Tag Archives: Director General

Emirates has announced a daily service from Dubai (DXB) to Mexico City International Airport (MEX), via the Spanish city of Barcelona (BCN). The flight will commence from December 9, 2019. Emirates’ Mexico City flight will be a linked service with Barcelona. Citizens from Mexico, Spain and the UAE only need their passports to enjoy visa-free travel to respective countries.  The new route will be operated with a two-class Emirates Boeing 777-200LR which offers 38 Business Class seats in a 2-2-2 configuration and 264 seats in Economy Class. The new 777 flight will also offer up to 14 tonnes of cargo, opening up access to more global markets for Mexican exports such as avocados, berries, mangoes, automotive parts and medical supplies.  Emirates SkyCargo has been flying freighters to/from Mexico City since 2014 already and in the last year carried over 22,500 tons of cargo on the route. Sir Tim Clark, President, Emirates Airlines, said: “The availability of high-quality, daily international air services is essential for the development of tourism, business and cultural ties. Trade, especially in high-value and time-sensitive products, will be facilitated by the ample cargo capacity on Emirates’ Boeing 777 aircraft. We also expect tourism to receive a major boost from the daily flights on our newly-refurbished Boeing 777-200LR. Due to the high altitude of Mexico airport, it is not possible to operate a non-stop flight from Dubai, and Barcelona was a natural choice for a stopover.” “Mexico supports the launch of the long-awaited flight Dubai-Barcelona-Mexico City, which responds to Mexico’s Government tourism policy towards opening new markets and strengthening connectivity between the Middle East and Mexico. We are eager to receive tourists from this part of the world,” said …

HE Mattar Al Tayer, Director General and Chairman—Board of Executive Directors, Roads and Transport Authority (RTA), received a visiting delegation from Singapore headed by HE Lim Sim Seng, Chairman, Singapore Land Authority. The meeting discussed ways and means of boosting cooperation whilst exchanging expertise between RTA and Singapore Land Authority in the fields of smart mobility, smart services and artificial intelligence (AI) as well as the upcoming roads and infrastructure projects in Dubai. The meeting discussed projects related to smart mobility and Dubai’s Autonomous Transportation Strategy aimed at transforming 25 per cent of total mobility journeys in Dubai into driverless journeys by 2030. Al Tayer briefed the visiting delegation about RTA’s experience in applying AI to projects such as the Dubai Metro, and the Enterprise Command and Control Center; which handles big data besides simulating & forecasting transport & crowds’ movement. RTA also uses AI in the smart testing of drivers and vehicles using robots, and the smart scanning of parking. HE Seng was impressed with RTA’s projects and initiatives for migrating to the Smart City, rendering Dubai a smart technology model. He added that efforts were being made to boost the strategic partnership between RTA and Singaporean entities dealing in the smart mobility field. RTA is currently making trial runs of an electrically powered 10-seater autonomous vehicle featuring high safety standards. Trials are also underway for the Autonomous Air Taxi capable of carrying two persons, autonomous mobility pods, and the first autonomous taxi in the region.

H E Eng Sultan bin Saeed Al Mansouri, UAE Minister of Economy, and Chairman, General Civil Aviation Authority, in the presence of His Highness Sheikh Ahmed Bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman, Dubai Airports; President of the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority; Chairman and CEO of Emirates Group and H E Saif Mohammed Al Suwaidi, Director General, General Civil Aviation Authority inaugurated the Global Investment in Aviation Summit (GIAS) on January 28. The UAE General Civil Aviation Authority and International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) at the ceremony to develop and expand cooperation for the establishment of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Global Aviation Award (SMBRGAA). The MoU will serve to stablish and implement joint efforts to promote the development of international civil aviation in a safe and orderly manner. The opening ceremony of the summit included a series of keynote speeches and panel discussions for the senior policy-makers and business leaders to share their knowledge and expertise, and to extrapolate the current economic situation and opportunities. In his welcome speech, Al Mansouri said, “I am honoured to welcome you all on behalf of the United Arab Emirates government at the Global Investment in Aviation Summit, under the theme ‘Linking Developed and Emerging Markets through Attractive Aviation Investment Opportunities’. This global marketplace aims to promote investment and enhance international air navigation by encouraging discussions and agreements between governments and decision-makers and investors.” He also stressed that by the year 2034, civil aviation will witness double increase in number of passengers compared to previous years. This will lead to the emergence of the need to implement modernisation and expansion of high-quality airport infrastructure, requiring more investment to match the …

Dubai welcomed a record 8.10 million international overnight tourists during the first six months of 2018, representing a consistent increase on the same period last year. Figures released by Dubai’s Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (Dubai Tourism) have confirmed the continued success of the emirate’s tourism sector. A destination of choice for a number of global markets, Dubai is on track for projected growth into the second half of 2018. Top source markets continued to witness stable year-on-year performances in the first half of 2018, with India, KSA and the UK retaining their top three positions when compared to the same period last year. India again brought in the highest number of international guests, once again crossing the 1-million-mark over a six-month period, up by 3 per cent year-on-year. KSA and the UK retained their spots as the second and third largest feeder markets respectively, with the former rallying to a slight increase and remaining as the highest traffic driver from the GCC region. His Excellency Helal Saeed Almarri, Director General, Dubai Tourism, commented, “The first six months of 2018 have both generated and sustained a steady performance, supporting strong growth across our global feeder markets. Attracting 8.10 million visitors during the first half of 2018 stands us in good stead as we accelerate momentum towards our visionary aspiration of becoming the most visited city in the world.”

Dubai’s Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (Dubai Tourism) has developed an interactive training programme led by prominent industry experts to help ensure Dubai’s resilient hospitality sector continues to maintain global price competitiveness. The Revenue Management Workshop programme will bring together hotel revenue managers, reservation managers, sales and marketing managers for a hands-on and practical session, to share fundamental best practices in yield management and forecasting, in addition to monitoring applications and tools. The programme spread across 24 workshop sessions, facilitated in partnership with InsightsOut, specialises in both research and revenue management across the hospitality and service industry. With the aim of training 600 professionals, each session has been designed to host a maximum of 25 participants in a personalised and immersive learning environment. Trainees will be educated on key aspects of revenue management including data analysis, optimising demand and evaluating industry standards to set best possible pricing strategies. H E Helal Saeed Almarri, Director General, Dubai Tourism said, “With hospitality roles quickly evolving to meet the needs of a fast-paced industry, understanding revenue management tools and how to apply the concepts to manage inventory and rates remain key to designing effective strategies to thrive in prevalent market conditions. Such training programmes are therefore crucial as we look to further empower Dubai’s hotel industry professionals to play a larger role in contributing to the city’s thriving tourism landscape and ultimately drive better revenue.”

The first Global Investment in Aviation Summit (GIAS), set to be held in Dubai, will host over 500 top aviation asset managers, aircraft lessors, investors, airlines, aircraft manufacturers, maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) facilities, aviation logistics suppliers and fixed-base operators (FBOs). The delegates from 40 countries will include 20 aviation ambassadors, 10 knowledge partners, 200 aviation officials and 300 investors brainstorming throughout the three days. The conference will take place as the UAE authorities are investing Dh85 billion ($23.16 billion) in airport development and expansion that will see its airports handle develop combined capacity to handle more than 300 million passengers per year. “Our airlines and airports have been ranking consistently as among the best internationally. On compliance level, UAE ranked as a top member state of the International Civil Aviation Organisation. GIAS is UAE’s testament of our commitment to push the nation to be a global pioneer in this field. The glass ceiling is not too high to break as we have mounted unimaginable innovations,” said HE Saif Mohammed Al Suwaidi, Director-General, UAE General Civil Aviation Authority.

In its first biannual city briefing event of the year, Dubai’s Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (Dubai Tourism) highlighted its strategic framework, activities and campaigns in line with the Tourism Vision for 2020. Hosted for hotel establishments, destination management companies, event organisers, tourism attractions and government departments, the event was held at the Conrad Dubai with approximately 1,000 attendees. Keynote speeches at the latest briefing led by His Excellency Helal Saeed Almarri, Director-General, Dubai Tourism, provided valuable insights into the growth drivers behind Dubai’s record year-to-date international visitation, providing stakeholders with an in-depth analysis of the city’s visitor demographics and visitor satisfaction results from the annual Dubai Visitor Survey. Key successes and learnings from international marketing and business campaigns were also discussed. In addition, these keynotes covered the significance of Dubai’s robust calendar of retail and festival events spearheaded by Dubai Festivals and Retail Establishment (DFRE), and Dubai College of Tourism’s first-of-its-kind multi-disciplinary educational platform for the region. Both of these are key elements of the future outlook for tourism in Dubai and set to transform the city’s fast-evolving industry and the overall visitor experience. Another keynote was delivered by Manal Al Bayat, Senior Vice President – Business Development and Integration at Expo 2020 Dubai, who provided crucial insights into what can be expected in the lead up to the event and the legacy it will leave behind.

Held in Abu Dhabi’s Manarat Al Saadiyat from April 8-12, CultureSummit brought together global leaders from the fields of arts, media, public policy and technology to discuss the role of culture in building bridges and promoting positive change in society. Steering Committee member HE Saif Saeed Ghobash, Director General, Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi, said, “As the world’s first high-level summit of leaders across the arts, technology and policy, convening figures from every corner of the world is no small feat. It wouldn’t be possible without the support and global reach of Etihad Airways, which in this case truly lives up to its mission of ‘Bringing the world together.'” Mohammad Al Bulooki, Executive Vice President – Commercial, Etihad Airways, said, “With the recent opening of Louvre Abu Dhabi, in addition to a number of major events held throughout the year, Abu Dhabi is quickly establishing itself as a vibrant hub for the arts and culture. The CultureSummit Abu Dhabi 2018, which is set to welcome approximately 500 participants from 80 countries, is a unique opportunity to showcase Abu Dhabi to the world, and Etihad Airways is honoured to play a role in bringing the world together for this inspiring event.” The theme for CultureSummit Abu Dhabi 2018 is ‘Unexpected Collaborations: Forging New Connections Between Heritage and Innovation, Near and Far, Creativity and Purpose.’

Dubai Health Authority, in collaboration with the Thumbay Group, celebrated the achievements of the emirate’s healthcare sector and recognised several game changers in the industry. His Excellency Humaid Al Qutami, Chairman of the Board and Director General, Dubai Health Authority, graced the Annual Health Awards 2018 ceremony as the chief guest. As many as 35 winners in 23 categories including private and public-sector organisations and individuals, as well as 17 legendary dignitaries were recognised for their pioneering roles in shaping the healthcare industry of the region. Dr. Thumbay Moideen, Founder President of Thumbay Group, was also present. “We would first like to thank you all for attending the award ceremony, symbolising a new addition to the arena of excellence, creativity and innovation that distinguishes Dubai from other international cities. We would like to congratulate the winners and thank the Thumbay Group for its cooperation with DHA and keenness in supporting the Authority’s efforts to provide a competitive environment among the health sector and its employees,” Al Qutami observed. He further added, “We derive the values of positive competition from His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai. The award was also inspired by His Highness Shaikh Hamdan Bin Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of the Executive Council.”

India retained the top spot on Dubai’s list of source markets in 2017, contributing 2.1 million visitors and becoming the first country to cross the two-million mark in a single year. The country’s performance represented a 15 per cent year-on-year increase and validated, among other factors, the success of Dubai Tourism’s ongoing collaboration with Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan in the #BeMyGuest campaign. Commenting on the annual performance, His Excellency Helal Saeed Almarri, Director General, Dubai Tourism, said, “Under the visionary leadership of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, the emirate has continued to capture share of the global outbound travel market, complemented by a significant increase in tourism-driven economic contribution to the country’s GDP.” Driven by India, the South Asia region, in the third place, contributed an 18 per cent share of over 2.8 million visitors, up a strong 10.6 per cent, followed by the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), and North and South-East Asia regions sharing the fourth position, each contributing close to 1.7 million visitors and independently commanding 11 per cent share, the former recording a 3.2 per cent increase and the latter, an impressive 23.6 per cent over 2016 visitation figures.