekers and solo explorers; while business travellers can book their stay in the premium one-bedroom apartments; parallelly, family and friends can relax and unwind during their stay in the lavish two-bedroom apartments. The urban property is also home to world-class amenities, including a swimming pool, gymnasium, resident’s lounge, restaurant, meeting rooms and a business centre. Mr. Vincent Miccolis, Ascott’s Managing Director for the Middle East, Africa, Turkey and India, says: “Saudi Arabia continues to …

The capital city of Germany, Berlin, is set to benefit from enhanced connectivity to over 150 destinations, courtesy of the World’s Best Airline, Qatar Airways. Following the increase in services from daily flights to initially 10 and further rising to 11 weekly flights from Berlin Brandenberg Airport, German passengers can enjoy flights on the state of the art Boeing 787 aircraft, to global business cities including Mumbai, Singapore, Sydney and Tokyo plus leisure destinations including Bali, Maldives, Seychelles and South Africa. Qatar Airways has been steadfast in its support of Germany with flights from three airports in the country – Berlin, Frankfurt and Munich – as it maintained services to 2 cities and helped bring almost 25,000 passengers safely home to Germany in the early days of the pandemic. In a further demonstration of its strong cooperation with Berlin, the airline was chosen to operate the first flight to arrive at the new Southern Runway at Brandenberg Airport on 4 November, 2020. Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive, His Excellency Mr. Akbar Al Baker, said: “We have continuously supported the German market to ensure stronger connectivity to our passengers, allowing them to have one stop services to so many global destinations. We have made huge efforts to provide options to our passengers in Germany and by increasing our Berlin schedule to 11 flights per week, we now operate 46 flights per week to Doha from our three gateways. “Our passengers in Germany benefit enormously from having not just a world class product from the only Skytrax Five Star Airline in Europe and the Middle East, but a greater choice of destinations, all connected through Hamad International Airport, recently voted the World’s …

RezLive.com hosted two networking events, firstly in Muscat, followed by Bahrain which was attended by leading local travel agents and tour operators. The purpose of the event was to thank the local travel industry for its consistent support and to inform travel partners about the additional benefits of working with RezLive.com. Real business discussions, a flow of knowledge and information, and a few feedbacks and suggestions took place throughout the session. Jaal Shah (Group Managing Director – Travel Designer Group), firstly expressed his gratitude to the local travel partners for the resounding support they have received from the respective local markets. He also stressed the significance of maintaining and bolstering the strong foundation they share with RezLive.com. Last but not least, he added, we at RezLive.com (A Product of Travel Designer Group) recognise the value of our travel partners and work tirelessly to provide them with cutting-edge services that will simplify their tasks. Zaheer Jeddy, Deputy Regional Manager, updated the travel partners with innovative offerings from RezLive.com and at the same time oriented them about An Exclusive Loyalty program i.e “rezREWARDS”, which was appraised by the local travel partners and they look forward to continuing their support and business cooperation to RezLive.com (Preferred B2B Global Travel Wholesaler).      

Wego and Indonesia Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy collaborate to revive tourism to Bali. The all-time favorite destination, Bali, is welcoming tourists in the new norm. Bali is a country of diverse landforms. It has been one of the top honeymoon destinations or holiday spots. Bali has everything for adventure enthusiasts and the solo traveler in search of tranquility, ranging from waterfalls to nightclubs to treks. Through Wego’s vast user base in MENA, Indonesia Tourism Board will be able to promote its destination and Bali specifically to drive more bookings. To revive tourism post covid, Indonesia has launched an exhibition with the theme “It’s time for Bali”. To welcome tourists to the country, Bali offers Visa on arrival to 72 countries. Countries from the middle east like Saudi Arabia, Qatar, UAE, Oman, Bahrain and Kuwait have also been added to this list. Alongside, other nationalities’ visitors must apply for the B211A Visit Visa for 60 days. The primary purpose of easing travel to Indonesia is to encourage tourism and attract foreign exchange into the country. Mamoun Hmedan, Chief Commercial Officer and Managing Director, Middle East, North Africa (MENA) and India of Wego, said: “We are expanding our partnerships to cover more destinations and offer our users more choice. Indonesia and particularly Bali is a hot spot for many travellers, especially from the MENA region. We look forward to working with the Indonesia Tourism Board to bring more travellers to the country.” According to a recent study, Indonesia is set to welcome over 900,000 tourists by the end of this quarter. The government is helping curb the spread of covid-19 spread by keeping the highest vaccination rates in Bali and …

Etihad Guest, loyalty programme of Etihad Airways in partnership with Mashreq, has launched a points transfer programme for members to benefit from. Members can now convert Mashreq Salaam Points into Etihad Guest Miles with a conversion ratio of 22 Salaam Points for every 1 Etihad Guest Mile. Etihad Guest members can simply visit the authorised Mashreq Mobile app to convert Salaam points into Etihad Guest Miles. Members who transfer Salaam Points to Etihad Guest before 20 July 2022 can enjoy 20% extra Bonus Miles as an introductory offer. Kim Hardaker, Vice President Loyalty & Partnerships, Etihad Airways, said: “We’re excited to partner with Mashreq Bank so our Etihad Guest members can now transfer Salaam Points into our programme. The collaboration is designed to both encourage new customers and allow existing loyalty members to reap more benefits from partnering with two strong local brands. Members benefit by accelerating towards their next reward, whether they choose to redeem on flights with Etihad Airways and our 20 partner airlines, upgrades and so much more.” Etihad’s loyalty programme has relaxed its mileage expiration policy. Mashreq card holders can now benefit from miles that will only expire after 18 months of inactivity, and can be kept active by buying, earning, redeeming, or transferring miles. Kartik Taneja, Head of Payments at Mashreq, said: “As the travel industry continues to chart a positive course of recovery, we are delighted to introduce instant redemption of Salaam Points for the award-winning Etihad Guest Miles loyalty program, where the conversion can be completed swiftly and seamlessly via our Mashreq Mobile app. Our vision to become the region’s most progressive bank, enabling innovative possibilities, involves helping our customers take instant journeys …

Qatar Airways will be increasing its Doha – Melbourne flights from the current once-daily schedule to double-daily flights from 1 October with the support of the Victorian Government. The airline and the Victorian Government signed a strategic agreement to increase connectivity to Melbourne to further boost trade and tourism. Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive, His Excellency Mr. Akbar Al Baker, said: “Melbourne is the original home for Qatar Airways in Australia, and we are excited to enhance our operations there, as a testament to both strong demand and our deep commitment to Australia. We look forward to welcoming more passengers to experience our five-star hospitality, as travel to and from Melbourne to many cities worldwide via our Doha hub in Qatar. The launch of the additional daily flight to Melbourne ahead of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™ will allow more football fans travel to attend their respective matches.” Minister for Industry Support and Recovery, Ben Carroll, said: “Backing international aviation supports our economy and we will continue to work with airlines like Qatar Airways to establish and expand routes into Melbourne to boost local jobs.” Melbourne Airport Chief Executive Officer, Lorie Argus, said: “There is huge demand for international travel out of Melbourne, and these extra services couldn’t come at a better time with the soccer World Cup kicking off in November. It’s exciting to see airlines like Qatar Airways adding more capacity into Melbourne, given they are a global airline and could send their aircraft anywhere it’s a huge vote of confidence in our city. Qatar Airways is already a favourite with passengers heading to the Middle East or Europe, and given their partnerships with both Virgin Australia …