Tag Archives: Dubai

Ethiopian B787-9 Dreamliner made its first Middle East flight to Dubai. Passengers to Dubai enjoyed the unique features of this latest technology aircraft ahead of other major destinations in Europe, the Americas and Asia. The aircraft provides passengers extra comfort with biggest window view in the sky, more leg room, mood lighting and higher air humidity at 40, 000 feet. With its vast intra African network, unrivalled by any carrier, Ethiopian Airlines seamlessly connects passengers to/from Dubai and major cities in the Middle East to more than 55 African cities with the shortest connection time via its main hub in Addis Ababa. It was back in 1979 that Ethiopian made its maiden flight to Dubai. Currently, its operation is scheduled thrice daily and four times weekly passenger and cargo services respectively.

Emirates is set to add an extra daily flight to its service between Dubai and Algiers from December 13. The new flight will depart Dubai as EK757 at 8:10hrs and arrive in Algiers at 12:40hrs. The return flight EK758 will depart Algiers at 15:10hrs and arrive in Dubai at 00:40hrs on the following day. The launch of the additional flight will complement Emirates’ current six flights a week, and further boost inbound and outbound passenger traffic and cargo flows between Algeria and Dubai. The new service will operate every Wednesday with an Emirates Boeing 777-300, in a three-class configuration offering eight seats in First Class, 42 in Business Class and 310 in Economy Class. “We are pleased to introduce an additional service to Algiers which will offer our customers even more choice and convenience to connect to Dubai and onward destinations particularly in the Middle East, Far East, West Asia, Indian Ocean and Australia,” said Orhan Abbas, Emirates Senior Vice-President Commercial Operations for Africa.

Over 100 experts gathered at the recent Amadeus Fly by Digital Summit in Dubai to improve the travel experience in what is one of the world’s fastest growing tourism and passenger hubs. The conference focused on supporting industry players to better attract, showcase, sell and service travellers in the region as more and more commerce moves into the digital realm. Keynote speakers included executives from Google, PayFort, Musafir, Souqalmal.com and Amadeus, amongst others. “By connecting the industry, harnessing bold technologies and finding new ways to make travel more rewarding, the Middle East’s online travel industry can sustain its recent momentum. It will also be prepared for the future Arab traveller, born in the Internet era, who demands different approaches across devices,” says Antoine Medawar, Vice President for Middle East and North Africa at Amadeus. Amadeus also previewed findings from the third edition of the Middle East Online Travel Overview study—a special project conducted by Phocuswright and co-sponsored by Amadeus—which provides an overall assessment on the health of the Middle East digital travel market.

The National Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) in Abu Dhabi and Dubai participated in ‘One Million Signatures of Loyalty to the Nation’, a national initiative launched by the Al Dhaid Cultural and Sports Club in cooperation with the Emirates Vision Media Network and the Happiness Ambassadors Volunteers. The aim of the initiative is to gather one million signatures on pieces of material distributed to government agencies and public and private sector institutions over the next three months. The initiative was welcomed by officials, employees and clients of the GCAA. Both Emiratis and residents alike decorated the piece of material with messages of love and support for the UAE. Saif Mohammed Al Suwaidi, Director General of UAE, GCAA said, “Our loyalty to our beloved country and its values has no limits, the values of giving are firmly rooted in the hearts and minds of its residents.” He also believed that such initiatives served to “strengthen ties to the homeland and allow them to express their loyalty to the UAE under the leadership of Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE.”

The Wonderful Indonesia hosted a roadshow at the Pullman City Center in Dubai under the patronage of Consul General of the Republic of Indonesia in Dubai, H. E. Arzal F Firman. The Visit Indonesia Tourist Officer in the Middle East Nour Aridi explained the importance of the destination with a great presentation whilst the Consul General stated that nearly 169 countries can visit for tourism in Indonesia visa free and Pakistan has been given the ease of visa by obtaining the visa in 2 to 3 working days as against the one month wait earlier. The event was attended by the creme-de-la-creme  travel agents in Dubai and officials of Emirates who partnered with special packages along with several sellers and DMC’s from Indonesia.

Emirates launched a $15 million promotion campaign to inspire travel and highlight the airline’s extensive network of global destinations including its home and hub, Dubai. The campaign highlights seamlessly transitions between key destinations and Emirates’ onboard features. The campaign is backed by the iconic soundtrack ‘Don’t stop me now’ by British rock band Queen. Boutros Boutros, Emirates’ Divisional Senior Vice President for Corporate Communications, Marketing and Brand, said: “Emirates and Dubai have always been inextricably linked. Each day, Emirates operates more than 500 flights that connect Dubai to the world, and the world through Dubai.  Since day one, Emirates has proudly and actively promoted our hub. Dubai offers a great experience at our world-class airport, and the city has become a top global destination because it continually invests to bring new attractions and supporting infrastructure for international visitors.” He added: “At Emirates we believe that people, regardless of their backgrounds, have a strong desire to travel and experience the world for themselves. They want to be inspired, to discover, and to have fun. That is why we chose to use the Queen soundtrack, and a creative approach that was uplifting and energetic, to remind people of the excitement of travel.” The campaign will run in key markets around the world starting from 15 October.  It was conceptualised and scripted in-house and shot by award winning director Vaughan Arnell. The “no-cuts” continuous camera transitions were supported by cutting-edge CGI (computer generated imagery) work from MPC in London, the studio responsible for the Oscar winning SFX (special effects) work for the Jungle Book.

Dubai’s growing business events offerings and increasing support for associations were key developments at IMEX America, the leading exhibition for incentive travel and events, held at the Sands Expo in Las Vegas, USA in October 10-12. Dubai Business Events (DBE), the city’s official convention bureau and a division of Dubai Corporation for Tourism and Commerce Marketing, once again had a strong presence at the show. DBE was joined by 10 co-exhibitors, including Emirates Airlines, Jumeirah Hotels, JW Marriott Marquis and Arabian Adventures, to showcase the city’s opportunities available for planners and organisers seeking to host small, medium or large-scale business events. DBE also highlighted the upcoming Dubai Association Conference, scheduled to take place in Dubai from December 11-12. Themed ‘Building a Community’, it is set to welcome association executives from around the world, in addition to government representatives, university faculties and students, as well as professionals seeking to develop associations.

Kempinski is set to come up with two openings along with additional projects in the United Arab Emirates, Oman, Saudi Arabia and Africa. Kempinski Hotel, Muscat is slated to open in Q1 2018 with 310 rooms amongst 40 suites and two presidential suites, each with a private swimming pool. Emerald Palace Kempinski Palm Jumeirah, Dubai is scheduled to open by Q2 2018. The palace hotel will feature 389 rooms and suites. Rooms start at a size of 67 square metres and are thus the largest rooms in this category on the Palm. “Our hotels in the Middle East and Africa feature some of the most iconic luxury properties in the Kempinski portfolio and our upcoming openings, including Emerald Palace Kempinski Palm Jumeirah Dubai Hotel and Kempinski Hotel Muscat, are sure to fulfill this brand promise,” said Henk Meyknecht, COO Middle East and Africa.

Leading Russian tour operator Natalie Tours held its 12th Annual Congress at Atlantis The Palm in Dubai. The event brought together over 200 CEOs and owners of Russian travel agencies with the best sales performance in UAE during the past year. The meet was hosted under the patronage of Gocha Buachidze, Consul General of Russian Federation in Dubai; Ahmed Khalifa Al Falasi, CEO of Support Services, Dubai Corporation for Tourism and Commerce Marketing; Vladimir Vorobiev – President, Natalie tours; among other dignitaries. The event awarded the best sellers, discussed further cooperation with top managers of retail companies, motivated its partners to promote the travel direction and increase sales of Natalie Tours’ services in the UAE. The top players of the Russian tourist market expressed confidence that the plans had every chance to be implemented. According to the tour operator, the major factor driving up the demand for UAE tours is the abolition of entry visas for Russian citizens that came into effect last February.

Uber, in partnership with Dubai Taxi Corporation launched UberONE. Around 50 brand new premium electric cars will be added to the Uber app, giving riders across Dubai the chance to request the fully-electric, smart and sustainable transport option at the touch of a button. Starting from October 10, riders will be able to choose from a dedicated fleet of electric vehicles exclusively via the ‘UberONE’ option on the Uber app. The joint initiative comes as part of Dubai Taxi Corporation and Uber’s commitment to helping Dubai become the smartest city in the world in support of the Green Economy for Sustainable Development Initiative. Chris Free, General Manager for Uber, UAE said, “At Uber we are constantly innovating our offering and looking for ways to provide new and progressive experiences at the push of a button. We are tremendously excited to be the exclusive ride-hailing partner for the clean vehicle technology to deliver our driver-partners and riders with more efficient, less-polluting mobility. We will continue to work hand in hand with Dubai Taxi Corporation to bring innovative infrastructural solutions to Dubai and grow the city’s smart mobility ecosystem.”