Category Archives: Govt

Sharjah Government has announced the resumption of the second phase of its recovery efforts, activating different sectors and activities by 50 per cent in the emirate. SCTDA is working towards the gradual return of activities within the emirate’s tourism and hospitality sector. The return, which follows the recent re-opening of beaches within hotels, spas and restaurants, will be implemented in stages and will not contradict with public safety measures already in place such as sterilisation operations and precautionary standards. The SCTDA has shared that the current phase of recovery is focused on domestic tourism and how to attract UAE citizens and residents as the summer season commences. The move is expected to play a key role in bringing the local tourism sector back to life. H.E. Khalid Jasim Al Midfa, Chairman, SCTDA, said, “This decision is aimed particularly at bringing life anew to the local tourism and hospitality segments, vital sectors that help support the national economy. Rest assured that we will continue to work in close cooperation with our partners in the public and private sector to overcome this pandemic and help bring things back to normal.” Al Midfa further explained that the release of the new guidelines for hotel establishments in the emirate demonstrates the SCTDA’s commitment to lay the solid foundations needed in the resumption of tourist movement and hotel activity–falling in line with the global best practices on health, safety and security. He also pointed out the significant role played by the new guide in ensuring the stability of the hotel industry while also maintaining the health and well-being of employees and guests. “The SCTDA will be designating special teams to conduct regular inspections and field …

Travel intent to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) is beginning to show a strong uptick, and flight search levels to the country have increased dramatically since the end of May. Although all search volumes to the region remain below those seen last year, searches to the UAE now stand at 57% down year-over-year, compared to -88% in mid-April, showing positive signs of recovery as restrictions continue to be lifted. An example of such an announcement is that Dubai’s Supreme Committee of Crisis and Disaster Management announced easing of restrictions on activities across Dubai, including lifting the restriction on those above 60, or under 12, entering shopping malls as of June 18. With regards to travel into the region, air bridges with European countries are due to be announced this week which will allow travellers to visit various countries, without quarantine. In addition, Dubai residents can return from June 22 with General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs approval, and tourists are welcome from July 7 under new air travel protocols. With announcements such as these, we can expect global travel intent to the Middle East and Africa (MEA) to rise to all countries affected by the lifting of restrictions, followed eventually by an increase in bookings once traveller confidence returns. Given the recency of some of these announcements, we will likely see more of an impact in the coming weeks.

Dubai’s Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (Dubai Tourism) reaffirmed its strong commitment to support its stakeholders in the UAE and across the world through a series of virtual meetings to discuss the current and post-pandemic situation. The meetings specifically reviewed the robust mechanism in place to safeguard the health of residents and visitors, and addressed a wide range of queries raised by participants on industry-related COVID-19 regulations, the phased reopening of economic sectors and various measures to kick-start the tourism sector. Presided by the Director General of Dubai Tourism, the meetings were attended by hoteliers and top executives of hospitality groups including Jumeirah, Emaar Hospitality Group, Marriott International, Hilton, IHG, Millennium Group, Accor, Kerzner International, AAAGroup, Investment Corporation of Dubai, Nakheel, Majid Al Futtaim, Lakhraim, Abu Dhabi National Hotel, JA Resorts and Hotels, IHG, Shangri-La, Al Habtoor Group, Atlantis – The Palm, Hyatt International, Mandarin Oriental Jumeira, Dubai, Caesars Bluewaters Dubai, Wasl Hospitality and Rotana, in addition to Emirates. His Excellency Helal Saeed Almarri, Director General, Dubai Tourism, commented, “As the continuous collaboration between the government and private sectors is key to reviving and maintaining tourism growth, it is encouraging to know that this unique model of public-private sector partnership combined with the comprehensive result-oriented citywide management of the COVID-19 pandemic, has already contributed towards achieving significant progress in the current and second phase of our recovery plan, which is the gradual reopening of economic sectors.” HE Helal Almarri added, “With travel behaviours remaining fluid and travellers set to become even more discerning and prudent in their travel choices, we welcome the commitment shown by our partners to work together to help prepare the ground for a meaningful tourism …

The Supreme Committee of Crisis and Disaster Management announced its decision to start welcoming visitors and tourists from overseas beginning July 7, 2020. The new decisions are supported by protocols and preventive measures aimed at safeguarding the health and wellbeing of all passengers travelling into or out of Dubai Airports. The Committee said the marked progress achieved by the emirate in combating the virus with strict precautionary measures implemented at national and local levels has earned it worldwide praise. Dubai’s rapid response to the global pandemic combined with the concerted efforts of the government and private sector and the commitment of the community have helped significantly reduce the spread of the virus.

Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Tourism has announced the formation of the Tourism Development Fund to boost growth across the sector. The fund will launch a range of equity and debt investment vehicles, with an initial $4bn (SAR 15bn) capital and $45bn (SAR 165bn) in memorandum of understanding(MoU) already signed with private banks.The Tourism Development Fund, which has been approved by Saudi Arabia’s Council of Ministers, will collaborate with private and investment banks to support private-sector developments and incentivize further investment across the industry. “The Tourism Development Fund will play a critical role in developing outstanding tourism experiences and unlocking the full potential of Saudi Arabia as a destination. The launch of the fund at this time, as the tourism sector faces unprecedented global challenges, is testament to investor and private-sector confidence in the long-term outlook for tourism in Saudi Arabia. The social and economic importance of the sector cannot be understated: it drives growth and diversification, attracts international investment, creates job opportunities and enhances quality of life for millions of Saudis,” said His Excellency Ahmed Al-Khateeb, Minister of Tourism. The National Development Fund, chaired by His Royal Highness, Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman, has approved the appointment of five board members, who will bring a wealth of experience and investment expertise to the Tourism Development Fund. Board members are: Her Highness Princess Haifa Mohammed Al Saud, Vice Minister of Strategy and Investment at the Saudi Ministry of Tourism; His Excellency IhsanBafakih, Governor of the Real Estate General Authority; Mr. Stephen Groff, Governor of the National Development Fund; Mr. Mohammed Omran Al Omran, Member of the Board of Directors at Saudi British Bank; and Mr. Mohammed Al-Hokal, Member of the Board …

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, the Federal Authority for Identity and Citizenship, and the National Emergency, Crisis and Disaster Management Authority announced that starting on the twenty-third of June this year, allowing specific groups of citizens and residents of a country The United Arab Emirates, to travel to specific destinations, according to conditions and procedures that will be announced later, in light of the preventive measures and precautionary measures taken by the UAE in the face of the emerging corona virus (COVID-19). According to the recent tweet and WAM news agency. From March 24, 2020, commercial passenger flights in and out of the UAE were suspended and currently only the repatriation flights and cargo flights have been operational. All passengers/travellers need permission to return to the UAE from the federal authority for identity and citizenship before they can book a flight home and in some instances the residents need to register with their relevant high commission. At present bookings are accepted online in certain airline websites. According to some travel agents travel will pick up once again around August or September this year. Some tourism board officials stated recently that Middle East travellers are awaiting the opportunity to travel again.

Bahrain Tourism and Exhibitions Authority (BTEA) is set to launch its brand-new campaign #WeWillMeet; as a part of its efforts to increase the number of tourists coming into the Kingdom of Bahrain with a special focus on the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia post COVID-19. The campaign, which will be spread over the span of a year, will be launched in three parts, which will first kick off with the ‘Inspirational’ phase connecting with followers digitally through interactive posts and live sessions, move on to the ’Encouragement’ phase which will focus on the promotion of the islands activities, and ends with the phase of ‘Transformation’ which involves face-to-face interaction with visitors once events are safe to host once again. “We wanted to launch a proactive campaign to increase the number of visitors coming into the Kingdom from all around the world and specifically target those in Saudi Arabia, which shapes a significant part of the total inbound tourism coming into Bahrain each year. Once the situation allows, we expect to attract more visitors as Bahrain has always been considered an ideal and convenient weekend getaway for Saudis due its close proximity to multitude of attractions and experiences we have to offer,” said Nader Al Moayyed, Chief Executive Officer of BTEA. “We opted for an end to end digital campaign, to not only target the masses that have shifted online as a result of the epidemic, but also to directly tap into a new segment and appeal to the millennials and Generation Z’s that are online,” Moayyed added.

Ajman Tourism Development Department (ATDD) has launched extensive inspection campaign across the emirate’s tourist establishments to ensure compliance with safety guidelines, in line with the strengthening of precautionary measures taken by the UAE and in response to the recommendations of the World Health Organization. The inspection campaign includes daily and continuous visits to the tourist establishments in the Emirate to assure their commitment to following ATDD precautionary guidelines that were recently launched to combat the spread of coronavirus by applying a series of preventive measures related to maintaining the highest hygiene levels, periodic sterilisation, training staff to handle suspected coronavirus cases. The measures also included food serving requirements and salons bookings guidelines. Sultan Al Nuaimi, Director of Licensing & Tourism Standards Department at Ajman Tourism said, “This campaign comes as part of ATDD efforts to adopt the best preventive and precautionary measures. We are delighted to see a strong commitment among Ajman hotels to strictly follow the safety and preventive guidelines and we look forward to taking all the necessary measures to ensure the continuity of services and maintain the safety and health of the emirate’s guests and visitors.”

Dubai Travel and Tour Agents Group (DTTAG) has been restructured with the appointment of Asim Arshad, CEO, Orient Travel, as the President of the group along with Sumit Acharya, Managing Director BCD Travel, as the Vice President. The group has also revamped the Executive Committee to include industry stalwarts from leading travel agencies, namely Jamal Abdulnazer -CEO Cozmo Travel, Aubrey Heldt – General Manager Kanoo Travel, SavioVaz – Vice President Dnata Travel, Nasir Khan – CEO Al Nabooda Travel, JayaramIyer – Managing Director Sharaf Travel, Narendra Bhatia – Managing Director Team Travel, Santosh Cheriyan, Regional General Manager Akbar Travel. The groups Executive Committee members have been actively working closely with many travel companies and entities in order to coordinate and devise the best strategy to steer their businesses out of the challenges they are currently facing due to COVID-19. Managing the impact of the post COVID scenario on the travel industry and meeting potential changes to consumer behaviour and expectations are key areas of focus for DTTAG and its members in the immediate future. Therefore, DTTAG is playing a pivotal role in facilitating a forum for travel agency members to interact with one another with the goal of meeting needs of a variety of consumers and simultaneously achieving their own business goals through support and cooperation offered by the group’s members and government organisations involved with the Travel and Tourism industry. DTTAG, which enjoys the ongoing support of Emquest a division of the Emirates group and other associate members, has embarked upon an aggressive membership drive among the travel agency community by demonstrating value and effectively representing them with various airlines, government departments, IATA and other partners in the travel …

Sharjah Investment and Development Authority (Shurooq) is going the extra mile to ensure that all its hospitality, ecotourism and leisure destinations, which are scheduled to open in a phased manner, will strictly adhere to the UAE government’s health and safety protocols to ensure the highest levels of protection of all their visitors, residents and staff. Shurooq has announced the completion of a sterilisation and disinfection drive across its properties, and has opened its doors to their popular leisure and entertainment destinations, Al Qasba, Al Majaz Waterfront, Al Noor Island, The Flag Island, Heart of Sharjah, Mleiha Archaeological & Ecotourism Project, Khorfakkan Beach, Maraya Art Centre and 1971-Design Space In addition, its state-of-the-art City Sightseeing Sharjah (CSS) buses have begun to ply, transporting guests to tourist sites across the emirate. Shurooq’s hospitality offerings including The Chedi Al Bait, Sharjah and all three Sharjah Collection properties – Al Badayer Retreat, Al Faya Retreat and Kingfisher Retreat – are offering attractive staycation packages for individuals, couples and families, and will be offering these hotel stays in line with the UAE’s precautionary health instructions and guidelines aimed at combating the spread of COVID-19. According to Ahmed Obaid Al Qaseer, COO of Shurooq, “We are therefore working closely with the government authorities to ensure that the highest standards of hygiene are maintained, and that all recommended precautionary and preventive measures are in place for our guests to enjoy a well-rounded destination experience. Shurooq has a single-minded approach in enforcing these protocols and expect our guests to fully cooperate and take individual responsibility for their own safety and well-being while visiting all our destinations. We look forward to welcoming them again.”