Etihad Guest, the loyalty programme of Etihad Airways, and talabat, the region’s leading food, and q-commerce delivery platform, are expanding their partnership with the Etihad Guest ‘Miles on the Go’ programme to include carbon offsetting until December 2023. The original agreement was signed in September 2021 and allowed Etihad Guest members to earn and redeem miles when ordering food, groceries, and other essentials on the talabat platform in the UAE. Today, Etihad Guest members can also contribute to the Conscious Choices sustainability initiative recently launched by the airline. In partnership with CarbonClick, the project will offset each ride made by a talabat rider through the Miles on the Go programme, helping to contribute to the overall effort by the airline to offset its carbon footprint, making it the first in the world to reward its guests for adopting more sustainable practices. Kim Hardaker, Director Loyalty and Partnerships, Etihad Airways, said: “We are very proud of our Conscious Choices initiative and our venture with talabat through the Miles on the Go programme is an example of our constant strive to find new and innovative ways to reduce our carbon footprint. This partnership enhances our commitment and that of our guests towards making a positive impact to a more sustainable future.” Onur Elgun, Vice President of Strategy at talabat, added: “As a company, we are stepping up our efforts to contribute to a more sustainable future focusing on offsetting and reducing our carbon footprint. Therefore, the timing of this couldn’t be better, and it’s an opportunity to positively contribute to projects that create clean energy, a key driver in reducing global carbon emissions”. “We’re very proud to continue expanding our partnership with …

SiteMinder, the world’s leading open hotel commerce platform unveiled the lists of distribution channels that over the past year brought the highest booking revenue to hotels in the Middle East and more than 20 other of the world’s most popular tourism destinations. The list for the Middle East—in line with global trends—reveals a more holistic online commerce strategy, consisting of both new and established methods, is being taken by hotel businesses to reach new customers and produce revenue. This holistic commerce strategy consists of a greater balance between direct and indirect revenue streams, with direct bookings retaining the third position in the Middle East. Globally, direct bookings now rank as one of the top two revenue drivers in more than half (12) of global markets—up from five markets last year and two in 2019—driven by increased investments in booking engines, hotel websites, metasearch, frictionless payments, support from hotel consultants and specialist applications designed for conversion. This year’s lists also feature 29 new distribution channels—including TBOHolidays and Airbnb in the Middle East—reflecting the current aptitude among hotels to embrace new revenue streams in their pursuit of new customers. Additionally, the lists increasingly feature Airbnb, which debuted in the Middle East’s list and two others, and rose in 12 additional markets, in spite of the channel being made available to traditional hospitality businesses only four years ago. Other major findings supporting a greater adoption of a holistic hotel commerce strategy included: The maintained relevance of regional channels, particularly in locations with ongoing reduced international travel. This was exemplified in the Middle East by Dubai-headquartered Destinations of the World by WebBeds. The ongoing importance of wholesalers for many accommodation providers, with leading bedbank …

Majid Al Futtaim and Dreamscape Immersive, the location-based immersive virtual reality company, has announced that it will launch its newest interactive experience MIB: First Assignment at its flagship location at Mall of the Emirates on 27 January. Thanks to the creative minds at Dreamscape and Sony Pictures Virtual Reality (SPVR), Men in Black fans will suit up as agents, swap sunglasses for a VR headset, and step into a heart-pumping, alien-fighting adventure as they free-fly on intergalactic hoverbikes to save the planet from the extraterrestrial world. Advance tickets for the epic adventure go on sale on  14 January and can be purchased on dreamscapeimmersive.com. Walter Parkes, co-founder and CEO of Dreamscape and executive producer of the Men in Black film franchise said, “We are thrilled to partner once again with Majid Al Futtaim, which is at the forefront of entertainment in the Middle East. MIB: First Assignment is launching almost 25 years after the film, demonstrating the enduring appeal of the franchise and, this experience fully immerses fans in an iconic cinematic world, making them the star of their own intergalactic adventure. Since debuting in Los Angeles, it has received rave reviews and we look forward to bringing this new adventure to audiences across the region for the first time.” Ignace Lahoud, Chief Executive Officer at Majid Al Futtaim Leisure, Entertainment & Cinemas added, “We are extremely excited about expanding our offering at Dreamscape with the launch of a MIB: First Assignment, which transports guests to an immersive new world and allows them to be at the heart of the action. In today’s ultra-competitive landscape, it is essential to provide something extraordinary to attract customers and, at Majid Al Futtaim, …

Amidst optimism and hope in reviving the tourism sector, Botswana Pavilion, on 19th January 2022, held official press briefing to announce the Botswana Tourism Month at the Expo 2020 Dubai. Set to be on display until the 8th  of February 2022, the one-of-a-kind showcase promises to highlight the Southern African country as a globally competitive force in tourism with a rich natural resource base and investment potential. The exhibition will shine a spotlight on Botswana’s diverse culture, its food, song, dance and the long-standing principles of sustainability. Participating delegates included Botswana’s Honourable Minister of Environment, Natural Resources Conservation and Tourism, Ms. Philda Kereng, her Permanent Secretary Dr Oduetse Oldman Koboto alongside Botswana Tourism Organisation’s Acting Chief Executive Officer – Ms. Tshoganetso Carl-Ponoesele. Also present on the occasion were officials from Botswana’s government entities and Botswana’s finest tourist operators hoping to share the travel packages on offer and potential investment projects with investors and travellers seeking to learn about the country’s opportunities first-hand. Speaking at the engagement, The Honourable Minister of Environment, Natural Resources Conservation and Tourism, Ms. Philda Kereng said, ‘Botswana is known for its exclusive experiences, dramatic wildlife encounters, picturesque landscapes and off-grid vacations. The country boasts two UNESCO World Heritage Sites – Tsodilo Hills with the rock art filled spiritual sites, and the Okavango Delta which is the desert’s unexpected wetland wonder.’’ It is not by coincidence that Botswana hosts the world’s largest elephant population. The country’s high-value and low-volume tourism escapades are focused on minimising the negative environmental impacts. Botswana has also seen substantial growth in business and investment opportunities due to its stable political environment. Furthermore, in the advent of COVID-19, the Government of Botswana together …

Oman Air announced that it has been granted ‘Airline Retailing Maturity status’ under IATA’s ARM Index Program. The certification recognizes that Oman Air uses Shop/Order capabilities compliant with the standard Enhanced and Simplified Distribution message schema, version 18.2 and the ARM index Capabilities Verification Guidance. Commenting on the certification, Mr. Umesh Chhiber, Senior Vice President Revenue Management, Pricing and Distribution at Oman Air, said “Receiving this status is a proud moment for Oman Air as we now join the first few airlines to have attained the ARM Index certification. Airline retailing has been one of the biggest industry disruptors in recent years and Oman Air is working towards developing additional enhanced retailing capabilities on our NDC channel. These new capabilities, once developed and verified by IATA, will be published in our ARM Index Registry.” Oman Air’s new strategy is focused on becoming an omni-channel airline that gives its customers the freedom to choose when and how they interact with the airline. “As a customer-centric airline, Oman Air is committed to providing greater freedom of choice to our customers,” Mr. Chhiber added, “This is irrespective of whether or not they choose traditional GDS distribution channels, OTAs, aggregators or the cost-optimal NDC Channel, which will help Oman Air reduce its distribution costs significantly. I commend IATA and other airlines who alongside Oman Air are fully committed to the NDC journey by offering more freedom of choice to the customer.”

Emirates has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Public Service of The Bahamas to explore joint initiatives to promote tourism to the island nation. The Memorandum of Understanding was signed by HH Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Emirates Group Chairman and Chief Executive and The Hon Frederick A Mitchell MP, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Public Service, The Bahamas at the Emirates Group Headquarters. Also present at the meeting were Adnan Kazim, Emirates’ Chief Commercial Officer; Salem Obaidalla, Emirates’ Senior VP Commercial Operations for the Americas; and HE Tony Joudi, Ambassador of The Bahamas to the UAE. HH Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Emirates Group Chairman and Chief Executive said: “Across the world, Emirates plays a key role in boosting tourism to various destinations by providing travellers with reliable, convenient and comfortable flight options for travel. We are delighted to work with The Bahamas to strengthen transport links and to support the country to welcome tourists from around the world. We look forward to a long and fruitful partnership.” The Hon Frederick A Mitchell MP, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Public Service, The Bahamas, said: “We are happy to be working together with Emirates to promote The Bahamas as a destination of choice for travellers from across the world. The Bahamas is truly an unmatched destination offering a wide variety of leisure experiences that can appeal to every visitor. We are grateful to the support offered by Emirates and we look forward to welcoming tourists from the UAE and other global markets to The Bahamas.” Spread across 16 major islands and boasting more than 100,000 sq. miles of the world’s clearest …

Dubai Festivals and Retail Establishment (DFRE) in collaboration with New Dimension Productions (NDP), a leading motion picture and hologram entertainment production agency, will launch the world’s first ‘Dubai Hologram Universe’ at Al Habtoor City Theatre, home to its resident production, the famous long-running ‘La Perle’. The joint initiative by DFRE and NDP will feature state-of-the-art hologram concerts for legendary singers and musicians twice a week, complemented by spectacular live entertainment performances brought to life by Al Habtoor City Theatre awe-inspiring special effects, and will cater to various music genres of all ages throughout the year. Produced by NDP, the first show will kick off during the last week of Dubai Shopping Festival on 30 January with an exquisite ‘Sawwah’ dubbed evening, in which hologram technology will bring Abdel Halim Hafez back to perform on stage accompanied by performers and musicians, with some of his most famous romantic songs, all set to dazzle the audience for 90 minutes. Commenting on the launch, Ahmed Al Khaja, CEO of Dubai Festivals & Retail Establishment (DFRE) said: “We are delighted to partner with NDP in launching such an innovative initiative as the ‘Dubai Hologram Universe’ that will turn the spotlight on legendary music icons through hologram technology. Across our annual line-up of festivals and events, we have always created stimulating activations and experiences for residents and visitors to enjoy, and we are excited that the launch of the first ever ‘Dubai Hologram Universe’ series, is taking place just as the latest edition of Dubai Shopping Festival draws to a close, reaffirming Dubai’s position as a year-round international entertainment hub”. Hasan M. Hina, Founder and Executive Producer & Director of NDP, said: “We are proud …

When the world hit pause on travel, IHG Hotels & Resorts saw an opportunity to reconnect and learn from its guests and owners. The company made big, bold investments, transforming its portfolio with exciting brands and creating richer experiences – all under a fresh IHG Hotels & Resorts masterbrand. As guests embark on a new era of travel and the industry continues to recover, the company turns to its pioneering loyalty program and is making one of its most significant investments to date. Over the last few years, IHG Rewards has continued to evolve to meet the needs of current and future members. World-class partnerships, such as exclusive stays with Mr & Mrs Smith, a growing brand portfolio, and dynamic Reward Night pricing have given guests greater value and flexibility. Today, IHG Rewards, the industry’s first and one of world’s largest hotel loyalty programs, is sharing the first of many changes that will be introduced in the coming months. The new tier and bonus point earning structure – which will go live during March – is designed to help members earn more points faster and have more ways to use them than ever before. These changes, the first in a series of enhancements, include: Introducing a new Gold Elite tier starting at 20 nights, with an industry-leading 40% bonus point structure Renaming of the ‘Spire Elite’ tier to ‘Diamond Elite’ to simplify member recognition and understanding of our highest tier, which will retain our best-in-class 100% bonus point structure Improving bonus point earn levels across all other Elite tiers   Keith Barr, Chief Executive Officer, IHG Hotels & Resorts, said: “If there’s anything that has united the world in the …

His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince, Deputy Prime Minister, Chairman of the Council for Economic and Development Affairs, and Chairman of the Public Investment Fund (PIF), announced the launch of ‘Boutique Group’, a new hospitality brand that will manage and convert a collection of iconic historic and cultural palaces in Saudi Arabia into ultra-luxury boutique hotels. The company will revive the vibrant heritage and culture of Saudi Arabia to create a new and unique hospitality experience. The first phase of the project will focus on the development of three historic palaces in cooperation with the private sector, including Al Hamra Palace that will offer 77 keys including 33 luxury palace suites and 44 luxury villas in Jeddah. Tuwaiq Palace will provide 96 keys including 40 luxury palace suites and 56 luxury villas. Whereas Red Palace will offer 71 keys including 46 luxury suites, and 25 luxury guest rooms. Both Tuwaiq and Red palace are located in Riyadh. Boutique Group will blend the Kingdom’s culture and heritage with modern amenities to provide an exclusive hospitality experience and a unique service to its guests, growing the Saudi ultra-luxury hospitality sector and contributing to the development of the local economy. The company will also offer many high-end experiences from dining to wellness to exclusive services for each guest. H.E. Yasir Al-Rumayyan, Governor of PIF, said, “His Royal Highness the Crown Prince’s launch of the Boutique Group underlines PIF’s mandate to unlock the capabilities of promising sectors in Saudi Arabia that can help drive the diversification of the economy and contribute to non-oil GDP growth. “The group will enhance the Kingdom’s already unique tourism offerings, strengthening Saudi …

EDITION Hotels premieres in Dubai’s iconic Downtown district, a stone’s throw from the city’s world-class retail flagships, commercial district and its flourishing art, design and culture hubs.  The Dubai EDITION is the brands latest addition in the Middle East following the success of its launch in Abu Dhabi. Welcoming guests since November 2021, The Dubai EDITION with its own unique and original identity, embodies its sense of place at the centre of a thriving international gateway city that is steered by pioneering spirit and innovation while anchored in its rich culture. It is no wonder that EDITION has debuted in one of the most exciting cities in the world.  The ban Designed in partnership with LW Design, The Dubai EDITION heralds a new generation of modern luxury and pays homage to Dubai’s passion to create something entirely new. The result is an elegant, vibrant, urban hub that undeniably encapsulates the essence of this inspired city and sets the bar for luxury of the future. The Dubai EDITION brings a new bespoke, boutique experience with the acute attention to detail and finesse that the EDITION brand is known for. From the outside, The Dubai EDITION stands tall within the Downtown district surrounded by world-famous attractions and landmarks. The green-filled entrance to the hotel is populated with bold terracotta pots transporting guests from the hustle and bustle to an oasis of calm. The clever landscaping continues throughout the hotel into the lobby, outdoor spaces and terraces, shaping intimate venues complete with lights beautifully woven through the gardens to create a playful dance at night. As with all EDITION hotels, the lobby is a dynamic, social space that subtly reveals a sense of …