The Saudi Tourism Authority (STA) and Emirates have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to boost inbound tourism into Saudi Arabia and attract new segments of travelers across the airline’s extensive global network. The new agreement aims to capitalize on the airline’s global network of over 120 cities to raise awareness and amplify the Saudi Arabian experience for leisure travelers to come and visit the Kingdom’s unique attractions. The Memorandum of Understanding was signed in the presence of Mr. Fahd Hamidaddin, CEO and Board Member of the Saudi Tourism Authority and Adnan Kazim, Emirates’ Chief Commercial Officer. Adil Al Ghaith, Senior Vice President Commercial Operations, Gulf, Middle East and Central Asia, and Muhammad Bassrawi, VP of the Saudi Tourism Authority were the signatories of the MoU, at a ceremony in Riyadh. Also present at the signing were other senior executives from both organisations. The MoU underscores the importance of partnerships within the travel eco-system and the role different stakeholders play to support a more resilient recovery. Under the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), Emirates together with the Saudi Tourism Authority will explore opportunities to jointly collaborate on key initiatives to enhance the Kingdom’s global tourism competitiveness, including promotional activity and travel trade support across key global source markets to convert interest into bookings, sharing insights around market and customer trends, amongst other initiatives. Through the strategic partnership the airline will also explore opportunities to align its schedules from key source markets in the Emirates network to its gateways in Saudi Arabia, providing greater connectivity and convenience for its customers and further developing inbound tourism arrivals. Emirates and the Saudi Tourism Authority will also evaluate ways to enhance the travel experience that …

As part of its continuous endeavor to offer a variety of options to its valued customers, Kuwait Airways announced resuming operations of its scheduled commercial flights to the city of Najaf in the Republic of Iraq, from 5th February 2022 with two flights per week on Saturdays and Wednesdays. In this regard, KAC’s Chief Executive Officer, Engineer Maen Razouqi stated, “Kuwait Airways is pleased to announce the resumption of its direct flights to Najaf in the Republic of Iraq which is in accordance to meeting the requirements of passengers regarding expansion of Kuwait Airways’ network to various destinations and locations. This is particularly since the destination of Najaf is one among the significant destinations in demand for customers, which is popular due to its touristic sites and rich cultural history.” Razouqi added, “Kuwait Airways is keen on assisting its customers and providing them with every means of comfort while they travel onboard, in addition to offering its services in an integrated manner and to overcome all obstacles ahead of them, commencing with reservation of tickets, entry through Terminal 4, completing travel procedures, and until boarding the aircraft to enjoy a comfortable and safe travel.” Razouqi mentioned, “Kuwait Airways is dedicated to the comfort of its passengers and providing them with the best services, as it enables passengers of the Royal and First Class to carry three pieces of baggage weighing 32 kilograms per piece. Business Class passengers can carry two pieces of baggage weighing 32 kilograms per piece and passengers on Economy Class with two pieces of baggage of 23 kilograms each. Moreover, passengers travelling onboard Kuwait Airways, in all classes, can carry hand baggage that does not exceed 7 …

Gulf Air in coordination with Bahrain Authority of Culture & Antiquities (BACA) and Bahrain Tourism & Exhibition Authority (BTEA) today announced the airline’s presence in the Bahrain Pavilion at EXPO 2020 held in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Beginning today and until the end of the major global event on March 31, the airline has created a space for visitors to Explore Bahrain and Explore Gulf Air with a series of videos and interactive elements to highlight the hub of the airline. Commenting at the airline’s participation at EXPO 2020, Gulf Air’s Acting Chief Executive Officer Captain Waleed AlAlawi commented: “We are delighted to collaborate with the Bahrain Authority of Culture and Antiquities and the Bahrain Tourism & Exhibition Authority to showcase our beautiful Kingdom and its national carrier at the Bahrain Pavilion. Visitors of EXPO 2020 in the United Arab Emirates are encouraged to connect with our brand, learn more about what we have to offer, and be guided on booking a trip to the Kingdom of Bahrain through gulfair.com.” Visitors are introduced to Gulf Air’s products and services along with a glimpse of the experience of flying on the national carrier of the Kingdom of Bahrain, as well as being able to interact with the brand by scanning codes within the space. Additionally, content of the Kingdom of Bahrain along with codes that can be scanned by visitors to introduce them to touristic and cultural activities of Bahrain are on display, alongside exclusive footage of the Kingdom provided by the Bahrain Authority of Culture & Antiquities (BACA), Bahrain Tourism & Exhibition Authority (BTEA), and the Bahrain Economic Development Board (EDB). The Bahrain Stopover, relaunched in December 2021 in collaboration …

The UAE will be the base next winter for the biggest and most environmentally high-performing passenger ship to sail in the Middle East, MSC World Europa. The vessel’s Swiss-based owner and operator MSC will also dedicate a second ship, MSC Opera, to the Gulf region for the 2022/23 sailing season as it aims to further strengthen its position as the region’s number one line for holidays at sea. The announcement was made by MSC Cruises’ CEO Gianni Onorato following the official opening this week by HH Sheikh Hamdan Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the ruler’s representative in the Al Dhafra region, of a new jetty for passenger ships at Sir Bani Yas Island. This development, according to MSC, will be greatly welcomed by cruise holidaymakers visiting the incredible island off the coast of Abu Dhabi. Mr Onorato hailed the cruise sector in the UAE as being an integral part of its dynamic tourism industry, paid tribute to the health and safety measures throughout the country and described MSC Cruises’ business outlook for next winter in the UAE and the Gulf as ‘very positive’ as a result. Gianni Onorato, CEO, MSC Cruises, said, “The UAE is a very important market for us and next winter we are going to deploy our newest addition to our fleet – MSC World Europa – and further increase our capacity from this year with the introduction of a second ship, MSC Opera, in recognition of the region’s ever growing status in the cruise sector. “MSC World Europa will redefine the cruise experience with a variety of never-before-seen features unlike anything at sea today and the vessel will be an additional benefit to the UAE’s tourism industry. …

Kuwait Airways announced the launch of 17 new destinations, in addition to the 40 existing destinations, bringing the number of destinations to 57, which will commence as of May. Kuwait Airways’ operation of new destinations from Kuwait will include to Malaga, Moscow, Sarajevo, Nice, Salalah, Sharm El Sheikh, Sohag, Alexandria, Mykonos, Bodrum, Trabzon, Vienna, Madrid, Casablanca, Manchester, Kathmandu, and Kuala Lumpur. In this regard, KAC’s Chief Executive Officer, Engineer Maen Razouqi stated, “Kuwait Airways is pleased to announce the operation of 17 new destinations to link Kuwait to the world, which comes within the framework of the Company’s preparations for the summer season that will witness a remarkable recovery in the movement of travel around the world. This is in addition to the fact that Kuwait Airways has selected a variety of destinations that are among the most important that the Company focuses on, due to its high demand for it by our customers of all segments, whether with the intentions of tourism, business or education.” Razouqi added, “This is also part of Kuwait Airways’ tireless efforts to provide passengers on its aircraft with more direct options to meet their travel requirements and to provide them better services by launching new destinations and various services.” Razouqi stressed on the Company’s keenness to attain the best levels of excellence in the services provided by the Company to its passengers, in addition to improving and developing all services to keep pace with the latest developments offered by the aviation sector around the world, as well as to achieving its desired objectives and to provide the best solutions to customers. It is worth mentioning that launch of Kuwait Airways new destinations comes as …

Shangri-La is making its brand debut in Saudi Arabia on 22nd February – the Kingdom’s inaugural Founding Day – with 220 new light-filled accommodations, three exceptional restaurants, extensive wellness facilities, and a dedicated kids’ club. The opening of Shangri-La Jeddah marks the dawn of a new era for Saudi Arabia as a leisure destination, welcoming discerning travellers in a location blessed by endless views of the Red Sea and set to become one of the city’s most vibrant lifestyle and dining destinations. The hotel is perfectly positioned within proximity of the city’s premier shopping areas and is just a stone’s throw from the Jeddah Corniche Circuit, home to the Saudi Arabia Grand Prix – the fastest street circuit in Formula 1. Situated in the exclusive Burj Assila, a 64-storey architectural icon and Jeddah’s tallest building – a soaring 260 metres high tower – the hotel forms part of the two-billion Saudi Riyal, 60,015 square meter mixed-use development project which is also home to 116 state-of-the-art Burj Assila Residences available for sale. The 220 world-class accommodations, including 148 deluxe guestrooms and 55 suites, as well as 17 serviced apartments, feature views over the Red Sea and the Jeddah skyline from floor-to-ceiling windows which illuminate the light colour palette, with blue and beige accents awaiting guests. Providing remarkable sea views, the spacious balconies and sophisticated room design mimic the glistening serenity of the waterfront. Guaranteed to become one of the city’s most exciting dining addresses, Shangri-La Jeddah’s restaurants blend traditional flavours with local influences and modern techniques for a one-of-a-kind experience. The new outpost of award-winning restaurant Shang Palace, a new home in Jeddah for soulful modern Chinese cuisine, infuses traditional Chinese …

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 …