Travelport had a record-breaking January for fare shopping, with unprecedented year-on-year (YoY) percentage increases in peak (one-day) shopping rate messages per second and in overall 24-hour message volumes. A 77 per cent YoY increase was recorded in peak shopping rate messages per second as compared to the highest similar peak day in January 2017. For total shopping message volumes received during a single 24-hour period, Travelport recorded a 79 per cent YoY increase compared to the highest such single-day volume in January 2017. Travelport recorded a 169% increase in peak shopping rate messages per second from the highest recorded day in January 2017 compared to the highest similar peak day in January 2016. For total shopping message volumes received during a single 24-hour period, Travelport saw a 161 per cent increase compared to the highest such single-day volume in January 2016. Travelport’s most recent numbers show that the company processed some 2.4 trillion shopping transactions during 2017 and prices six billion-plus unique itineraries every day.

India retained the top spot on Dubai’s list of source markets in 2017, contributing 2.1 million visitors and becoming the first country to cross the two-million mark in a single year. The country’s performance represented a 15 per cent year-on-year increase and validated, among other factors, the success of Dubai Tourism’s ongoing collaboration with Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan in the #BeMyGuest campaign. Commenting on the annual performance, His Excellency Helal Saeed Almarri, Director General, Dubai Tourism, said, “Under the visionary leadership of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, the emirate has continued to capture share of the global outbound travel market, complemented by a significant increase in tourism-driven economic contribution to the country’s GDP.” Driven by India, the South Asia region, in the third place, contributed an 18 per cent share of over 2.8 million visitors, up a strong 10.6 per cent, followed by the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), and North and South-East Asia regions sharing the fourth position, each contributing close to 1.7 million visitors and independently commanding 11 per cent share, the former recording a 3.2 per cent increase and the latter, an impressive 23.6 per cent over 2016 visitation figures.

Wyndham Hotel Group has become the official partner hotel of the second edition of ITB China 2018, set to take place from May 16-18 at the Shanghai World Expo Exhibition and Conference Centre. A corresponding agreement was signed by Leo Liu, President, Greater China Wyndham Group and David Axiotis, General Manager, ITB China. The hotel group will connect brand new products and innovative services of tourism with the best industry experts in one place. With becoming the official hotel partner of China’s new marketplace for the travel industry, the Wyndham Hotel Group Greater China further solidifies its position as a leading international hospitality company. Liu said, “As one of the international leading hotel groups, Wyndham Hotel Group is pleased to partner with ITB China, a leading international travel expo, in a premier event that offers a professional take on the travel industry in a joint effort to promote its development and therefore deliver better travel experience for Chinese travellers.“ Axiotis said, “We are proud to collaborate with the Wyndham Hotel Group as partners who understands their business and markets so well. I am confident this will be a win-win partnership for both ITB China and Wyndham.”

Dubai Airports has joined Dubai’s aviation community in signing a pledge to purchase only ‘green vehicles’ in the future. The pledge was signed by His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman of Dubai Airports; President of the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority; Chairman and CEO of Emirates Group, and representatives from Emirates airline, flydubai, dnata, Dubai Police, Dubai Customs and Dubai’s General Directory of Residency and Foreigners Affairs (GDRFA). “This commitment is fully aligned with the Dubai government’s aggressive goals to reduce energy consumption by 30 per cent by 2030 as well as our sector’s strategy to limit our environmental footprint while continuing our significant contributions to Dubai’s employment and GDP,” said Al Maktoum. DXB is home to a fleet of over 6,345 ground service vehicles comprising various types ranging from water tankers to tow tractors to fork lifts operated by a number of companies that operate on the airfield including airlines, control authorities and ground handling services provider dnata. Of these DXB features a variety of green vehicles including BMW hybrid limousines for VIP services and RTA’s fleet of Tesla taxis but wants to scale up efforts to convert the fleet to top hybrid or electric models.

Dubai Airports, the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs (GDRFA) and Emaratech marked the completion of the installation of 20 smart gates at Dubai International’s (DXB) Terminal 1. The new smart gates are now fully operational in the arrivals area of Terminal 1 in addition to the 10 installed last year in departures. In total, some 127 smart gates are available across the entire airport reducing average transaction times from minutes to under 10-15 seconds. The launch of the new smart gates coincides with the start of UAE’s Month of Innovation, which is being observed from February 1 to 28 in response to a call last year by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and the Ruler of Dubai, to promote a culture of innovation. “Smart gates make customers’ journey smoother by slashing transaction times to just 10-15 seconds and shortening queues,” said Michael Ibbitson, Executive Vice President—Technology & Infrastructure, Dubai Airports. “What’s surprising is that only 17 per cent of our passengers take advantage of the service. If you have a UAE residency card, don’t wait in line, use it.”

Amadeus has entered into a partnership with Sharaf Travel for end-to-end automation throughout its business operations. Set to go live from April 2018, Amadeus will assist the travel company to focus its business on online success, using the latest Amadeus web services and mobile traveller products. All Amadeus solutions will be adopted across Sharaf Travel’s UAE and Oman operations. Jayaram, Managing Director, Sharaf Travel, said, “Automation will enhance our business offerings and help us to better serve our customers. Amadeus was a natural choice for this transformation for its strong portfolio of solutions that are ideal for our needs.” This partnership will enable the best-in-class offerings to Amadeus’ customers and streamlined services that will boost the company’s competitive edge. Using the latest generation of travel technology, Amadeus Web Services offer Sharaf Travel unparalleled connectivity to the entire range of Amadeus content all from a single point of access, supporting easily-customised travel booking applications. With Amadeus Mobile Traveller, Sharaf Travel will also be able to stay connected to its customers 24/7, providing them with a 360° travel experience wherever they might be in the world. Graham Nichols, Managing Director, Amadeus Gulf, said, “Our technology-driven solutions enable our customers to benefit from cutting-edge innovations that streamline travel agency processes.”

Emirates Palace has partnered with the Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC) to launch UAE’s premiere catering company–Emirates Palace Catering by Dubai World Trade Centre (EPC by DWTC). This joint venture is set to elevate the events and catering scene in the capital, offering the best in local and international cuisine. The collaboration will bring a fully integrated, turn-key catering enterprise, both for events at the hotel and off-site. Commenting on the partnership, His Excellency Sultan Dahi Al Hameeri, Managing Director, Emirates Palace Company Owners (EPCO) said, “The collaboration of two such distinguished brands is the answer to the capital’s demand for a catering concept that attends to the needs of our discerning local community and offers traditional cuisine. EPC by DWTC will strive for a level of luxury and distinction that is simply unprecedented in the region”. Mahir Julfar, Senior Vice President–Venue Services Management, DWTC said, “Our partnership with a celebrated brand like the Emirates Palace allows us to tap into the capital’s thriving culinary scene, showcasing our market-leading skills and offering guests events that are most memorable.”

As part of the Department of Culture and Tourism–Abu Dhabi’s mandate to promote Abu Dhabi as a world-class destination of distinction, the capital welcomed travel agents from Thomas Cook India as part of a familiarisation trip to highlight key tourism offerings in the emirate. The five-day trip included a wide range of cultural, hospitality, leisure and entertainment activities showcasing Abu Dhabi’s diverse offerings, with a special focus on attracting Indian travellers. In 2017, more than 360,000 Indian hotel guests stayed in the emirate’s 163 hotels and hotel apartments – a year-on-year rise of 11 per cent – making India the second largest international source market for tourists in 2017. This collaborative trip’s main aim was to help boost Indian visitor numbers for this year. Delegates were taken to a variety of key heritage sites including Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, Arabian Knight Village, Louvre Abu Dhabi, Sheikh Zayed Desert Learning Centre and Al Ain Oasis. Hotel site visits were also an integral part of the itinerary. Additionally, the travel agents and tourism delegates were invited to experience leisure and entertainment attractions including day trips to Yas Island, Ferrari World Abu Dhabi and Yas Mall.

Dubai International (DXB) retained its position as the world’s number one airport for international passengers for the fourth consecutive year with annual traffic for 2017 reaching 88.2 million passengers, according to the annual traffic report issued by Dubai Airports. Propelled by high traffic volumes averaging 7.35 million passengers per month throughout the year, including the record months of January, July and August when traffic breached the 8-million passenger mark, DXB’s traffic reached 88,242,099 passengers for the full year, up 5.5 per cent compared to 83,654,250 passengers recorded during 2016. The airport welcomed 7,854,657 passengers in December, up 1.9 per cent compared to 7,706,351 recorded in the same month in 2016. India continued its domination run as the single largest destination country for DXB with 12,060,435 passengers in 2017, up 5.4 per cent compared to 11,440,215 passengers recorded in 2016. The UK claimed the second spot with 6,466,404 passengers (+6.7 per cent), overtaking Saudi Arabia which recorded 6,364,598 passengers (4.6 per cent). Top regions in terms of percentage growth in 2017 were South America (36.1 per cent), Eastern Europe (25.3 per cent) and Asia (17.9 per cent)–mainly spurred by network expansion by Emirates, flydubai and other carriers.

The Embassy of Latvia has announced the opening of external visa application centres in Abu Dhabi and Dubai in partnership with VFS Global, providing convenience to travellers from the UAE in processing Schengen entry permits to the Baltic nation. Visa applicants from the UAE need not henceforth approach the Embassy of Latvia for their visa requirements as VFS Global is mandated to handle the applications as well as biometric enrolment. Speaking at the inauguration, H.E. Astra Kurme, Ambassador of Latvia to the UAE said, “It is an important step towards facilitating contacts between people and nations. The possibility to apply and receive visa to visit Latvia will significantly improve tourism and business exchange not only between Latvia and the United Arab Emirates, but also the whole Gulf region as the Embassy’s consular mandate covers all GCC region.” Vinay Malhotra, COO–Middle East & South Asia, VFS Global, said, “We are honoured to be part of this growing relationship between the two countries and are confident to bring enhanced level of efficiency in services and a seamless, delightful customer experience to visa applicants from the UAE.”