Gulf Air in response to the surging travel demand will increase its direct flights to the Maldives capital, Male, to be daily starting from 15th August 2021. The route has been very popular in the recent months due to the relaxed rules and regulations for passengers to enter the Maldives which led passengers from Bahrain, the GCC and Europe to prefer the destination to many other Indian Ocean choices. Commenting on this upgraded daily service to Male, Gulf Air’s Acting Chief Executive Officer Captain Waleed AlAlawi commented: “The decision to increase our flights to Male is a classic example of demand and supply. We witnessed a growing demand for travel to the Maldives, being a year-round destination and one that’s open for tourism. Going daily with our flights is a fantastic feature for passengers to be able to depart or return on any day of the week depending on their calendars”. The airline recently upgraded its flights to Istanbul and Paris to become daily and restored its flagship double daily direct passenger flights to London Heathrow. It also extended the validity of miles of its loyalty programme, Falconflyer, to 31 December 2021. All miles, loyalty points and tiers that are expired or due to expire are now valid until the end of the year. Gulf Air began the summer season with flights to 80% of its pre-pandemic network and it continued to resume operations and restore services to cities of its original 2019 destination network. The airline has also announced that it has successfully launched all of its seasonal destinations for the summer of 2021 with direct flights to Mykonos and Santorini in Greece, Malaga in Spain and Alexandria and …

Miral, Abu Dhabi’s leading curator of magnetic experiences, in partnership with SeaWorld® Parks & Entertainment, announced today significant progress on the construction of SeaWorld Abu Dhabi, the next generation of marine life theme parks and Yas Island’s latest mega-development.  The marine-life park, which is set to feature the world’s largest and most expansive marine aquarium and the new Yas SeaWorld® Research and Rescue Center, is currently 64% complete. On track for completion in 2022, recent major construction milestones include the completion of the primary steel erection and near finalisation of the envelope enclosure of the marine-life park. Additionally, the structure’s façade is currently in progress, as well as over 70% of the acrylic panels installed across the park. SeaWorld Abu Dhabi, once complete, is set to be home to the world’s largest and most expansive marine-life aquarium, containing 25 million litres of water and housing more than 68,000 marine animals, including sharks, schools of fish, manta rays and sea turtles. A main focal view of the aquarium will present visitors with the “Endless Vista”, an impressive 20m tall vertical window across multiple levels revealing stunning aquatic scenes. Building off SeaWorld’s extensive research and rescue expertise, the Yas SeaWorld Research and Rescue Center will act as an advanced knowledge hub focusing on indigenous Gulf and marine life ecosystems. The facility will be located adjacent to the aquarium and theme park, and will be the first dedicated marine research, rescue, rehabilitation and return center in the UAE.  It will integrate with SeaWorld’s ongoing efforts related to research, rescue, conservation, and education. Accessible to visitors by reservation, the Research and Rescue Center will also demonstrate the work from resident scientists and researchers, enriching …

Flight shoppers and travel agencies can now see targeted, modern and appealing NDC offers when booking with Emirates partnership with ATPCO to enhance and enrich the airline’s new distribution content (NDC) offers with Routehappy Content. The new integration is now live via Emirates’ direct connect NDC API Gateway platform, enabling a more bespoke shopping experience for travel agents and corporate shoppers who use Emirates Gateway. The deal further expands the retailing reach of Routehappy Content around the world, with more agencies now able to consume ATPCO’s user-friendly and customer-centric rich content. Emirates’ NDC offers can now be viewed alongside highly targeted rich content, delivering a more innovative and transparent customer and shopping experience. The more visually appealing offer displays emphasizes Emirates’ award-winning ground and in-flight services, and the niche offerings that are only available for certain flights or promotions. Emirates was one of the first airlines to innovate with Routehappy Content to increase its merchandising and retailing capabilities for its indirect channels. The airline is now focused on its omnichannel distribution strategy and getting enriched offers to agencies connected to Emirates’ NDC API Gateway. This ensures no matter where an Emirates ticket is being booked, customers can see the right offer, with the right content, at the right time. “Our NDC offers are no longer just a customized price, attached to a schedule that is targeted to a certain agency. It is now a fully packaged offer that showcases a more accurate, compelling, and enriched experience for those consuming our Gateway API,” said Adnan Kazim, Chief Commercial Officer at Emirates. “ATPCO’s Routehappy Content enables this richer shopping capability so our travel agency partners can see what their customers are getting …

Emirates has launched an exclusive offer for customers to experience the excitement of the World Expo, the largest-of-its-kind event in the region. Emirates customers visiting Dubai, and travelling through Dubai, anytime during the much-awaited mega event running from 1 October 2021 to 31 March 2022, will be eligible to receive a free Emirates Expo Day Pass for every flight ticket booked with Emirates. The special offer is valid on all return tickets that include a flight to or through Dubai, for travel dates between 1 October 2021 and 31 March 2022.* The offer is applicable to tickets purchased in First Class, Business Class and Economy Class and extends to tickets booked through Emirates for flights on flydubai and customers travelling to anywhere on Emirates’ global network with a connection time of at least six hours in Dubai. One-way ticket holders whose journey originates outside the UAE are entitled to receive the complimentary Expo Day Pass if travelling to Dubai or onwards to other destinations if the minimum connection time is met. To make the deal even sweeter, the special added-value offer applies to all fare types including Special, Saver, Flex and Flex Plus. For more information on this promotion, please visit the dedicated offer page. Whether exploring Dubai solo, as a family, or reconnecting with family and friends, there has never been a better time to visit Dubai than now. Besides being at the epicentre of the largest themed event that promises to bring the world to one destination, visitors to Dubai during the six-month period can expect to enjoy a host of activities and special offers to celebrate the UAE’s golden jubilee, marking the 50th anniversary of the country’s …

UFC, the world’s premier mixed martial arts organization, and the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi) today announced that UFC will return to the UAE capital for a series of thrilling fan events that will be headlined by UFC 267 on Saturday, October 30. The return of Abu Dhabi Showdown Week, a series of events set to run alongside UFC 267, will feature city-wide activations including  fan events, fitness showcases and much more. Fans are encouraged to register their interest in UFC 267 and the surrounding fan events to be the first to find out about tickets going on sale, event news and to receive special offers. This second edition of Abu Dhabi Showdown Week comes as part of the groundbreaking five-year partnership forged by UFC and DCT Abu Dhabi that called for UFC to bring championship events to Abu Dhabi until 2023. The inaugural Abu Dhabi Showdown Week was held in September 2019 and culminated with the thrilling UFC 242: KHABIB vs. POIRIER in front of a sold-out crowd of over 14,000 fans on Yas island. Abu Dhabi went on to cement its position as the international fight capital of the world and further strengthen its partnership with UFC by becoming the official home of UFC Fight Island, the combat sports phenomenon that captured the imagination of the sports world. A total of 12 UFC FIGHT ISLAND events have been held  on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi since July 2020, allowing for UFC athletes from all around the world to compete in a safe and secure bubble during the pandemic. As Abu Dhabi gradually reopens to welcome tourists once again, UFC will be able …

Temperatures may be soaring outside but, Majid Al Futtaim Leisure, Entertainment & Cinemas has plenty of cool indoor activities to beat the heat in Dubai. From virtual reality to snow sports and cinema in -2⁰C, these must-do activities should be on your bucket list if you’re planning a summer filled with family fun! Dreamscape is the ultimate destination for virtual reality entertainment and combines the emotional power of cinematic storytelling with the thrill of theme-park rides. Taking experiential entertainment to the next level, guests can choose from three original and critically acclaimed epic immersive adventures including Alien Zoo, Curse of the Lost Pearl: A Magic Projector Adventure and The Blu: Deep Rescue. Dreamscape uses the very latest free- roaming virtual reality, which means you can move around a magical world that lets you fly alongside a dragon, explore alien zoos or soar through breathtaking landscapes filled with fantastic beasts. Simply slip on a set of VR goggles and you will be immersed in a completely different world. Tickets for each experience cost AED 78.75. Dreamscape is located at Mall of the Emirates (Level 2 next to the Apple Store). For more information and to book your tickets visit www.dreamscapemena.com. Snow Cinema in partnership with Liv is the world’s only cinema in an indoor ski resort and the coolest way to watch movies this summer. Cinemagoers can kick back and relax on lounge-style seating while watching their favourite films on the big screen surrounded by real snow on the slopes of Ski Dubai. Snow Cinema hosts several screenings a day and is currently showing family-friendly films and blockbusters such as Space Jam: A New Legacy, Jungle Cruise and Spirit Untamed. Ticket …

Mantis has opened its newest property in Tanzania: the Siringit Migration Camp by Mantis. The mobile camp moves every few months to follow the wildebeest herds, zebra, Thomson’s gazelles, and the predators that the Great Migration attracts within the Serengeti National Park. Mantis, a leading conservation-focused hotel group with luxury hotels, eco-lodges, waterways and impact experiences located across the globe has opened its newest property in Tanzania: the Siringit Migration Camp by Mantis. Paul Gardiner, CEO of the Mantis group comments: “The Great Migration is known as one of the greatest shows on earth and is on the wish-list of many international travellers. The Siringit Migration Camp by Mantis returns to the roots of safari: where sustainable, intimate, mobile camps move in symbiosis with wildlife. The unique shape of the tents – octagonal with transparent sides – is designed to dissolve the division between indoors and outdoors, allowing guests to be closer to nature. We look forward to welcoming guests and offering them the chance to witness nature at its best.” The Siringit Migration Camp by Mantis opens in the Kogatende region (Northern Serengeti) where it will remain until 15 November 2021. The camp will then move to the Ndutu region (Southern Serengeti) reopening on 15 December 2021, where it will remain until 31 March 2022, which is when the herds start their migration North again. Both locations have their own private airstrip for guest arrivals and departures. There are daily scheduled flights from Arusha or Seronera to Kogatende, and the airstrip is only a short 10-minute game drive direct to the camp. The Bedouin style camp has eight luxury guest tents, positioned on raised platforms to provide guests with …

Wizz Air Abu Dhabi announced it is adding a new GCC route to its flight roster, Manama in Bahrain. Set to commence on 9th of September, the route will strengthen connectivity within the GCC and will bring Wizz Air Abu Dhabi’s destinations to a total of 32 since launching in January 2021. The flight to Bahrain International Airport (BIA) will operate three times a week on Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday and tickets are on sale on wizzair.com and the airline’s mobile app (also available in Arabic), with fares starting at AED 129*. BIA is one of the most modern boutique airports in the Gulf and recently underwent comprehensive redevelopment as part of a USD1.1. billion Airport Modernisation Programme. The airport has a catchment area of 3.2 million people in Bahrain and a further 5.2 million in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia. Bahrain is well known for pearls and pearl diving. It is also home to the exhilarating FORMULA 1 in March. Just a one-hour flight away from Abu Dhabi and being on the “Green List”, Bahrain is ideal for an exploratory weekend getaway. Kees Van Schaick, Managing Director of Wizz Air Abu Dhabi said: “Increasing the connectivity of the GCC by offering more affordable travel options has always been a priority for us at Wizz Air Abu Dhabi. We are excited to offer an alternative travel option for the short flight to the Kingdom of Bahrain. It is an appealing destination given its proximity to the UAE, friendly locals and wealth of history and culture – we are confident that Bahrain will be a welcome addition to our flight roster.” BAC Chief Executive Officer, Mohamed Yousif Al Binfalah said: …

Gulf Air announced that it will resume its direct operations to Moscow Domodedovo International Airport in Russia starting with 2 weekly flights, beginning from 14th August 2021. On this occasion, Captain Waleed Abdulhameed AlAlawi, Acting Chief Executive Officer, said “Month by month, we are resuming services to more destinations of our pre-pandemic network and we can see the world slowly recovering as more people are confident to travel again. We have been operating direct flights between the Kingdom of Bahrain and the Russian Federation since 2014 and it is one of the airline’s main destinations. Now is the time that we connect both countries with this direct service and offer our passengers the opportunity to travel to and from Russia for leisure or business.” Gulf Air began the summer season with flights to 80% of its pre-pandemic network and it continued to resume operations and restore services to cities of its original 2019 destination network. The airline has also announced that it has successfully launched all of its seasonal destinations for the summer of 2021 with direct flights to Mykonos and Santorini in Greece, Malaga in Spain and Alexandria and Sharm El Sheikh in Egypt as well as recently resuming Tbilisi in Georgia. The airline currently flies to and from Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Kuwait, Riyadh, Jeddah, Dammam, Medina, Muscat, Cairo, Amman, Casablanca, London, Paris, Frankfurt, Athens, Istanbul, Tbilisi, Larnaca, Bangkok, Manila, Singapore, Dhaka, Colombo, the Maldives and several destinations in India and Pakistan. Back in May, the airline announced that all its flights would be operated by 100% vaccinated crew including pilots and flight attendants. The airline has started its internal vaccination campaign for its operating crew and front line …

Make the most of this summer by booking an escape on the shores of the Arabian Gulf with the beach at your doorstep and nature as your backdrop.  Embrace the urban escapade of its unparalleled beachfront location mixed with a touch of tradition leaving you relaxed and rejuvenated this summer! Summers are made much cooler as the Habtoor Grand Resort, Autograph Collection has put together an incredible value-added staycation deal for the UAE Residents. Those looking for a staycation can now experience breathtaking views of the Arabian ocean from their modern chic rooms with guaranteed room upgrades while enjoying an extensive F&B credit starting at AED 150 in the resort’s delicious managed outlets. What’s more! Rejuvenate at the Elixir Spa with a 30% discount on selected treatments or take a dip into the resort’s one of the sparkling pools. The resort boasts a private beach, ideal for those who want an uninterrupted and secluded experience. Families with kids can make themselves comfortable and enjoy privacy at the spacious connecting rooms that the resort has to offer. That’s not it, the family resort has a unique kids pool section which is equipped with water slides for the kids to bounce and splash while the adults take a plunge in the main pool. The adventure is not over yet you get 2 bronze tickets to the amazing La Perle show when you book the UAE Residents Summer Staycation Offer. All this can be yours at prices starting at AED 700 per night. This bumper offer is valid till 31st August 2021. What: UAE Residents Summer Staycation Offer When: Valid till 30th September Where: Habtoor Grand Autograph Resort, Autograph Collection, Marriott Lifestyle Resort …