Tag Archives: Abu Dhabi

Gold Medal, a leading UK travel company, has heralded Abu Dhabi as one of the most popular destinations for this summer, following a surge in the number of British holidaymakers visiting the United Arab Emirates this year. Offering a variety of online travel services and products, including airfares, hotel reservations and car rentals to travel agents, Gold Medal has reported a 294 per cent year-on-year increase in the summer 2017 holiday bookings than 2016 holiday bookings from the UK to the UAE capital. British travel agents will get to sample for themselves the many attractions of Abu Dhabi when Etihad Airways and the Abu Dhabi Tourism & Culture Authority (TCA) host a large familiarisation visit to the emirate in September. They will be able to sample the cultural attractions, beaches, sports facilities and excellent hospitality for which Abu Dhabi is increasingly renowned.

This summer, to adjust the growing number of holiday makers on their flights, Etihad has increased the frequency of their flights as well as the capacity of their vessels flying between Abu Dhabi and their key markets, such as Amman, Beirut, Cairo, Casablanca and Rabat. There will be a fourth new daily flight to Damman, second new daily flight to Amman, four new flights a week to Beirut with the introduction of Boeing 787, a fifth flight to Cairo, one extra flight to Rabat and an aircraft upgrade to Airbus A340 for Casablanca.

Etihad Airways and China Southern Airlines have announced a new codeshare partnership, taking the number of codeshare agreements signed by the Abu Dhabi based airline to 53. Under the new agreement, China Southern Airlines will put its ‘CZ’ code on Etihad Airways’ daily services between Beijing (PEK)/Shanghai (PVG)/Chengdu (CTU) and Abu Dhabi. The codeshare partnership will give China Southern guests the opportunity to book codeshare flights to and from Abu Dhabi, and connect on to Etihad’s network of over 100 destinations worldwide. Mohammad Al Bulooki, Etihad Airways’ Executive Vice President Commercial, said, “With this partnership, either airline can use its strengths to benefit the other and offer more choices, with enhanced connectivity, to all the guests, alongside world-class services and products offered by both the airlines.”

Careem, the region’s leading ride hailing app, has introduced KM Packages for regular Abu Dhabi customers so that they can benefit from discounted rates and manage their monthly budget on rides. When opting to pre-pay for KM bundles, a customer can save up to 20% a month. Paying this way also removes peak pricing for all trips taken using the KM Packages. Packages are available to buy in 50km, 75km, 100km, 150km, 200km and 300km bundles. To help estimate the monthly KMs that someone might need, an in-app calculator has been created which prompts customers to enter the regular routes they take and how often. The app also allows a customer to set up a repeat booking to avoid having to manually book the same route every time.

Etihad Airways has introduced its flagship Airbus A380 on its second daily service between Abu Dhabi and New York JFK. All 14 weekly flights between the two cities are now operated by the double-decker aircraft. The superjumbo has replaced a three-class Boeing 777-300ER previously operating one of the airline’s twice-daily flights. The new deployment means New York will join London and Sydney as an all-A380 operation. Etihad Airways launched daily non-stop flights to New York JFK on October 26, 2006 and introduced a second daily service in March 2014. It subsequently upgraded one of the daily flights to an A-380 aircraft in November 2015. Peter Baumgartner, Etihad Airways Chief Executive Officer, said, “The response we have received from our guests travelling between Abu Dhabi and New York since we first launched the A380 service two years ago has been phenomenal. We are delighted to further expand our world-leading product to all guests flying to and from the Big Apple.

In keeping with the recent instructions from the governments of UAE, Saudi and Bahrain, seven carriers from the various Middle East countries have suspended their services to Doha with effect from June 6, 2017 until further notice. Among these airlines are Royal Jets, Etihad, Emirates, flydubai and Air Arabia from UAE; Saudia from Saudi and Gulf Air from Bahrain. While Etihad, Emirates and flydubai suspended all flights between Dubai and Doha, Royal Jets suspended their services between Abu Dhabi and Doha and Air Arabia suspended their flights between Sharjah and Ras al Khaimah and Doha. Saudia has suspended its flights between Saudi and Doha and Gulf Air between Bahrain and Doha. So all customers who have booked tickets on any of these airlines for flying to Doha will have to contact the airlines for alternative options, which will include full refunds on unused tickets or free re-booking to the nearest alternate destinations. For detailed information, the relevant airlines can be called or their websites can be looked up.

A staycation, a vacation or a desert trip in UAE has become much more fun and easier to plan with Adventure Emirates launching its website, www.adventureemirates.com. This is an online reservation website that provides instant booking confirmation, and features a “book now, pay later” facility that makes the reservation process less daunting. The website also serves as an informative portal for tourists seeking better understanding of the UAE without any digital clutter. Further, there is a 24-hour online customer support service for providing instant assistance to every customer. Through this website, Adventure Emirates offers over 300 tried and tested excursions, including half-day and full-day sightseeing, safaris, boat tours as well as water activities like kayaking and jet ski in Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Ras Al Khaimah. Trips across Fujairah, Umm Al Quwain, Ajman and Sharjah will soon be online, thus encouraging tourists to discover all the seven emirates. A specialized team of local experts allows Adventure Emirates to cater to different group sizes plus corporates and MICE.

The Embassy of the Kingdom of The Netherlands in Abu Dhabi launched a new Visa Application Centre in Abu Dhabi enhance accessibility and greater convenience to residents of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) who plan to travel to The Netherlands. Applicants can visit the centre in Abu Dhabi, managed by VFS Global, to submit visa applications and enroll for biometrics in a comfortable and efficient environment. The new center, formally inaugurated by H.E. Frank J. M. Mollen, Ambassador of the Kingdom of The Netherlands to the United Arab Emirates, offers applicants streamlined and quicker visa application services managed by the center’s well-trained and specialised staff. Abu Dhabi is the second city in the UAE, after Dubai, from where applicants can apply for a visa to The Netherlands. The center is centrally located at Level 25, Shining Tower, Mubarak Bin Mohammed Street, Adjacent to Khalidiyah Mall, Abu Dhabi. VFS Global serves a total of 22 client governments in Abu Dhabi, and has operated visa processing services in the city since 2004.

Major tourism hotspots in the GCC are experiencing a surge in Indian visitors. In both Dubai and Abu Dhabi, India was the top performing source market in 2016. In Dubai, 1.8 million nationals arrived last year compared to 1.6 million in 2015 and in Abu Dhabi, which welcomed a record-breaking 4.4 million visitors in total in 2016, 323,388 were Indian. According to the figures from Abu Dhabi Tourism and Culture Authority, this marks an increase of 15 per cent on 2015. In Oman, three million tourists visited the Sultanate in 2016, of which 299,568 were Indian. Historically, numbers increased 17 per cent in 2015 compared to 2014 and, over the last five years, Oman has seen a 60 per cent increase in the total number of arrivals from India. Earlier this year, Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani, Prime Minister of Qatar and Minister of Interior, met with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to discuss the topic of visas on arrival for Indian nationals. When the new regulations are introduced, the transit market is also set to benefit, bringing even higher numbers into Qatar and building on the 182,920 who visited in the first half of 2016. “UNWTO (United Nations World Travel Organisation) data shows that 62 million Indians have passports, yet many do not travel. However, the demographic patterns we see currently – an increasing younger population and a growing middle class – provide strong indications that the country is about to see a steep rise in the number of nationals travelling abroad, as well as the number of foreign visitors it welcomes.” India has been named the largest growing outbound tourism market in percentage terms, with …

More than 20 industry experts are set to speak in Abu Dhabi this year at the GCC Patient Experience Summit. The two-day event, which will be held on 18-19 September, is the region’s only forum dedicated to patient experience that will feature CEOs, Patient Experience Directors and Chief Quality Officers from organizations such as HAAD, DHA, Cleveland Clinic, Hamad Medical Corporation, King Fahad Medical City and many others.  The summit aims to offer access to a unique learning opportunity that sets the tone for establishing excellence benchmarks, effective communication and leadership strategies in customized care delivery. “To be successful in the new era of challenging and promising healthcare, organizations will have to take engagement to a new level and consider patients central to the care team. Strategic focus on patient feedback all along the care continuum will be essential to continually improve the health of populations. Wellness and prevention are key. We are moving from an era of treating disease to engaging patients in healthy behaviours that maintain their highest quality of life,” Samer Ellahham, Chairman of the Summit and Chief Quality Officer at Sheikh Khalifa Medical City, said while stressing out the importance of patient-centred care. The UAE healthcare market is estimated to reach Dh71.56 billion by 2020, achieving an annual average growth of 12.7 per cent, marginally higher than the GCC growth average, propelled by medical tourism and a higher than ever demand for new facilities & technologies. With its vision to develop world-class healthcare infrastructure, expertise, and services, the UAE government is extensively expanding and upgrading its healthcare systems to match international standards by developing the best care and wellness for exceptional patient experience. Patient experience elevation …