Tag Archives: Abu Dhabi

Abu Dhabi Convention Bureau sets up first M!CE Advisory Committee in China

In a partnership expected to drive further business tourism from China to the UAE capital, the Abu Dhabi Convention Bureau (ADCB), part of the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi (DCT – Abu Dhabi), has established the first ever dedicated advisory committee in China with the goal of engaging the ever-growing outbound M!CE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions) market there. Top leaders from the M!CE industry in China were appointed as part of the advisory committee following a strategic partnership agreement, which was signed in Abu Dhabi on December 12, 2019 at an industry forum for knowledge sharing about the Chinese market. The partnership came as part of Abu Dhabi’s wider strategy to increase international M!CE arrivals from China and encourage M!CE visitors to extend their stays in the UAE capital, in addition to raising awareness about the capital’s unique offerings. The role of the advisory committee will include providing insight into M!CE trends, business travel, and challenges and behaviours within the Chinese market, enabling ADCB to employ the best channels, which in turn would lead to an increase of M!CE groups to Abu Dhabi. Ali Al Shaiba, Acting Executive Director of Tourism and Marketing from DCT – Abu Dhabi said, “China is a strategic partner for the UAE, and a key player in the M!CE industry, making this unprecedented agreement one of the most important aspects of our plan to further boost M!CE visitors to Abu Dhabi. The positive impact that business tourism has on an economy is tremendous, and with China’s vast outbound M!CE market, the business and economic opportunities are profound.”

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12th Annual World Medical Tourism Congress in Abu Dhabi

The 12th Annual World Medical Tourism and Global Healthcare Congress was held in the capital city of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), for the first time outside of the USA. International buyers from various countries including the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), China, Russia, Germany and the USA visited prominent medical and healthcare providers in Abu Dhabi.  The hospital visits prompted discussions about key partnerships in a collective aim to transform the business of healthcare and medical tourism.

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VFS Global Visa Application Centre in Abu Dhabi relocates to a premium location

VFS Global, the world’s largest outsourcing and technology services specialist for governments and diplomatic missions worldwide, relocates its Visa Application Centre in Abu Dhabi to a more accessible and premium location in terms of amenities and infrastructure. Commenting on the key features of the new centre, Vinay Malhotra, Regional Group COO for Middle East, South Asia & China, VFS Global, said, “The expansive new centre serves 27 client governments and provides outbound travellers from Abu Dhabi a very convenient visa application platform, ensuring enhanced quality of services and seamless procedures in a spacious environment. Visa applicants can enjoy personalised services while submitting their visa applications in the comfort of luxurious Platinum or Premium lounges.” Following the relocation, customers can submit their visa applications in an even more convenient and comfortable environment at the new VFS Global centre situated at Level B2 (Lower Ground), The Mall, World Trade Centre, Khalifa Bin Zayed the 1st Street (Airport Road), Abu Dhabi. The newly relocated centre is larger, with a greater applicant accommodating capacity compared to the previous centre, along with high security control and ample parking space.   From this centre, customers can apply for visas to Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Malaysia, Malta, Norway, Portugal, Slovakia, Sweden, Switzerland, The Netherlands, Turkey, United Kingdom and Ukraine. In 2018, VFS Global processed approximately half a million applications from the United Arab Emirates alone, and Abu Dhabi centre accounted for over 80,000 visa applications.

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SalamAir launches four weekly flights from Abu Dhabi to Muscat

Abu Dhabi Airports announced the commencement of four weekly flights between Abu Dhabi and Muscat in Oman with SalamAir.  The flights will take-off from Muscat International Airport (MCT) at 9:00 am every Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday, and will arrive at Abu Dhabi International Airport at 10:20 am. The return flights will take-off from Abu Dhabi at 11:05 am, arriving in Muscat at 12:05 pm local time. Commenting on the new route to Muscat, Maarten De Groof, Chief Commercial Officer at Abu Dhabi Airports, said, “Muscat is one of the most popular destinations among UAE citizens and residents, and these four new flights will give them new convenient options. This partnership demonstrates Abu Dhabi Airports’ commitment to continuously developing its network and connectivity, with the aim of providing travellers with ever more choices. We are always keen to attract new airlines to our airport, particularly from popular destinations, such as Oman. The new flights will contribute to the growth of the tourism industry in Abu Dhabi, a city which is already a global aviation hub, alongside a major destination for tourists and business people alike.”

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Etihad to fly Boeing 787 Dreamliner to Jakarta and Male

Etihad Airways will introduce the Boeing 787 Dreamliner on its flights from Abu Dhabi to Jakarta, Indonesia, and will upgrade its daily morning service to Male, Maldives, to the wide-body aircraft on a seasonal basis. The airline’s two daily scheduled services from Abu Dhabi to the Indonesian capital, Jakarta, will be operated on a year-round basis by a two-class Boeing 787-9. Effective October 27, the overnight service will transition to a Dreamliner operation and the aircraft will be introduced on the daytime service from December 14, 2019. The airline will also operate the next-generation aircraft on its daily morning service from Abu Dhabi to Male from October 27, 2019 to April 30, 2020. This morning service will continue to be supplemented by a second overnight departure. Etihad Airways is one of the world’s largest operators of the Boeing 787 and is introducing the aircraft to these destinations to benefit its point-to-point customers travelling to and from Abu Dhabi, as well as those connecting to and from the Etihad global network.

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Etihad to launch fourth year-round daily service from Abu Dhabi to Heathrow

Etihad Airways will be launching a fourth year-round daily service from Abu Dhabi to London Heathrow on October 27, 2019. Robin Kamark, Commercial Officer, Etihad Aviation Group Chief, said, “The flagship Abu Dhabi to London route is tremendously popular with point-to-point business and leisure travellers, and those transiting beyond our hub and we recently boosted frequencies between the two cities to meet increased demand at peak travel times. Adding a fourth year-round flight will provide much needed capacity and optimised timings and easy connections to key destinations across the Middle East, Africa, Asia and Australia. The new service demonstrates our commitment to the crucially important UK market, and ensures we provide our customers with all the benefits of a next-generation fleet across all 42 weekly departures to and from the United Kingdom.” The new service introduces a convenient mid-morning departure from Abu Dhabi and a late evening departure from London Heathrow and follows the introduction of additional seasonal services this summer. The airline will introduce a next-generation, two-class Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner on one of its four daily London services. The aircraft is configured with 299 seats — 28 Business Studios and 271 Economy Smart Seats. This complements the three other services which are operated by Etihad’s 486-seat Airbus A380s, which feature The Residence, a luxurious three-room cabin, nine private First Apartments, 70 Business Studios and 405 Economy Smart Seats. These include 80 Economy Space seats with a seat pitch of up to 36 inches. In addition to the four daily flights into the UK capital, Etihad Airways also operates two daily Boeing 787 Dreamliner services between Abu Dhabi and Manchester.

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Etihad to launch seasonal flights from Abu Dhabi to Alexandria from July

Etihad Airways is preparing to launch seasonal summer flights from Abu Dhabi to the historic Egyptian city of Alexandria, one of oldest continuously-inhabited locations in the world and home to the Great Library of Alexandria and one of the ancient world wonders, the Pharos Lighthouse. This famous coastal city is also a convenient gateway for many of the Egyptian expatriates living in the UAE and planning to return home during the summer holidays. Between July 2 and August 31, the Airbus A320 flights will depart Abu Dhabi at 2.15 pm every Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday, arriving in Alexandria at 4:00 pm. Return flights will depart Alexandria at 4:50 pm, arriving back in Abu Dhabi at 10:40 pm. With the addition of these seasonal services, Etihad will operate a total of 32 flights per week to Egypt – 28 flights to Cairo and four to Alexandria. Robin Kamark, Chief Commercial Officer, Etihad Aviation Group, said, “Alexandria is one of the most popular holiday destinations for UAE residents, and our new seasonal flights are timed to provide access for tourists during the peak summer period. These flights will also be a convenient option for many of the Egyptian nationals living in the UAE and planning to return home during the holiday season.”  

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Etihad to launch seasonal fligts between Abu Dhabi and Salalah

Etihad Airways is preparing to launch seasonal flights between Abu Dhabi and the coastal city of Salalah, southern Oman, in time for the region’s unique Khareef, or green season. Etihad will fly to Salalah four times per week between July 2 and  August 31, the peak of the green season.  The flights, to be operated with two-class Airbus A320 aircraft, will depart Abu Dhabi at 8.05 am each Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday, arriving at 10.00 am, and enabling guests to begin their break by early afternoon. Salalah is one of the few locations on the Arabian Peninsula that experiences a monsoon season, creating extensive vegetation growth and spectacular waterfalls throughout the coastal ranges, and delivering significantly lower temperatures than the rest of the GCC. Robin Kamark, Chief Commercial Officer, Etihad Aviation Group, said, “Salalah is one of the most sought-after destinations in Oman, and Khareef is an amazing season in which to visit. The green mountains and flowing waterfalls are rare and beautiful in this region, and less than two hours flying time from Abu Dhabi. Our new seasonal flights provide a great opportunity to experience this extraordinary destination at one of the best times of the year, either for a short break or an extended period.”  

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Two new routes between Abu Dhabi and India on IndiGo

IndiGo commenced two new daily direct flights from Delhi and Mumbai to Abu Dhabi. The inaugural flight from Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi to Abu Dhabi took flight on Wednesday, June 5 at 19:55 local time, while the flight from Abu Dhabi to Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport in Mumbai departed at 23:30 local time. The new flights were celebrated with a cake cutting ceremony on Wednesday, June 5 and was attended by key representatives from Abu Dhabi International Airport and IndiGo. Bryan Thompson, Chief Executive Officer of Abu Dhabi Airports, said, “This enhanced connectivity reflects the strong connection between the UAE and India in a variety of areas including commerce and tourism. IndiGo is one of the busiest Indian airlines operating at Abu Dhabi International Airport to now four destinations; Cochin, Calicut, Delhi and Mumbai. With the two new routes we look forward to continuing to facilitate the travel of Indian expats between their homeland and the UAE and attracting tourist traffic between the multiple destinations.” On the occasion, William Boulter, Chief Commercial Officer, IndiGo, said, “As we strengthen our operations from Delhi and Mumbai for domestic and international connectivity from India, Abu Dhabi being a major cultural and commercial centre in UAE, is a critical market for strengthening our presence in the Middle-East. With the addition of these new international flights and enhanced domestic frequency, we are committed to expanding our network to meet the requirements of both business and leisure travellers.” IndiGo passengers traveling from Abu Dhabi International Airport will be able to take advantage of Abu Dhabi Airports’ remote check-in locations at Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC) and at the heart of capital opposite Abu …

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Experience Hub showcases Yas Island at ITB Berlin to lure the German market

Experience Hub, the trade and promotion arm of Yas Island Abu Dhabi, is participating at the ITB Berlin to further engage and strengthen relationships with the European travel market, while also expanding its network of partners from Europe. Yas Island is positioned to attract a growing number of visitors from across Europe with recent 2018 visitation numbers revealing an increase of 22 per cent in tourists from the United Kingdom, 10 per cent from Germany and a whopping 45 per cent from Russia. “Yas Island delivers a holiday experience unlike any other and that’s what we will showcase to industry leaders at ITB Berlin this year. With attractions that include award-winning theme parks, including the recently-opened Warner Bros World Abu Dhabi and a world-class motor sports facility like the Yas Marina Circuit, which is home to the Formula 1 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, alongside more than 160 restaurants and Yas Mall, we have a portfolio of entertainment attractions to provide unparalleled holiday packages in the UAE capital,” said Marina Cipriano, General Manager, Experience Hub.” Experience Hub is managed by expert travel professionals across a wide global network who continuously cultivate collaboration opportunities to source valuable insights into the preferences of travellers from Europe and beyond. Experience Hub’s B2B booking portal provides travel partners direct access to holiday packages and tickets to Yas Island attractions at exclusive rates, among other services, keeping them in the know about the latest experiences and opportunities to enrich their offering to their travellers. “With our dedicated teams in the UK, Germany, Russia and other international markets, we have found that travellers are keen to experience shopping, dining, culture and the outdoors. With that knowledge, we can …

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