Tag Archives: Dubai

Emirates anticipates high passenger traffic this spring break weekend with visitors travelling to and from Dubai. The busiest time for departures in Terminal 3 will be on  March 29 with more than 42,000 passengers travelling abroad. Customers are reminded to arrive at the airport at least three hours before their flight departure to avoid any delays. Peak travel is expected to continue until April 2, 2019 with more than 205,000 Emirates passengers travelling from Dubai to destinations beyond. During this time, Emirates will also be welcoming more than 160,000 passengers to and through Dubai. With road works continuing to cause delays around main airport highways and roads during this time, Emirates urges customers to build in extra time for their journeys to avoid potential delays. Passengers can physically check in at the airport as early as 24 hours before flight departure, and are requested to check in no later than two hours prior to departure, regardless of class of travel. Customers who check in less than 60 minutes prior to their scheduled flight departure will not be accepted for travel. Customers can also check in online on both their desktops and mobile devices from 48 hours to 90 minutes before flight departure. After checking in, passengers are also advised to make sure they get to their boarding gate on time. Gates open 90 minutes before departure, boarding starts 45 minutes before each flight and gates close 20 minutes before departure. If passengers report late Emirates will not be able to accept them for travel.

The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) Dubai & Middle East Office in partnership with Royal Thai Embassy in Manama, Bahrain and The Gulf Hotel, Bahrain and Gulf Air will launch the Thai Festival 2019 on March 26 at The Gulf Hotel, Bahrain. The EATHAI VISITHAI 2019 promotion will run from March 26 to April 25, 2019 and will see the city come to life as people celebrate Thai culture and cuisine with incredible discounts on offer at 13 of Bahrain’s finest dining establishments. The participating venues will showcase their appetizing special Thai dishes with tasting and a live cooking show at the exclusive launch event on March 26. These include The BF Food Bahrain, Shada Restaurant, Tom Yum Kung Restaurant, Honey Restaurant, Monsoon Restaurant, Royal Thai-Gulf Hotel Bahrain, Wang Thai Restaurant, Thong Eak Restaurant, Som Tum Thai Restaurant, Thai Seafood Restaurant, Wok This Way Restaurant, Top Thai Restaurant and Ayothaya Restaurant. H E Thanis Na Songkhla, Ambassador, Royal Thai Embassy Manama, Bahrain, said, “We are thrilled to bring The Thai Festival 2019 to the Kingdom of Bahrain. Thai food is incredibly popular in the region and we are excited to showcase it further at this exciting festival.” Pichaya Saisaengchan, Director, Tourism Authority of Thailand Dubai & Middle East Office, added, “The Thai Festival has been an ongoing success in the Kingdom of Bahrain and we’re excited to see it return for another edition. It’s an incredible way to showcase our world-renowned cuisine and guests will be able to avail incredible discounts and win fabulous prizes.”

The German National Tourist Office (GNTO) kicked off its annual worldwide marketing campaign ‘German Summer Cities’ with a successful brand activation event at City Walk Mall in Dubai, together with the campaign’s premium partner Lufthansa Group as well as UAE-based Al Rais Travel. In an objective to woo the Gulf travelling community to choose Germany as their preferred destination, visitors were offered a great mix of engaging activities such as VR installations, travel information through promotional staff and special promotional packages by Al Rais Travel as well as Lufthansa. The three-day event was designed to capture the essence and unique atmosphere of the many great German cities. The multi-channel ‘German Summer Cities’ campaign which is being rolled out throughout the GNTB’s 31 offices around the world includes comprehensive digital marketing, pop-up event scheme in 14 key source markets and a wide range of PR activities. The GCC is one of the Top 15 source markets for Germany and the third largest non-European source market, after China and USA. In 2016, Germany ranked top among GCC travellers, even ahead of UK, Turkey and France. According to German Federal Statistical Office, there were 87.7 million international overnight stays recorded in accommodation establishments with at least 10 beds in 2018. For the ninth consecutive year, the number of visitors to Germany in 2018 reached record levels, showing a 5 per cent increase overall to 2017.

The 7th edition of the Global Airport Leaders’ Forum (GALF) is set to take place in Dubai this year. One of the world’s most influential knowledge-sharing platforms for the airports industry, agenda for GALF 2019 taking place from April 29 to May 1 alongside the 19th edition of Airport Show reflects the changing aviation landscape and future technologies. Airport Show and its co-located events will be held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, President, Dubai Civil Aviation Authority; Chairman, Dubai Airports and Chairman and Chief Executive, Emirates Airline and Group. The knowledge-enhancement initiative is themed ‘Leading Collaborative Sustainable Aviation Growth’, reflecting the future growth path of the industry which supports US$2.7 trillion of the world’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and carries over four billion passengers and 62 million tonnes of freight a year. At GALF, industry leaders and experts from around the world will gather to discuss common challenges, partnership opportunities and chart the way forward for the region’s aviation growth. The three-day event will feature pressing topics including smart airports and sustainability, airport privatisation models,  building non- aeronautical revenue systems and the future of blockchain in aviation, amongst other topics. Dubai has ambitious plans to be the world’s first city fully powered by blockchain by 2020 and the emirate is making persistent efforts to be a global leader in blockchain adoption. Daniyal Qureshi, Group Exhibition Director, Reed Exhibitions Middle East, organisers of Airport Show said, “The agenda for GALF 2019 undoubtedly reflects the direction the industry is going in and we are looking forward to seeing what interesting discussions take place to ensure our industry is at the forefront of digital transformation.”

Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) has commenced the operation of an exclusive Dubai Ferry route for Emaar’s visitors and residents, linking The Dubai Mall and Dubai Marina Mall. Inaugurated in the presence of senior officials of RTA and Emaar, the new service links two of the most popular lifestyle destinations in the city through an environment-friendly urban transport service. It also builds on an earlier agreement signed between RTA and Emaar’s At the Top, Burj Khalifa to promote the sale of Dubai Ferry tickets to the popular tourist attraction in the iconic tower. The ferry service, for a duration of about 1 hour 20 minutes one-way, will offer majestic views of the cityscape – from The Palm Islands to the skyscrapers along Sheikh Zayed Road and the Dubai Canal. It will ply between the Dubai Marina ferry station, located behind the Dubai Marina Mall, and Al Wajeha Al Maeyah station, from where a complimentary shuttle service will take guests to reach The Dubai Mall and back. Ahmed Bahrozyan, CEO, Public Transport Agency, said, “The marine transport network of Dubai is gaining considerable interest among visitors and residents, especially following the ongoing promotion of the Dubai Ferry service by At the Top, Burj Khalifa. The new service will add to the delight of users, who can cover two of the most popular malls effortlessly while enjoying scenic vistas of the city.” Ahmed Al Falasi, Executive Director — Group Operations, Emaar Properties, said, “The new ferry service is a remarkable addition that will add to the touristic attractions in the city. Following the promotion of Dubai Ferry to visitors and tourist groups touring At the Top, Burj Khalifa, we had seen a …

Master developer Nakheel has started constructing the rooftop infinity swimming pool at The Palm Tower, its 52-storey, luxury hotel and residential complex at the heart of Palm Jumeirah in Dubai. Perched 210 metres above the ground and covering 775 square metres, the infinity pool – one of the highest in the world – borders all four sides of the building, boasting unrivalled, panoramic views across Palm Jumeirah, the Arabian Gulf and the Dubai skyline. The pool – which will hold 930,000 litres of water – is on the 50th floor of The Palm Tower. Above the pool will be a podium housing a 51st level speciality restaurant and a 52nd storey public viewing deck, 240 metres high. Construction of the rooftop dining viewing deck complex will begin soon. Located at the heart of the world-famous, award winning Palm Jumeirah, The Palm Tower comprises a 289-room St Regis hotel, 432 luxury residences and an array of dining and leisure facilities. The hotel occupies the first 18 floors, with fully-furnished studios and one, two and three bedroom apartments on the upper floors. The Palm Tower is directly connected to the under-construction Nakheel Mall – the access point for the public viewing deck – and its 350 shops, restaurants and attractions.

OYO Hotels & Homes welcomed over 100,000 guests from 78 countries across 14 properties and 20 homes in the UAE, since its launch in April last year. With this lease and full inventory control model, OYO currently manages 1,300 rooms within these properties in Dubai, Sharjah, Ras Al-Khaimah and Fujairah and is set to touch 12,000 rooms by 2020. Since the first 9 months of its launch, the hotel chain has received guests from within the UAE, which accounted for 45.73 per cent of their guests and the remaining from countries such as India, Oman, Saudi Arabia, France, Russia, United States, Australia, Italy, Nigeria, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Mauritius and United Kingdom, among several other counties. OYO aims to grow its market share through its ‘Manchise’ business model — a unique business model that combines the best of management contract and franchise agreement. Through this model, OYO aims to grow its footprint within the two-, three- and four-star hotels in the UAE.  With nearly 15.8 million overnight visitors in 2017, Dubai retained its ranking as the fourth most visited city in the world for the fourth year in a row, according to Mastercard’s Global Destination Cities Index. Dubai was ahead of Singapore, followed by New York, Kuala Lumpur, Tokyo, Istanbul, and Seoul. Manu Midha, Regional Head — Middle East, OYO Hotels & Homes, said, “OYO has now grown to become a preferred choice for several nationalities across the globe due to its ideal location, quality and also the price point. At the moment, we have touched around 78 countries and we are going to take this number higher due to the upcoming EXPO 2020. With 190 nations already signed up, we are confident that our …

As the 24th edition of Dubai Shopping Festival (DSF) begins, travel agents, tour operators and hoteliers ensure logistics are handled with care. To mark the special occasion, Majid Al Futtaim’s six shopping malls hosted a 12-hour mega sale, offering shoppers an incredible 25 to 90 per cent reductions across participating stores. Other events include fireworks display and plenty of chances to win big through a raffle, with the ultimate prize worth over AED 50,000 to spend at Majid Al Futtaim malls during DSF. This year, Dubai Shopping Festival is running from December 26, 2018  to February 2, 2019. Visitors to this year’s Dubai Shopping Festival (DSF) will be treated to a host of entertainment on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day with Dubai Festivals and Retail Establishment (DFRE), an agency of Dubai Tourism, giving more reasons to visit the city’s malls and landmarks on December 31, 2048 and January 1, 2019. During the day, shoppers can enjoy the best deals across fashion and jewellery, while at night, visitors can watch multiple fireworks and many live concerts, events and gala dinners across the city. Shoppers visiting Al Barsha Mall, Al Bustan Centre, Al Mulla Plaza, City Centre Shindagha, City Centre Me’ aisem, Burjuman Centre, Karama Centre, Oasis Mall, Dubai, Dubai Outlet Mall, Etihad Mall, Reef Mall, Times Square Centre and Century Mall have the chance to win a cash prize from AED 10,000 by spending over AED 200 on December 31.  From January 5, and every Saturday until February 2, one lucky winner who spent AED 200 on or before December 31 will be drawn to step on to the Global Village stage and spin-the-wheel to win a cash prize …

Emirates will introduce a daily A380 service for a temporary period between Glasgow and Dubai from April 16, 2019. It will be the first time the popular double decker aircraft will operate on a scheduled basis to Scotland. The larger capacity A380 will replace Emirates’ current twice daily Boeing 777 service between Glasgow and Dubai from April 16 until May 31, 2019, during which time Dubai Airports plan to close Dubai International’s (DXB) southern runway for upgrade works, and the single runway operations require airlines to reduce and adjust their operating schedules. The deployment of the A380 is to minimise the reduction of Emirates’ capacity from Glasgow to Dubai and beyond, during this period. The A380 flight will depart Dubai at 1450hrs and arrive in Glasgow at 1945hrs, while the return flight will leave Glasgow at 2130hrs and land in Dubai at 0755hrs the next morning. From June 1 until September 30, the double daily service will be reinstated on the route, with the A380 operating on the first flight of the day, and a Boeing 777 on the second, increasing capacity on the route during this period to meet seasonal summer demand. Thereafter, the service will revert back to a twice daily Boeing 777 operation. Launched in October this year, Emirates also offers a daily service to Edinburgh, bringing to three the number of daily flights between Scotland and Dubai. The Emirates A380 will have a three-class cabin configuration, offering 14 private suites in First Class, 76 lie flat seats in Business Class, and 399 spacious seats in Economy Class.

Emirates Flight Catering has been selected to lead the hospitality and operations for the New Zealand pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai which will take place from October 2020 to April 2021 with participation from 190 countries. The New Zealand pavilion restaurant will be central to the country’s participation at Expo 2020. International visitors will experience premium New Zealand food and beverage products, prepared by Emirates Flight Catering’s skilled chefs. Saeed Mohammed, Chief Executive Officer, Emirates Flight Catering, said, “New Zealand is a high-profile destination and its innovative approach to hospitality will allow us to showcase our expertise in food, beverage and hospitality, and to provide a world-class experience to anyone who visits the pavilion. The opportunity to work alongside New Zealand and its visitors to Expo 2020, a milestone event for the United Arab Emirates, is something we’re incredibly proud of.” Members of Emirates Flight Catering’s experienced culinary team, made up of 1800 chefs from 52 countries, will visit New Zealand early next year to source food and beverage products from experienced exporters for the pavilion restaurant. Clayton Kimpton, New Zealand’s Commissioner-General to Expo 2020, said, “New Zealand’s manaakitanga or warm hospitality is part of what makes us special. We’re excited to partner with Emirates Flight Catering to share our pavilion experience and New Zealand’s food and beverage with the world at Expo 2020 Dubai.” The agreement with New Zealand at Expo 2020 is further evidence of Emirates Flight Catering’s expertise and expansion outside of its core flight catering business. The company recently commenced construction of its vertical farming facility in Dubai. It’s also expanding further into retail and consumer sectors, combining its culinary and production expertise to produce premium …