Tag Archives: CEO

Sheikh Abdulaziz bin Humaid Al Nuaimi, Chairman, Ajman Tourism Development Department (ATDD), launched the latest tourist attraction with an inaugural seaplane ride landing in Al Zorah Marina 1 in Ajman. The launch was attended by HE Saleh Mohamed Al Geziry, Director General, ATDD; HE Eng. Omar Ahmed Bin Omair Al Muhairi, Director General, Public Transport Corporation, Ajman; Abdullah Al Nuaimi, Director of Media Office, Rulers Court; Imad Dana, CEO, Al Zorah Development Company and and Stuart Wheeler, CEO, Seawings. Ajman will now offer regular flights on the Cessna 208 Caravan Seaplanes over Ajman on a per person basis, taking in the iconic sights of the emirate in the process. Al Nuaimi said, “Ajman is increasingly offering exciting visitor attractions for our growing market of local, regional and international tourists. With the launch of the seaplane, residents and tourists can now get a unique, bird’s eye view of the emirate and travel to Dubai Creek in style.” Flights will take off on a pre-booked basis from Al Zorah Marina 1 in Ajman, landing at Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club, and can take up to nine passengers. It is able to swoop low over the natural mangroves of Al Zorah as well as other Ajman landmark

The Dubai Fountain is set to add the Korean pop song, ‘Power’ from the popular Korean boy band EXO to its list of melodies. The song’s inauguration will take place on January 16, 2018. In addition to key media representatives from UAE, GCC, China and South Korea, influencers and fans as well as EXO members and organisers are expected to watch the premiere of the song played at the fountain. “We are thrilled that visitors to The Dubai Fountain will be entertained with EXO’s latest song. Dubai is at the crossroads of the world and it’s only fitting that a major Asian group’s music should become an integral part of one of the most visited attractions in the city.” said Issam Kazim, CEO, Dubai Tourism. Ahmad Al Falasi, Executive Director – Group Operations, Emaar Properties, said, “Our goal with The Dubai Fountain is to engage every visitor and offer them a memorable time through spectacular performances set to world-famous songs.  The rhythmic swaying of the fountain to the beats of Power will be a delight for all, especially for fans of K-Pop.”  

Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority (RAKTDA) hosted the 67th Annual Convention of the German Travel Association (DRV) at Rixos Bab Al Bahr in Ras Al Khaimah. The three-day convention welcomed 630 German travel trade professionals. Haitham Mattar, CEO, RAKTDA, highlighted the importance of hosting the event in Ras Al Khaimah and RAKTDA’s efforts in showcasing the destination to the emirate’s emerging markets. CEOs and senior executives from tour operators, travel agencies and service providers of all sizes, as well as representatives from airlines, cruise lines and insurance companies attended RAKTDA-organised tours, destination workshops and events highlighting the emirate’s latest tourism developments, future plans and unique attractions. A discussion panel during the opening ceremony of DRV focused on Ras Al Khaimah as an emerging tourism destination. The panel was moderated by Dr. Carl Naughton and led by key executives from the travel and airline industries including Volker Greiner, Vice President – North & Central Europe, Emirates; Haitham Mattar, CEO, RAKTDA; Ralph Schiller, Group Managing Director, FTI Group; Thomas Bosl, Managing Director, RTK and Stefanie Berk, Managing Director – Central and Eastern Europe, Thomas Cook.

In a keynote address at the opening session of Seatrade Middle East Cruise Forum, Issam Kazim, CEO, Dubai Corporation of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DCTCM) confirmed that Dubai remains on track to receive one million cruise passengers by 2020. Addressing delegates, he also referred to DCTCM’s plan to ensure that cruise passengers felt the ‘soul’ of Dubai and there would be an extra concentration on excursions showing the heritage of the city and its older parts. Around 17 cruise line executives from 14 of the world’s leading cruise lines attended the annual two-day event held at Lapita, located within Dubai Parks and Resorts, Dubai. The programme focused on a number of key discussion points, including extending seasonality, opportunities for niche cruising, port and destination development, link with India, the Suez Canal and Red Sea, shore excursion offerings, supporting the needs of the crew and exploiting the potential for inbound Chinese tourism. The event’s return to Dubai reflects the regional significance for the future of cruising in the Arabian Gulf.

In a ceremonial event, Dubai Airports welcomed Nigerian airline Med-View from Murtala Muhammed International Airport (LOS) via Abuja (ABV) to Dubai International (DXB) with a traditional water salute. The airline, which operates into DXB’s Concourse D, offers travellers three weekly flights on Boeing B777 and B767 aircraft from Lagos via Abuja to Dubai. A cake cutting ceremony was attended by Muneer A. Bankole, CEO, Med-View; Khalil Lamrabet, Director Aviation Business Development, Dubai Airports and Saood Kankazar, Executive Director, Dubai Civil Aviation Authority.

Ahead of the new year, flydubai launched two new routes to Europe. Flights to Krakow will start on April 8, 2018 and flights to Catania will begin on June 13, 2018. flydubai becomes the first UAE carrier to operate direct flights to these destinations, offering weekly flights. With the launch of these new European routes, the airline’s network grows to over 100 destinations in 47 countries. Ghaith Al Ghaith, CEO, flydubai, said, “With the launch of flights to Krakow and Catania, flydubai is committed to open up new direct air links to Dubai. Our latest route launches are testament to that commitment which demonstrate our efforts in offering our passengers more options to explore our network.” Emirates will codeshare on both routes and as part of the Emirates-flydubai partnership, each airline’s passengers will have the opportunity to connect in Dubai to hundreds of destinations across the world. To offer passengers more comfort and an enhanced travel experience, the carrier will operate the new routes on its brand-new Boeing 737 MAX 8 unveiled at the Dubai Airshow in November.

flydubai launched two new seasonal destinations for next year- Dubrovnik, Croatia and Kutaisi, Georgia; the latest additions to the airline’s European network for the 2018 summer period. Flights to the Croatian coastal city will operate up to four times a week from April 10 until October 25, 2018. Along with Tbilisi and Batumi, Kutaisi will become flydubai’s third point in Georgia and will be served with three weekly flights between June 14 and September 22, 2018. “For the first time this year, we offered our passengers direct flights to popular summer destinations and based on the success of these routes, we decided to increase the options for next year,” said Ghaith Al Ghaith, CEO, flydubai. Flights to Batumi, Georgia will resume from June 16 until September 30 next year with a daily flight, an increase from the three-weekly service operated last summer. Tivat on the other hand, will resume with up to three weekly flights from March 26 until October 26, replacing the existing service to Podgorica currently operating during the winter schedule.

Emaar Hospitality Group has achieved an impressive milestone of 10,000 hotel rooms across its 11 operational hotels and 30 upcoming projects. The hotel rooms are spread over three hotel brands – Address Hotels + Resorts, Vida Hotels and Resorts and Rove Hotels. Olivier Harnisch, CEO, Emaar Hospitality Group, said, “With over 10,000 rooms and counting, Emaar Hospitality Group has underlined its credentials as the region’s fastest growing hospitality provider, delivering three distinctive lifestyle experiences that meet the diverse and shifting preferences of today’s travellers. While we have a strong footprint in the UAE, we are also expanding our presence in international markets, delivering our homegrown competencies to high-growth markets.” The brand’s vision is to be one of the world’s leading hospitality providers whilst continuing to innovate on the choices they offer.

Dubai International (DXB) welcomed 6.9 million passengers in October, as per a monthly traffic report issued by Dubai Airports. Passenger traffic at DXB reached 6,865,296 in October compared to 6,420,208 recorded in the corresponding month last year, an increase of 6.9 per cent. Paul Griffiths, CEO, Dubai Airports said, “The third quarter has begun on a very positive note for DXB and with the hub on track to achieve our forecast of 89 million passengers for the year, our focus will be on continuing to maintain customer service quality and overall airport experience.” During the month under review, London was the top destination city out of Dubai with 327,400 passengers followed by Mumbai (219,512 passengers) and New Delhi (184,754 passengers). Flight movements in October totalled 33,257 compared to 35,314 flights operated at DXB during the same month last year, a contraction of 5.8 per cent.

The award-winning Rooftop Lounge and Dining located at Royal Ascot Hotel in Bur Dubai opens for the fifth season as the ultimate venue to relax with spectacular views of Dubai’s skyline. A favourite spot of the city’s socialite, the Rooftop Lounge is a chic roof terrace with an ultra-cool ambiance with the latest English, Arabic and Bollywood songs. The Lounge offers something new everyday along with Man’s Night on every Mondays and Ladies’ Night on Tuesdays. The extensive menu features a selection of Indian, Arabic, Italian and Chinese dishes prepared by the culinary team of Executive Chef Muhamad. Suneel Bhambhani, CEO, said, “We’d like to invite our loyal patrons and visitors to enjoy the winter season with great food, drinks and music. We guarantee a great time while you are here.”