Category Archives: NTO (National Tourist Offices)

The Saudi Arabian government has reopened the visa-on-arrival program for holders of valid visas for the US, UK and Schengen area, effective immediately. The move comes two weeks after the country lifted all COVID-related entry restrictions and returns Saudi to pre-pandemic levels of openness. Citizens of any country who hold one of the three visas and who are travelling on one of the country’s national carriers – Saudi, Flynas or Flyadeal – can now receive a 12-month tourism visa on arrival in Saudi Arabia without needing to apply in advance. Visitors holding a valid US, UK or Schengen visa must have used it at least once to enter the issuing country or region in order to qualify for a visa on arrival in Saudi. Visitors will also need to purchase COVID-19 insurance, which they can do at any of Saudi Arabia’s international airports. Citizens of any country eligible for the e-visa program, which was introduced in 2019, may also receive a visa on arrival, regardless of the airline they are travelling with. “Restoring the visa-on-arrival program marks the final step in returning Saudi to a pre-pandemic level of openness and makes it one of the most accessible destinations in the world for leisure, business and religious travel,” said His Excellency Ahmed Al Khateeb, Minister of Tourism for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Chairman of STA. “This decision by the government will further support the many thousands of people who depend on tourism for their livelihoods while welcoming the world back to the destination with the warm hospitality for which the Saudi people are renowned.” On March 6, Saudi Arabia announced the lifting of all travel restrictions put in place …

Oman Air Holidays, the tour operating arm of Oman Air – has launched a digital platform giving locally owned and operated SMEs in travel and tourism sector greater online presence and visibility in front of a broader range of international customers. Helping local SMEs digitize their offer is a commitment Oman Air Holidays has undertaken in recent months to help empower local tour operators, guides, hotels, and other small business and solopreneurs in Oman’s growing leisure and hospitality ecosystem. “Empowering Omani SMEs through digitization initiatives brings them out of the shadows and into the spotlight where they can truly shine as local service and product providers,” said Mundher Yaqoob Al Shaikhani, Senior Manager Oman Air Holidays. “Creating opportunities where SMEs can flourish is a key component of the tourism pillars contained in Oman Vision 2040, and Oman Air Holidays is proud to do its part to help. Our platform is connected to a truly global audience and we know it will give local SMEs a step up in the right direction as we continue our efforts to attract more inbound tourists to Oman.” The new digital platform now connects local SMEs to a larger, growing network of international partners associated with Oman Air Holidays. In 2021, Oman Air Holidays partnered with several international travel operators, including WebBeds (a division of Webjet Limited), to enhance its digital booking experience and to provide more choice, flexibility and convenience to guests in search of innovative custom holiday packages. It also introduced stopover packages offering the flexibility to discover some of the most desirable tourist spots in and around Muscat.

New figures released by the German National Tourist Board (GNTB) show the country’s strategic approach to attracting overseas travellers and recovering international tourism is proving a success. Statistics show that between January and December 2021, Germany welcomed 72.9 per cent more GCC national arrivals than over the same period the previous year. Elsewhere, overnight stays in Germany by visitors from the GCC region rose 82.3 per cent throughout 2021, with December alone recording a 335.2 per cent increase when compared to the previous year. This rise in footfall can be partly attributed to Germany’s ongoing efforts to diversify itineraries through its dissemination of various local cultures, family-focused leisure options, and natural, sustainable scenery, says Yamina Sofo, Director of Sales and Marketing at the Dubai-based German National Tourist Office. “We continue to urge travellers to explore Germany and its vast and varied attractions this upcoming holiday season,” said Sofo. “We have seen consistent growth in 2021 and hope that will be maintained in 2022, especially in summertime when we will be launching some seasonal campaigns. Our goal is always to ensure visitors experience Germany and its culture to full capacity – that means urging travellers to take in the natural beauty that exists throughout all states and cities, not only the major metropolitan areas.” For example, the south-eastern state of Bavaria is home to German capital Munich, but it also includes 45 impressive palaces and castles, as well as 30 court gardens and palace parks with beautifully spacious landscapes and calm lakes. It is perfect for springtime travellers given these rich, cultural landmarks can collectively represent a historic journey through not only Bavaria, but Germany as a whole. Johannisburg Palace in …

As Jeddah gears up for its second Formula One event the coming weekend, following the first ever top-tier race in December 2021, a new chapter of sports tourism has been started. At present, the sports sector contributes around 0.2% of the Kingdom’s GDP, while the tourism sector contributes about 3%, according to the Ministry of Sport and the Ministry of Tourism. The two ministries have ambitious targets for growth: sports should contribute 0.6% of GDP and tourism 10% by 2030. One of the major areas for growth sits at the crossroads of the two: sports tourism. The latest publication by KPMG, “Competitive edge: The unfolding potential for sports tourism in Saudi Arabia”, presents a model of four different categories of sports tourism, with a global case study supporting each type. Across these categories, the model emphasizes coordination between organizers, mainly the private sector, public sector enablers and national tourism promoters as it is critical to attracting foreign tourists for both sport events and participation. The first “destination-dependent sports tourism” category notes that the Kingdom’s vast natural infrastructure as a major pull factor for sports tourism. That would include activities like diving and other watersports along the Red Sea coast, mountain climbing, as well as desert activities such as rally racing, running, cycling, motor and quad biking. The second model, “alternative location sports tourism,” refers to the sport that tourists often play close to home when they are not on vacation. The sport – or entire vacation – is enhanced by the destination. A key example here is golf, already one of the most prolific tourism sports around the world. The landscape and coastline of Saudi Arabia provide an outstanding and …

The Indonesia Pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai, has attracted up to two million visitors worldwide as Expo 2020 Dubai reach it’s end. The Indonesia Pavilion continues to strive to achieve the target of 2.5 million visitors at the end of Expo 2020 Dubai. “We are thrilled because, in less than two weeks of the end of Expo 2020 Dubai, the Indonesia Pavilion has managed to attract two million visitors. We are optimistic that the numbers will continue to increase until this event ends,” said the Director General of National Export Development of the Ministry of Trade and Commissioner General of the Indonesia Pavilion Didi Sumedi. Didi state that the success of attracting two million visitors could not be separated from Indonesia’s efforts to provide festive shows every day, ranging from amazing cultural performances, exhibitions of local products, to a wide range of workshops that successfully attracted the hearts of Expo 2020 Dubai visitors. The business forum agendas held by the Indonesia Pavilion also played a role in showing attractiveness and opening up investment and trade opportunities in Indonesia. Coffee Cupping event at Indonesia Pavilion serving Local Farmers’ Coffee Didi also said, as the fourth largest coffee producer in the world, Indonesia continues to strive to showcase local coffee farmers at Expo 2020 Dubai. Therefore, in the week of Bank Indonesia’s participation in Expo 2020 Dubai, the Indonesia Pavilion held a coffee cupping event on Sunday. The event was held in an effort to expand access to the Indonesian coffee market to the Middle East. “At the Expo 2020 Dubai event, Indonesia continues to introduce local Indonesian coffee, from exhibitions to coffee brewing demonstrations that can be found in the Indonesia …

The first-ever virtual event in the region, the Gulf Travel Show 2022 ended its final day with  over 2000 one-on-one meetings attended by travel agents, tour operators, tourism boards, airlines, hotels, travel management companies, international agencies and media over a period of two days for the fourth consecutive time in platinum partnership with Tourism Malaysia. San Jeet, Director, DDP group, reiterated in his address, “Advancing connections in a changing world has never been more important. We want you to make the most of this platform and help us shape the future. Our goal is to offer a virtual show that is as dynamic and as rewarding as a physical one. We intend to build connections, grow businesses and establish long-term mutually beneficial relationships.” Mirza Ghalib – Deputy Director – Tourism Malaysia – Dubai, ‘Gulf Travel Show 4.0 was a success for our Malaysian partners on the virtual B2B sessions with buyers from the Middle East region. We are satisfied with the contacts and enquiries that we have received, and our partners have been full with appointments since the announcement of Malaysia is re-opening on 1st April 2022. This is a good sign for us and we hope to see you in Malaysia soon.’ Sanaf Rahman – Travel Consultant – Aldar Travel & Tours Bahrain, shared, “Gulf Travel Show created a platform over the past two years to connect with suppliers from various parts of the world in one safe virtual space. Every edition of the Gulf Travel Show has brought in different suppliers to meet, engage and collaborate. Another interesting fact will be the insightful panel discussions and presentations by the experts featured in the auditorium, which we all look …

Day one of the fourth edition of the Gulf Travel Show ended with its pre-planned meetings for VIP buyers with over 500 meetings. SanJeet Director DDP Group opened the show welcoming all the exhibitors and buyers to the fourth edition of the Gulf Travel Show. Tourism Malaysia participating for the fourth time at the fourth edition of the Gulf Travel Show (GTS) from 22nd to 23rd March 2022. As a platinum partner, Malaysia is having its own virtual pavilion with 15 booths consisting of tourism boards, tour operators and hotels and resorts such as Tourism Malaysia Dubai, Tourism Malaysia Jeddah, Sabah Tourism Board, Sarawak Tourism Board, Tourism Selangor, Asian Overland Services, Universal Holidays travel and tours, World Express tours Malaysia, Sunway hotels and resorts, Banyan Tree Kuala Lumpur, New World Petaling Jaya hotel, Dash Box Hotels, Lexis hotels and resorts, Berjaya hotels and resorts and Gembox. Following this year’s participation, Mr Manoharan Periasamy, the Senior Director of Tourism Malaysia’s International Promotion Division for Asia & Africa said that it is their fourth consecutive time to participate in the Gulf Travel Show and they continued to participate as they received a very good response and this has been a platform which brought together exhibitors from Malaysia to meet and network with partners from the Middle East. “We are very happy to announce that we will be opening our borders from 1st April 2022 this year to all international travelers and those fully vaccinated do not need to quarantine. Gulf Travel Show provided us the opportunity to connect and engage with partners from the Gulf region and promote our destination and keep them up to date about the latest information on Malaysia. …

Wego and Egypt Tourism Authority launch a campaign to get travelers to visit Egypt during all the seasons. Egypt continues its commitment and efforts in applying stringent health safety and precautionary measures to ensure the safety of citizens and tourists and has been welcoming tourists from the GCC. The campaign will focus on promoting Egypt as the most preferred destination of choice for Middle Eastern travelers showcasing the various elements of Egypt including warm weather, scenery, and a wide array of activities. The country will be marketed and retargeted on all Wego platforms through both the website and application, including online promotions, and other additional contributions. Mamoun Hmedan, Chief Commercial Officer and Managing Director, MENA and India at Wego, said: “Over 2.43 million flight and hotel searches from MENA to Egypt were performed on Wego in March, where the country ranked the second most searched destination. We’re delighted to partner with Egypt Tourism Authority, to promote Egypt’s hidden gems including one of the world’s intact temples, museums, and pyramids.” You can’t think of Egypt without imaging Aswan, Hurghada, Luxor or Sharm El Sheikh. The country is the world’s largest open-air museum and has one of the oldest temples and museums, which are a must see for everyone. Amr Al-Kady, CEO of Egypt Tourism Authority, commented: “Egypt is intensifying its efforts to boost the tourism sector in the country and attract more tourists through promotional campaigns that highlight the country’s tourist destinations. Through our partnership with Wego, the largest online travel marketplace in the region, we will attract more travelers from the Middle East to explore the best of Egypt. The country has been following stringent measures to provide a seamless …

Tourism Malaysia is participating for the fourth time at the Gulf Travel Show (GTS) from 22 to 23 March 2022. Focusing on business meetings, the digital event hosts buyers from across the region. After the success of the first three editions in November 2020, March 2021 and October 2021, Gulf Travel Show is back by popular demand in 2022. The two-day conference features networking sessions between the Middle East and from across the world as well as panel discussions between travel experts, tourism and hospitality sectors on the current state of the industry. Participants of the travel show include travel agents, tour operators, tourism boards, airlines, travel management firms, international agencies, hotels, and media from 43 countries. As a platinum partner, Tourism Malaysia is having its own virtual pavilion with 15 booths consisting of Malaysian delegates from Sabah Tourism Board, Sarawak Tourism Board, Tourism Selangor and together with three Destination Management Companies (DMC), tour operator partners, one product partner, and six hotels and resorts from Malaysia. “Starting 1st April 2022, Malaysia will allow quarantine-free entry for fully-vaccinated travellers, ending almost two years of stringent border controls introduced to contain the COVID-19 outbreak. As Platinum Partner of GTS 2022, Malaysia is thrilled to welcome back Middle East tourists to experience our country again. It is a timely opportunity for us to network with travel agents and tour operator partners from the Gulf region,” says Dato’ Haji Zainuddin Abdul Wahab, Director General of Tourism Malaysia.

Qatar Tourism successfully concluded its participation at Outbound Travel Mart (OTM), one of the first major travel trade shows in India for 2022. The show was back on the ground after a two-year pandemic-prompted hiatus, setting a positive tone for tourism resurgence. The Qatar Tourism delegation was led by Philip Dickinson, Vice President International Markets, Qatar Tourism, along with Sandeep Shevale – Tourism Marketing & Promotions and Deveekaa Nijhawan – International Public Relations & Communications. The delegation’s DMC participants covered Discover Qatar, Al Tawfeeq Travel and Travel Designer W.L.L. The team was also supported by BRANDit, India Representative of Qatar Tourism. The event presented itself as a platform to reconnect with the travel trade partners and media in the India market and an opportunity to showcase the diverse offerings and experiences Qatar has to offer. Berthold Trenkel, Chief Operating Officer, Qatar Tourism, said “We are pleased to be part of OTM 2022 and to re-establish our presence in the India market. The objective was to highlight the various facets that Qatar offers not just in the lead up to the FIFA World Cup, but beyond as well. The aim is to leverage our tourism assets based on six demand spaces identified in line with our vision, namely Sun, Sea and Sand; Active Holidays; Relax & Rejuvenate; Cultural Enthusiasts; Luxury City Breaks and Romantic Getaways. With the launch of new hotels, theme parks, cultural hotspots, retail outlets, leisure projects and more, Qatar is all set to unravel a new wave of experiences.” To reaffirm trade partnerships, Qatar’s national carrier, Qatar Airways in association with Qatar Tourism hosted a networking dinner at The St. Regis Mumbai on 14th March 2022. The interactive …