Category Archives: Govt

Dubai attracted 7.12 million international overnight visitors between January and June 2022, recording more than 183% growth in visitors compared to the 2.52 million tourists who visited Dubai during the same period in 2021, according to latest data from Dubai’s Department of Economy and Tourism (DET). This positive trend in H1 2022 places the city firmly on track to achieve its tourism goals for 2022 and beyond, and further reinforces its position as an international destination of choice. His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of The Executive Council of Dubai, said: “The vision of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, to make Dubai the city of the future and the world’s best place to live, work and invest in has resulted in a resurgence of Dubai’s tourism sector. The growth in tourists reflects the resilience and dynamism of the emirate’s economy. His Highness’s vision has helped Dubai create a strong and stable economic foundation and a dynamic business ecosystem, enabling it to become a leading global hub for diverse sectors. The rapid rise in international tourist arrivals puts Dubai on track to achieve its ambitious target of becoming the world’s most visited destination. In the years ahead, Dubai will continue to develop itself further as a destination that offers compelling value to international travellers.” The number of tourists recorded in H1 2022 was close to the numbers achieved in the first six months of 2019, which saw 8.36 million tourists arriving in Dubai. The emirate’s ability to quickly return to near pre-pandemic tourism levels is even …

In a recent interview with Tracy Lanza Group Head of Global Brand Development at The Red Sea Development Company (TRSDC), shared that the development of The Red Sea Project will be in two phases, one to be completed by end of 2023 and second to be completed by 2030. She reiterated, “we’re looking forward to welcoming our first guests early next year. Following that, the first phase will be fully completed and operational by the end of 2023. It will include 16 resorts for a total of 3,000 keys, 18-hole championship golf course, luxury marina, and retail and entertainment facilities. Phase two is scheduled for completion in 2030, and will include 50 resorts with 8,000 keys, and 1,000+ residential properties across 22 islands and six inland sites.” Commenting further that the work is on track in order to welcome guests, “We’re fortunate to be able to partner with some of the world’s most iconic hotel brands, including EDITION, St Regis, Fairmont, Raffles, SLS, Grand Hyatt, Intercontinental, Six Senses, Jumeirah, Miraval, Rosewood and Ritz Carlton Reserve. Some of these will be able to host their first guests by early next year, while others will open their doors in the months following.” In keeping with the Vision 2030 of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Lanza shared, “The project supports the Saudi vision through the development of a brand-new tourism industry that has not existed in the Kingdom before. It will open the door for thousands of young Saudis to pursue new careers and opportunities. We expect to create up to 70,000 new jobs and contribute as a much as 22 billion Saudi riyals (USD 5.3 billion) to the nation’s GDP.”

In order to change business as usual, the city’s design will be completely digitized, and the construction industrialized to a large degree by significantly advancing construction technologies and manufacturing processes. The announcement of THE LINE’s designs is a continuation of NEOM’s progress in the development of its flagship projects such as OXAGON, its reimagined manufacturing and innovation city; and TROJENA, its global mountain tourism destination that will offer the Arabian Gulf’s first outdoor skiing; as well as the launch of two of NEOM’s subsidiaries: ENOWA, its energy, water and hydrogen company; and the NEOM Tech & Digital Company. His Royal Highness Mohammed bin Salman, Crown Prince and Chairman of the NEOM Board of Directors, announced the designs of THE LINE, a civilizational revolution that puts humans first, providing an unprecedented urban living experience while preserving the surrounding nature. In January last year, His Royal Highness launched the initial idea and vision of the city that redefines the concept of urban development and what cities of the future should look like. The designs of THE LINE embody how urban communities will be in the future in an environment free from roads, cars and emissions. It will run on 100% renewable energy and prioritize people’s health and well-being over transportation and infrastructure as in traditional cities. It puts nature ahead of development and will contribute to preserving 95% of NEOM’s land. The announcement reveals the most important characteristics of THE LINE, which is only 200 meters wide, 170 kilometers long and 500 meters above sea level. THE LINE will eventually accommodate 9 million residents and will be built on a footprint of 34 square kilometers, which is unheard of when compared to …

The UAE’s flagship racecourse, Meydan, will commence its 2022/2023 season on Friday, 4 November with the first of 21 fixtures, the Dubai Racing Cub announced. This season will see an increase of visitors from across the globe. The events at Meydan Racecourse will culminate in the 2023 edition of the $30.5million Dubai World Cup meeting, one of the world’s biggest horse racing tournaments, set to be held on Saturday, 25 March. Commenting on the announcement, Sheikh Rashid bin Dalmook Al Maktoum, Chairman of Dubai Racing Club, thanked His Highness Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nayhan, Deputy Prime Minister of the UAE, Minister of Presidential Affairs and Chairman of the Emirates Racing Authority for the support he has extended to Dubai Racing Cub’s initiatives. “We are delighted to announce an enhanced programme for the 2022/23 racing season in Meydan,” said Sheikh Rashid bin Dalmook. “We thank HH Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed and the ERA team for their support, which has enabled us to enrich the fixture list and create a dynamic new programme that offers greater opportunities for international horses to compete here during the Carnival. “We are also grateful for the support of our local horsemen and women, as well as our loyal racegoers, and look forward to welcoming them back to our iconic Meydan Racecourse for the first of our ‘Racing In Dubai’ meetings on 4 November.” “Dubai continues to introduce initiatives to boost the sector and revitalise the global community of horse owners, trainers and other equestrian professionals. With its deeply-rooted traditions in horse riding, racing, breeding and various equestrian activities, Dubai also continues to be focal point for the global equestrian fraternity,” he added. The build-up to …

Ajman tourism is set to launch a number of innovative initiatives and projects to enhance the tourism sector as a part of the department’s efforts to showcase Ajman’s natural touristic destinations, and rich heritage, aiming to increase its visibility and attractiveness for visitors from all over the world, and achieve the emirate’s tourism vision. Ajman Museum Smart App – in conjunction with the renovation of the museum to provide a unique interactive experience enhanced with the latest technologies to stimulate all senses, through exhibits explained in Arabic and English, to promote it by providing a detailed audio-guided tour of all sections of the museum and a map of the site, opening times and how to reach the museum. The Visual Identity of Ajman Museum, Masfout Museum, & Al Manama Museum – Ajman Tourism also launched the new visual identity for Ajman Museum, Masfout Museum, & Al Manama Museum, one of its initiatives aimed at preserving the unique heritage of Ajman and present it in a renovated updated look. Moreover, the department unveiled the “Media Hub” which is a digital media library project, and an integrated platform for displaying promotional images and videos for Ajman that is constantly updated, and displayed on a dedicated page within the ADTD’s official website to serve all stakeholders and community, where images and videos can be downloaded, and to eventually become the largest digital archive documenting the main tourist attractions of Ajman. Ajman’s Heritage Path – Ajman Municipality and Planning Department revealed the latest activities of the Heritage Path project, which is located in the Al-Nakhil neighborhood and stretches over 1,025 km, linking heritage buildings starting from the Ajman Museum and the heritage district to …

With the aim of promoting tourism within the country, Kuwait tourism is on its way to develop a mega project in Messilah Beach by 2023. The project aims to develop Messilah Beach into an integrated and contemporary facility covering an area of 70,000 square meters, containing recreational and sports activities to meet the needs of visitors of all age groups throughout the year. As a center of attraction for families, the development of the project includes the provision of water games for all ages, in addition to swimming pools, sports and marine games, restaurants, cafes, shops and much more.

Star gazers, camping enthusiasts, leisure and adventure lovers, culture buffs, and families are all set for a memorable summer 2022 surprise as Sharjah Investment and Development Authority (Shurooq) unveils a wide range of unique world-class experiences at incredible value for residents and visitors in the emirate. From exclusive discount packages, buy-one-get-one-free offers, cash prizes, and more, Shurooq has rolled out diverse activities and experiences at its destinations that give more reasons to have fun in the sun this year. Commenting on the 2022 line-up of summer promotions, Mahmoud Rashid Deemas, Director of Operations and Tourism Development at Shurooq, said: “Shurooq’s commitment to providing quality leisure and learning experiences in a safe environment lies at the heart of our carefully curated summer offers, and gives residents and visitors more reasons to explore and enjoy the diverse attractions in the emirate. Sharjah has plenty to offer visitors in the form of attractive deals and offers across our portfolio to fuel interest in new experiences and enhance the emirate’s status as a must-visit destination any time of the year.” Khalid Al Qaseer, Director of Operations, said: “With an exciting array of unique leisure and recreational summer offers at our destinations, Shurooq enables residents and visitors of all ages to enjoy a variety of unparalleled experiences as it builds on the emirate’s status as a leading family-friendly destination in the region. The expansive range of offerings across Shurooq’s destinations this summer combines the best of leisure, entertainment, and education to offer a holistic experience to our growing community and holidaymakers.” Ladies can enjoy pianist performances, Zumba and Live DJ sessions every Tuesday during Ladies Day Season 2022 until September 13. Weekends, from Thursday to …

In implementation of the directives of His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, Chairman of the Executive Council, to proceed with the partnership agreement signed between the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) and Cruise to operate Cruise autonomous vehicles to offer taxi and e-Hail services in Dubai. Cruise will start this month the operation of two Chevrolet Bolt electric vehicles (EVs) to prepare digital maps for Cruise’s self-driving vehicles. The process is a prelude for the launch of the actual service by 2023 rendering Dubai the first city in the world to commercially operate Cruise self-driving vehicles outside America. The two Chevrolet Bolt EVs will be initially deployed on Jumeirah streets and driven by specialist drivers. Cruise’s technology uses a high-resolution map of the physical environment, which is created using specialised mapping vehicles equipped with a suite of sensors including LiDAR, camera, and others, and are driven throughout the city to collect data, which is then used to create and maintain a navigable map for autonomous vehicles (AVs). Cruise, General Motors’ majority-owned autonomous vehicle subsidiary, shares the same vision as GM that AVs can help lead to a safe, less congested future for all, delivering enormous benefits for society in the form of increased safety and access to transportation. These efforts will clearly advance General Motors’ vision of zero crashes, zero emissions and zero congestion. His Excellency Mattar Al Tayer, Director-General, Chairman of the Board of Executive Directors of the Roads and Transport Authority, said: “Preparing digital maps is an essential step in the process of operating self-driving Cruise Origin vehicles, which will be deployed in limited numbers next year to offer taxi …

In line with the directives of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of The Executive Council of Dubai, today launched the Dubai Metaverse Strategy that aims to turn Dubai into one the world’s top 10 metaverse economies as well as a global hub for the metaverse community. His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed underscored the importance of consolidating Dubai’s status as a hub offering the most advanced ecosystem for the metaverse and as a frontrunner in adopting digital solutions globally, which reflects the ambitious vision of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum for transforming the emirate into a global capital of advanced technologies, primarily artificial intelligence (AI) and Web3. The strategy aims to build on Dubai’s achievement of attracting more than 1,000 companies in the fields of blockchain and metaverse. It also promotes Dubai’s ambitions to support more than 40,000 virtual jobs by 2030. This would further boost Dubai’s economy and support the UAE government’s vision of increasing the number of blockchain companies by five times the present number. HH Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed said that Dubai is making great strides in enhancing its position as a global testbed for metaverse technology while investing judiciously in building capabilities and talent in creating the region’s most robust and largest ecosystem for the metaverse community. His Highness added that adopting new technologies will be a stepping stone in Dubai’s vision to use future technologies to create new work models in vital sectors and increase the metaverse’s impact on regional and …

Saudi Arabia’s best and brightest future hospitality workers have arrived at les Roches Global Hospitality Education on its campus in Marbella, Spain. The cohort is part of a new program announced by Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Tourism to equip 100,000 young Saudis with the key hospitality skills needed to pursue careers in the Kingdom’s flourishing tourism industry. Launched by His Excellency Ahmed Al Khateeb, Minister of Tourism of Saudi Arabia at the 116th session of the World Tourism Organization’s Executive Council in Jeddah last month, ‘Tourism Trailblazers’ will provide in-depth global experience to the tourism industry’s future leaders. His Excellency Ahmed Al Khateeb, Minister of Tourism of Saudi Arabia said: “The program demonstrates our commitment to empowering young people by providing them with right skills, support and opportunities to shape the future of the tourism industry. “It is vital that we invest in our youth now. Creating a skilled workforce with the talent and ambition to support and drive the tourism sector regionally and globally is key to realising the Saudi Vision 2030, a unique and transformative economic and social reform blueprint that is opening Saudi Arabia up to the world.” The program has three main objectives that aim to nurture, develop and support talent in the industry. It seeks to spread a culture of professionalism, help nascent professionals gain the knowledge and qualifications needed to break into the industry, and support their success through refinement of their skills. The program will help trainees to secure jobs within the sector, including seasonal, part-time, or full-time opportunities across the Kingdom. The first cohort of students at les Roches Global Hospitality Education on its campus in Marbella will be equipped with the …