Located in the sustainability district, the Spain Pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai has exceeded one million visits since its opening in October 2021, nearly 9 per cent of the total visitors to the world fair until date. On the 15th of February, the Executive Commissioner General of the Spain Pavilion, Carmen Bueno welcomed the visitor one million, an Irish man living in Abu Dhabi who was visiting the Expo site together with his family. To celebrate, the Pavilion organized an exclusive guided visit of the permanent exhibition and gifted him with a dinner for two in the exclusive Azotea restaurant and with a gift bag full of souvenirs of the Pavilion. According to a recent survey carried out by the pavilion on how much visitors would recommend, on a scale from 1 to 5 (being 5 highly recommended) stopping by, the pavilion reached an average score of 4.6. Speaking of the occasion, Carmen Bueno said: “The Spain Pavilion has been one of the key attractions at Expo 2020 Dubai and has received great interest from visitors from all over the world (…) I am very proud of the staff having reached one million visits with such great feedback.“ Under the motto, ´Intelligence for life´, the pavilion aims to become an example of intelligent creativity, capable of uniting people around sustainable projects in the fields of science, technology, education, and art. Attractions at the pavilion: Commissioned to Amann-Cánovas-Maruri studio, the Spain Pavilion is an eco-friendly exhibition that seamlessly blends ancient heritage and cutting-edge innovation.  The Pavilion stands out for its enormous colourful cones, partially covered with ultralight and flexible photovoltaic panels that led visitors to an airy ground floor containing several, …

Canal Central Hotel Business Bay, the luxurious 5-star Hotel along the famous Dubai Canal, recorded significant growth, entering 2022 with a 157 percent increase in revenue per available room (RevPAR), compared to the same period in 2021. The growth has been driven by the rise in the travel trade segment as the city hosted several key events and exhibitions last year, such as the opening of the Expo 2020, the UAE Golden Jubilee, and the recently concluded Dubai Shopping Festival. There is a growing preference for hotels in Business Bay because of its proximity to Dubai International Convention Centre and Exhibition Halls and the Dubai International Financial Centre. It is also a few minutes away from Dubai’s exciting tourist spots such as The Burj Khalifa, The Dubai Fountain, and the soon-to-open The Museum of the Future. “Despite the previous year’s challenges, Canal Central Hotel Business Bay had a great start to 2022. We had record growth in our RevPAR, and we look forward to maintaining this throughout the year. We are confident that our strategic location, our diversified packages to cater to leisure and business travelers, and our excellent offerings will further boost the growth that we have already established. I would like to thank our loyal guests and the UAE government for their support of the hospitality industry,” said Gladvin Francké, Head of Hospitality. According to the latest Dubai Tourism Performance Report, the average length of stay in a hotel increased from 4.2 nights in 2020 to 4.6 in 2021. Average daily rates (ADR) went from AED343 to AED451, and revenue per available room (RevPAR) went from AED184 to AED301, indicating strong performance in the industry. The top sources …

Mosques around the Emirate of Sharjah are offering spectators a glimpse into Islamic designs and patterns as they host enchanting light shows during Sharjah Light Festival 2022, organised by the Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority (SCTDA). The festival is set to continue until February 20 and cover various regions of the emirate, transforming Sharjah’s landmarks into a canvas for dazzling shows that reflect the emirate’s history and chart its path for the future. The displays highlight the architectural aesthetics of Sharjah’s mosques, famed for their stunning Islamic designs. The renowned Al Noor Mosque is hosting a show titled ‘Beauty by Contrast’, which recounts how art – and particularly, Islamic art – has been a universal language and a powerful tool for communication throughout history. The display blends geometry, architecture, physics, mathematics, and philosophy to tell the story of art’s influence on the world. The show culminates in a modern and digital interpretation of the universal language, dramatically contrasting shapes and sequences to explore art’s role in the future. Meanwhile, Sharjah Mosque serves as the backdrop for ‘The Harmony of Islamic Motifs’, a show that brings attention to the beauty and harmony of timeless Islamic motifs, underlined with fast digital designs that infuse the show with a contrast of evolution and speed. Act 1 represents the ‘initial vision’ of the emirate with a spiral of light that appears from shifting sands, while Act 2 focuses on the ‘present’ with digital lines, bright colours, and calligraphy representing progress and development. Finally, Act 3 uses simple lines to delineate the platforms of the mosque – an assured, harmonious introduction to the ‘future’. Rounding up the list is the Rashid bin Ahmed Al …

Dubai’s flag-carrier airline Emirates tops YouGov Travel and Tourism Rankings 2022 in the UAE, receiving the highest Impression score of +63.3 among the residents in the country. Last year, during the summer months when many destinations eased their travel restrictions, Emirates responded to the strong travel demands by ramping up its route to 90% of pre-pandemic coverage. Additionally, the continued emphasis on health and safety measures as well as making the process as contactless as possible with minimal interaction with people, together with the extension of Tier status deadlines by one year were all very well received by the public, contributing to the brand’s strong overall impression among the UAE residents. YouGov’s BrandIndex measures the public’s perception of brands on a daily basis across a range of metrics. The Rankings were compiled using the Impression score, which is a measure of whether a consumer has a positive or negative impression of a brand calculated by taking the average net score for the year 2021 (1st January 2021 – 31st December 2021). Emirates’ rival Etihad Airways is in second place with an Impression score of +40.5, while another popular airline Qatar Airways takes tenth (22.1) place in the rankings. The rest of the list is dominated by Hotels & Resort brands. Dubai’s most iconic hotel Burj Al Arab is placed third (+32.6). Last year, for the first time, the hotel opened its doors to non-guests (residents and tourists) to discover its most prestigious and inaccessible spaces, which might have helped the brand create a stronger positive impression among the people in UAE. Ocean-themed luxury resort Atlantis, the Palm is fourth (+28.7), followed by other five-star properties Hilton (+25.9), Jumeirah (+25.6), and …

Etihad Airways launched a new experience for families flying with Etihad. The airline has partnered with the award-winning theme park, Warner Bros. World™ Abu Dhabi, to launch a one-of-a-kind family friendly experience on board its fleet. Etihad’s new ‘Little VIP’ campaign recognises that young travellers are all very important people and aims to make travelling with children as easy and enjoyable as possible. The Park’s iconic Animation characters like Scooby-Doo, and Looney Tunes including Sylvester and his beloved nemesis Tweety, are emblazoned across the children’s activity packs given to guests travelling on longer flights with Etihad. The airline’s new children’s gifts are designed in three age ranges. For infants up to 2 years old, parents will be given a soft fleece blanket decorated with the faces of Tweety, Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck and Sylvester for them to take home. Young flyers aged 3 to 8 years, will be given a drawstring bag featuring an activity book, crayons, memory card game and passport holder. Tweens and teens aged 9 to 13 will be delighted with a Scooby-Doo themed backpack featuring the Museum of Mysteries board game designed to promote Yas Island’s incredibly immersive indoor theme park, Warner Bros. World Abu Dhabi. In addition to the Warner Bros. World Abu Dhabi’s themed inflight gifts, Etihad is bringing a comprehensive family travel experience to life, through cabin crew and ground crew training to identify and support family travel needs. At Abu Dhabi International Airport, a dedicated family check-in space will be available for families with minimised queuing to make family journeys as smooth as possible. Thoughtful touches include a small set of stairs at check-in counters meaning young eyes can take a peek …

Dubai-based Luxury Explorers’ Collection, a leading player in the premium holiday home market, has announced its expansion into Saudi Arabia.  The firm’s first foray into investing outside the UAE will see Luxury Explorers’ Collection launching five new premium rentals in Mecca beginning next month. “Governments in the region have put a lot of efforts in diversifying the economy away from oil and a vital sector that has consistently been mapped in strategies for transformative development, particularly in the GCC, has been tourism,” said Mohammed Sultan, CEO for Luxury Explorers’ Collection.  “Taking our brand to Saudi Arabia is not only an important part of our strategic vision, but it is a testament as well to our commitment to support tourism and hospitality’s path to recovery, and ultimately, long-term growth.” Sultan revealed that introducing Luxury Explorers’ Collection to Mecca market will give them the right exposure in Saudi Arabia. “Our Mecca properties will have spacious apartments and penthouses accessible to Haram and with an uninterrupted Kaaba view. We will also offer full concierge services, including in-house chef, delivery attendants, butlers, and housekeeping staff,” he added. “On top of this, we are already developing a more forward-looking strategy for future investments in the Kingdom, in which we plan to expand in Riyadh to serve the corporate markets and families for holidays and weekends in the capital.  This is also in the hope of supporting the goals of the Kingdom’s Vision 2030, which has set an ambitious target of 100 million tourists by 2030,” Sultan continued. Tourism and hospitality were among the sectors hit hardest by the coronavirus pandemic, however, Sultan revealed that it was during these most challenging times that Luxury Explorers’ Collection …

Swiss-Belhotel International has announced the de-branding of Swiss-Belhotel Doha owned by the Al Majid Family of Qatar. Effective from 1st February 2022, the hotel is no longer part of the Swiss-Belhotel International portfolio. Laurent A. Voivenel, Senior Vice President – Operations & Development, EMEA & India; Senior Vice President – Group Human Resources & Talent Development, Swiss-Belhotel International, stated, “Swiss-Belhotel Doha had joined our portfolio in 2009 and had remained as a franchised property for the past 5 years. But unfortunately, it no longer measures up to our brand standards which is detrimental to our image and brand promise. Hence, we were compelled to part ways based on a mutual understanding between the two parties.” Swiss-Belhotel International is well-positioned in Qatar and is known to deliver world-class service and memorable experiences with great value. “Moving forward”, Laurent stressed, “Qatar is an extremely important market for us and we will continue to serve our guests with our other hugely successful hotel, the Swiss-Belinn Doha. The hotel has recently expanded its facilities with the addition of The Swiss Sports Bar and Lounge. We are also negotiating some fantastic new projects in the country to expand our footprint in the country.” Laurent stressed, “Qatar is enjoying one of its best moments in history and tourism there has a lot of potential for growth. In preparation of the FIFA World Cup, we have seen a dramatic development of infrastructure projects in the country including the massive expansion of the airport all of which will positively contribute to the tourist experiences as well as create significant economic advantages. We are looking ahead with a great deal of optimism and eager to make most of the …

flydubai announced that it will resume flights to Istanbul’s Sabiha Gökçen Airport (SAW) from 02 March with five flights a week.  With flydubai’s daily flights to Istanbul Airport (IST), the airline will increase its flight frequency to Istanbul to 12 flights a week. flydubai’s network in Turkey also includes the capital, Ankara, where it operates two weekly flights. Commenting on the relaunch of flights, Jeyhun Efendi, Senior Vice President, Commercial Operations and E-commerce at flydubai, said: “flydubai remains committed to making travel more accessible by providing more choice for our passengers. Istanbul remains a popular destination on our network and we welcome the resumption of our operations to Sabiha Gökçen Airport, an airport that provides another convenient option for those travelling to Istanbul. We look forward to welcoming our passengers as they travel with flydubai onboard our Boeing 737 MAX aircraft.” Istanbul offers a wonderful mix of Europe and Asia, with plenty of options for shopping, dining and sight-seeing. It remains one of the most visited cities in the world and continues to be an important economic hub. Sabiha Gökçen Airport (SAW) is located on the Asian side of Istanbul, offering more options for passengers travelling to and from the city. Emirates will codeshare on this route offering travellers more options for connections through Dubai’s international aviation hub to more than 190 destinations between both the Emirates and flydubai networks. Passengers travelling on a Boeing 737 MAX aircraft can enjoy more comfort and an enhanced travel experience. The new cabin offering features a flatbed in Business Class and in addition to the extra space and privacy, passengers can sleep comfortably during their flight. Economy Class offers new RECARO seats, which …

Air Arabia Egypt announced the introduction of a new service to Gassim, city in Saudi Arabia with direct flights from Sohag International Airport to Prince Nayef Bin Abdulaziz International Airport, commencing on February 24, 2022. Gassim is considered the seventh route that Air Arabia Egypt flies to after Riyadh, Jeddah, Tabuk, Taif, Al Jouf, and Hail in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. All passengers traveling to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia are required to download “Tawakkalna” mobile application before departure and upload their vaccination status. Passengers are also urged to check the travel update on Air Arabia’s website before departure. Customers can now book their direct flights between Sohag and Buraidah by visiting Air Arabia’s website, calling the call centre or through travel agencies. Since COVID-19 outbreak, Air Arabia’s customer journey has been upgraded to include all safety measures that are in line with the highest international measures. Air Arabia’s entire fleet is fitted with HEPA cabin air filters, which help to provide a safer and healthier environment for passengers. Customers are always requested to comply with the conditions and requirements of the countries of departure and destination.

Paramount Hotel Midtown opens adding pizzazz to the Business Bay skyline with its contemporary Hollywood-chic styles and impressive views. Situated at the heart of Dubai’s bustling commercial haven, the urban hotel offers a glamorous living experience with interiors that match the comforts and sophistication of tinseltown nestled in the neighborhood of some of Dubai’s most famous destinations, the Burj Khalifa, the Dubai Mall and Sheikh Zayed Road. Retro artworks, marble floorings, plush interiors and a splash of gold décor welcomes guests at the lobby of the hotel. With 281 contemporary rooms and suites to choose from, patrons have a range of accommodation options to choose from. Individuals, couples and families can all enjoy the luxuries of state-of-the-art amenities and views of the Burj Khalifa to awe at. Across five bespoke restaurants, guests can enjoy an array of cuisines, whipped up by chefs of caliber. Paparazzi Tuscan offers authentic Italian charm with its open-plan kitchen and Chef’s table, while CineScope serves an international mix of multi-ethnic cuisine, compared to be as eclectic as the flamboyant city of Las Vegas. With a 25ft long bar and leather armchairs, Melrose Bar & Lounge provides for a comfortable evening in a fashionable, and urban ambience. Meanwhile, perched 235m up, the Malibu Sky Lounge and Pool Bar offers panoramic views of Dubai. In collaboration with French brand Château Berger, the hotel offers a relaxing and holistic experience at PAUSE Spa, offering a wide range of therapies as well as bath, body and beauty products for purchase. Furthermore, PAUSE Fitness Center offers a comprehensive range of fitness equipment for fitness enthusiasts. The Kids Studio Club offers a safe and fun place for children to be entertained …