New figures released by the German National Tourist Board (GNTB) show the country’s strategic approach to attracting overseas travellers and recovering international tourism is proving a success. Statistics show that between January and December 2021, Germany welcomed 72.9 per cent more GCC national arrivals than over the same period the previous year. Elsewhere, overnight stays in Germany by visitors from the GCC region rose 82.3 per cent throughout 2021, with December alone recording a 335.2 per cent increase when compared to the previous year. This rise in footfall can be partly attributed to Germany’s ongoing efforts to diversify itineraries through its dissemination of various local cultures, family-focused leisure options, and natural, sustainable scenery, says Yamina Sofo, Director of Sales and Marketing at the Dubai-based German National Tourist Office. “We continue to urge travellers to explore Germany and its vast and varied attractions this upcoming holiday season,” said Sofo. “We have seen consistent growth in 2021 and hope that will be maintained in 2022, especially in summertime when we will be launching some seasonal campaigns. Our goal is always to ensure visitors experience Germany and its culture to full capacity – that means urging travellers to take in the natural beauty that exists throughout all states and cities, not only the major metropolitan areas.” For example, the south-eastern state of Bavaria is home to German capital Munich, but it also includes 45 impressive palaces and castles, as well as 30 court gardens and palace parks with beautifully spacious landscapes and calm lakes. It is perfect for springtime travellers given these rich, cultural landmarks can collectively represent a historic journey through not only Bavaria, but Germany as a whole. Johannisburg Palace in …

Kuwait Airways announced the operation of its scheduled commercial flights to the city of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, via Bangkok, Thailand, commencing 2nd June 2022, with three flights a week on Mondays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. Kuwait Airways Chief Executive Officer, Engineer Maen Razouqi stated, “Kuwait Airways is pleased to announce to its customers the operation of its flights to the capital city of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, which is one of the most important and new destinations of Kuwait Airways, selected after extensive and systematic research due to its historic and touristic attractions along with its rich, diverse culture. Moreover, Kuala Lumpur also distinguishes itself as a suitable destination for holidays throughout the year and is considered the cultural, financial, and economic center of Malaysia.” Razouqi added, “The launching of Kuala Lumpur as a destination emanates from within the framework of the Company’s strategy to expand its network to various destinations and locations that will cover most countries of the world, with an excellent reach, and meeting the requirements of the local, regional and global aviation market, especially for the summer season, during which we expect to witness recovery and tremendous demand from passengers, that will significantly encourage tourism and travel around the world in general and the State of Kuwait, in particular for the benefit of the tourism and hospitality sector. Moreover, Kuwait Airways is relentlessly striving to provide diverse and newer options that meet the requirements and aspirations of its customers to travel by providing special promotional offers for those destinations that witness great demand during the holiday season and to acquire major operating shares in the global market.” Razouqi mentioned, “Launching the Kuala Lumpur destination is in response to …

Emirates has announced the second daily flight on its Dubai-Melbourne route, served by its flagship A380 aircraft. Starting 1 May, the airline will offer customers fourteen weekly services from Dubai to Melbourne.  The expansion of services is supported by the Victorian Government to help fast-track the return of international flights to Melbourne and bring more visitors to the state. The additional daily frequency between Dubai and Melbourne will grow Emirates’ seats to over 1,000 a day totalling 700,000 a year between the airline’s global Dubai hub and Victoria, with 516 seats on each flight. Travellers can choose from 14 First Class suites, 76 lie-flat seats in Business Class and 426 ergonomically designed seats in Economy Class. Tickets can be booked on emirates.com, the Emirates App, or via both online and offline travel agents. From 1 May, Emirates’ additional daily flight will depart Dubai daily at 10:05hrs, arriving in Melbourne at 05:30hrs the next day. From Melbourne, the flight will depart at 05:15 and arrive in Dubai at 13:10hrs. The additional flight will join the existing service which flies daily from Dubai, departing at 02:40hrs and arriving at 21:50hrs in Melbourne. From Melbourne, the flight departs at 21:15hrs and is scheduled to arrive in Dubai at 05:15hrs the next day. All times are local. The addition of the second daily A380 service will also offer customers more convenience with the option of choosing a morning or evening flight, for optimal onwards connection opportunities when they stop in Dubai.   Before the pandemic, international flights brought more than 3.1 million visitors to Victoria each year and injected $8.8 billion into the economy. Emirates carried 22 per cent of the 1.3 million passengers …

As Jeddah gears up for its second Formula One event the coming weekend, following the first ever top-tier race in December 2021, a new chapter of sports tourism has been started. At present, the sports sector contributes around 0.2% of the Kingdom’s GDP, while the tourism sector contributes about 3%, according to the Ministry of Sport and the Ministry of Tourism. The two ministries have ambitious targets for growth: sports should contribute 0.6% of GDP and tourism 10% by 2030. One of the major areas for growth sits at the crossroads of the two: sports tourism. The latest publication by KPMG, “Competitive edge: The unfolding potential for sports tourism in Saudi Arabia”, presents a model of four different categories of sports tourism, with a global case study supporting each type. Across these categories, the model emphasizes coordination between organizers, mainly the private sector, public sector enablers and national tourism promoters as it is critical to attracting foreign tourists for both sport events and participation. The first “destination-dependent sports tourism” category notes that the Kingdom’s vast natural infrastructure as a major pull factor for sports tourism. That would include activities like diving and other watersports along the Red Sea coast, mountain climbing, as well as desert activities such as rally racing, running, cycling, motor and quad biking. The second model, “alternative location sports tourism,” refers to the sport that tourists often play close to home when they are not on vacation. The sport – or entire vacation – is enhanced by the destination. A key example here is golf, already one of the most prolific tourism sports around the world. The landscape and coastline of Saudi Arabia provide an outstanding and …

The Dubai College of Tourism (DCT), a part of Dubai’s Department of Economy and Tourism (DET), hosted a career fair for all of its students to enable them to choose from a range of career choices to chart a successful future. Industry leaders from across the tourism ecosystem were invited to attend and present their respective organisations to students at the purpose-built college facility located in One Central in the dynamic Dubai World Trade Centre area. This was followed by conducting interviews pertaining to part-time opportunities, internships, management trainee programmes and full time positions. The fair was held to aid the students to gain confidence and strengthen their networking skills, in order to secure internships which is a mandatory part of their programme at DCT. DCT courses provide a hands-on approach that is unrivalled within the industry and active collaborative initiatives with industry partners form a cornerstone of the programmes as these are designed to provide students with a transformational educational experience that is tailored to meet the needs of future employers. Participating companies included the Jumeirah Group, Hilton, Dan Bolton Creative Management Agency, Sofitel The Palm, Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC), Intercontinental Hotel Group (IHG), Pullman Hotels, Marriott, TEC Events, Avantgarde, and Media One Hotel.

The Indonesia Pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai, has attracted up to two million visitors worldwide as Expo 2020 Dubai reach it’s end. The Indonesia Pavilion continues to strive to achieve the target of 2.5 million visitors at the end of Expo 2020 Dubai. “We are thrilled because, in less than two weeks of the end of Expo 2020 Dubai, the Indonesia Pavilion has managed to attract two million visitors. We are optimistic that the numbers will continue to increase until this event ends,” said the Director General of National Export Development of the Ministry of Trade and Commissioner General of the Indonesia Pavilion Didi Sumedi. Didi state that the success of attracting two million visitors could not be separated from Indonesia’s efforts to provide festive shows every day, ranging from amazing cultural performances, exhibitions of local products, to a wide range of workshops that successfully attracted the hearts of Expo 2020 Dubai visitors. The business forum agendas held by the Indonesia Pavilion also played a role in showing attractiveness and opening up investment and trade opportunities in Indonesia. Coffee Cupping event at Indonesia Pavilion serving Local Farmers’ Coffee Didi also said, as the fourth largest coffee producer in the world, Indonesia continues to strive to showcase local coffee farmers at Expo 2020 Dubai. Therefore, in the week of Bank Indonesia’s participation in Expo 2020 Dubai, the Indonesia Pavilion held a coffee cupping event on Sunday. The event was held in an effort to expand access to the Indonesian coffee market to the Middle East. “At the Expo 2020 Dubai event, Indonesia continues to introduce local Indonesian coffee, from exhibitions to coffee brewing demonstrations that can be found in the Indonesia …

The General Assembly of the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO recognized the best examples of villages that make tourism a source of opportunities and a driver of sustainable development. “Best Tourism Villages” is an initiative launched to promote the role of tourism in safeguarding rural villages, as well as their landscapes, natural and cultural diversity, and local values and activities, including gastronomy. Testo Alto is on the list of 44 award-winning villages worldwide! Testo Alto, recognized “Best Tourism Village” by the World Tourism Organization. Brazil shines through its worthy representative, the village of Testo Alto. A little over 160 kilometers of road separate Florianópolis and one of the best tourist villages in the world: the Enxaimel Route, in Pomerode, Santa Catarina. Awarded among the selection of the World Tourism Organization (WTO), the village receives this certification that recognizes rural areas where tourism generates sustainable opportunities, preserving cultural traditions and the environment. The villages were evaluated by an independent advisory committee based on a series of criteria in nine areas: – Cultural and natural resources – Promotion and conservation of cultural resources – Economic sustainability – Social sustainability – Environmental sustainability – Tourism potential and development and value chain integration – Tourism governance and prioritization – Infrastructure and connectivity – Health, safety and security Each of the villages has achieved at least 80 of the 100 possible points. 44 villages from 32 countries in the five regions of the world have been awarded this recognition in 2021. All of them stand out for their natural and cultural resources as well as for their innovative and transformative actions and commitment to the expansion of tourism in line with the Sustainable Development Goals. UNWTO …

The Riyadh Travel Fair (RTF) is coming back to Saudi Arabia, and it’s coming back bigger than before. The news was announced by ASAS Exhibitions; the official organiser of the travel and tourism event that has otherwise been held annually since 2009. The 12th edition of the Fair will be held after a two-year-long hiatus due to the Covid-19 pandemic, and will open its doors to exhibitors, trade visitors and travel enthusiasts from 22-24 May, 2022. The three-day fair will be held for the first time at the newly developed exhibition center; Riyadh International Convention & Exhibition Center (RICEC). Demand from exhibitors to participate in the event has been extremely strong, with most of the available spaces fully booked. Some spaces do remain available however, which once finalized will see more than 300 participants representing tourism boards, airlines, Destination Management Companies (DMCs), hotels and resorts, and tour operators from over 40 countries in attendance. A key theme at Riyadh Travel Fair 2022 will be ‘Safe & Meaningful Travel Following a Covid Pandemic World’. Through various platforms a number of networking events and business opportunities for participants will be held over the course of the three days, as well as providing an opportunity for exhibitors to meet with Riyadh’s travelling public and popular influencers and media representatives. 15 new destinations and companies are participating for the first time in the annual exhibition, including representatives from Thailand, South Africa, Azerbaijan, Mauritius, Maldives, and Philippines among others. “We are so glad to be back!”, stated Bander Algryni, General Manager at ASAS Exhibitions. “It is great to see the desire for travel returning with such force and resilience and the inclusion of new participants …

Under the patronage of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is witnessing remarkable developments in the Hajj and Umrah sector to shift towards a more digitized and innovative future. In efforts to create a one-of-a-kind Umrah and Hajj experience for the modern pilgrim, the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah organized its annual conference and exhibition for this year, “The Hajj and Umrah Services Conference and Exhibition” under the title “Transformation towards innovation.” The “Hajj and Umrah Services Conference and Exhibition” was held under the Patronage of Prince Khalid Al-Faisal, Advisor to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques and Governor of Makkah Region and in the presence of a number of Their Excellencies Ministers from the Islamic world, and a large number of diplomatic, social, economic and media personalities under the umbrella of the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah and Dr. Tawfiq bin Fawzan al-Rabiah, the Minister of Hajj and Umrah, in cooperation with the pilgrim’s service program to contribute to submit recommendations and proposals for innovative solutions that better serve the Hajj and Umrah sector and to ensure a smooth and comfortable Hajj for the guests of Allah. The Kingdom hosted this extraordinary event to discuss new and advanced ways to enrich the Hajj and Umrah experience in line with Vision 2030. The “Hajj and Umrah Services Conference and Exhibition” offered an attractive gateway for investors to build strategic partnerships with stakeholders from both the governmental and the private and non-profit sectors while combining efforts to keep up with the accelerating pace of technology and harness its benefits to better serve pilgrims through the following: Shed light …

The eyes of the world will be on Qatar for the Final Draw of the 22nd edition of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™ on Friday 1 April, to witness the grouping of all teams for the flagship competition. The much-anticipated ceremony will be held at The Doha Exhibition and Convention Centre, starting at 19:00 (Doha time). The Final Draw will be graced by a delegation of Qatar Airways’ senior management who will be present to share the excitement amongst several former champions of the prestigious tournament in attendance. Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive, His Excellency Mr. Akbar Al Baker, said: “What was once a dream is now a reality. Many world-class footballers will be present to play their part in deciding who will face who in this year’s FIFA World Cup™ in Qatar.” H.E. Mr. Al Baker added: “As the Official Airline Partner of FIFA, we offer fans from around the world unique travel packages, inclusive of match tickets, flights and accommodation options, guaranteeing an unforgettable experience from start to finish. We want to utilise our global network to reunite the world in Qatar for what will truly be a once-in-a-lifetime sporting event.” With 29 out of the 32 participants confirmed at the time of the Final Draw, qualified teams will be separated into four pots based on the latest FIFA Men’s World Ranking. Pot four will include three placeholders representing the two intercontinental play-off winners and the European play-off winner, who will only be determined in June. Guests attending the Final Draw event will be able to experience the World’s Best Airline’s multi-award-winning Qsuite Business Class, which will be featured in a designated area. Qatar Airways is inviting …