Tag Archives: Dubai

This month Dubai welcomed over 50 delegates from across the GCC in two familiarisation trips including travel and tourism industry VIPs and representatives. From January 12-14, Dubai Tourism hosted owners, CEOs and Managing Directors of the top travel and trade agencies from across the GCC. The VIPs represented leading regional travel companies including Al Muftah Travel, Marmul Travel, Yrbooking and Orange Travel. The trip gave the VIP guests and their families the chance to be amongst the first to experience the newly launched Dubai Parks and Resorts in its full capacity, as well as the opportunity to stay at the Marriott’s brand new Polynesian Lapita resort right in the heart of the parks. Dubai Tourism also held a private dinner for the city’s stakeholders to network with the 15 delegates from Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Oman and Qatar. Other key industry partners included Emirates Airlines, Alpha Destination Management and GTA. With the GCC contributing 24 per cent of all visitors to Dubai from January – November 2016, it continues to be a key focus for the Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (Dubai Tourism). The VIP and industry familiarisation trips highlight the significance of GCC outbound travel to Dubai, and form part of the ongoing efforts of Dubai Tourism to promote the emirate’s tourism offering to each of the markets in the GCC. Hoor Al Khaja, Manager, China, International Operations at Dubai Tourism, added: “The GCC remains a key priority for us as a top source market for visitors to Dubai. We are also enhancing Dubai’s tourism offering further with new attractions like IMG Worlds of Adventure and Dubai Parks & Resorts which offer new and exciting experiences for visitors, not …

Dubai tops the list of timeshare destinations for Africans, driven by its world-class shopping malls and traditional attractions. Africa represented 5 per cent of the total inbound tourism source market of Dubai in 2015 and the potential to develop this segment appears lucrative due to the government’s effort to encourage economic ties with the African continent. The survey was done by Arabian Falcon Holidays (AFH), the independent timeshare player in the Middle East. According to Arabian Falcon Holidays, the timeshare market is expected to grow strongly, surpassing the average growth rates of 15 per cent to 20 per cent per year, with 2017 heralding a new era that will witness 50 per cent growth as new tourists visit theme parks and attractions such as Dubai Opera.A recent report by Interval International, a world renowned exchange company with over 2,500 resorts worldwide, stated that Dubai has the potential to become the new Orlando or Las Vegas of timeshare. Analysing the figures in Dubai, the report found out that if 5 per cent of the emirate’s 100,000 hotel rooms and serviced apartments are converted to timeshare, with an estimated average sale price of AED73,400 ($20,000) for each week’s vacation ownership, it could result in a whopping AED18.35 billion ($5 billion) in sales volume. Mohannad Sharafuddin, Founder, Arabian Falcon Holidays, said: “Dubai is the top destination amongst our timeshare owners from Africa. Efforts of the UAE government in strengthening its economic ties with the African countries proves to yield mutual benefits. One of the vital reasons behind the dynamic UAE-African relations is the robust role of Dubai. This is reflected through an increase in a number of African tourists coming to the country …

The national flag carrier of India, Air India announced the launch of the second Dreamliner from Dubai to Kochi from February 1, 2017. AI 934 will be a daily operation with departure from Dubai at 1330 hours arriving in to Kochi at 1850 hours. The return from Kochi will be AI 933 departing at 0915 hours from Kochi and arrive in Dubai at 1200 hours. The press briefing took place at the Consulate of India presided by Consul General of India H.E. Anurag Bhushan and Melvin D’Silva, Regional Manager Air India Middle East and Africa. The Consul General reiterated that last year the national carrier has seen an increase in capacity and the regional connectivity has improved quite well. H.E. acknowledged the services rendered by Air India especially at the hour of need to evacuate at emergencies or to carry the mortal remains free of cost etc. Melvin D’Silva, Regional Manager Air India Middle East and Africa stated the reason to conduct the press briefing at the Consulate is due to the reason that His Excellency and the consulate has rendered unstinted support. “When one of the aircrafts had to land in Travzone Turkey in the middle of the night, I contacted the Consul General H.E.Anurag Bhushan at 3am and he very quickly provided the necessary arrangements through the Embassy of Turkey. Therefore, we continue to work very closely with the Consul and the team,” stated D’Silva. He further reiterated that Air India is on a very aggressive growth trajectory to become number 3 in the world after US and China with a young strong fleet of 107 aircrafts and their aim is to “fly more and fill more”. Kerala …

In a move to enhance visa application services to travellers from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to Russia, VFS Global, in partnership with the Consulate General of the Russian Federation, launched the first Russia Visa Application Centre in the Middle East region, in Dubai. Services at this centre commenced from January 22, 2017. Residents of the UAE can visit the new VFS Global centre to submit their visa applications to Russia in a comfortable and professionally managed environment. The centre is centrally located at WAFI Mall, Level 2, Falcon Phase 2, Umm Hurair 2, Dubai. VFS Global has partnered with the Government of the Russian Federation since 2009, and serves them in 15 countries from 34 visa application centres globally. Over the last one year alone, the company has rolled out Visa Application Centres in 10 other countries for this client government. In Dubai, VFS Global serves a total of 23 client governments, having been present in the country since 2004. Speaking at the launch, Gocha Buachidze, Consul General of the Russian Federation in Dubai and Northern Emirates, said, “As the number of visa applications to Russia from residents of the UAE continue to grow year-on-year, the Government of the Russian Federation aims to provide quicker and more convenient services to travellers to Russia. We are confident that VFS Global and its professional staff will do everything to expedite and secure swift application procedures and extend world-class services to our visa applicants from Dubai. We look forward to the continual advancement of travel and business to our country and we are confident that this new centre will effectively meet the growing visa demand from applicants.” Added, Mr Vinay Malhotra, COO …

UDrive, a Dubai-based pay-as-you-go rental service launched the ‘UDrive for free’ campaign, offering residents and visitors to Dubai free membership for one month as well as a complimentary one hour free drive, that is inclusive of parking and fuel costs. With UDrive, commuters can drive a car from anywhere to everywhere in the city, at any time and only PAY as you drive. As one of Dubai’s mobility programs with maximum flexibility, UDrive offers its members an opportunity to spontaneously rent vehicles anytime and anywhere without having to specify place of return or time in advance. Hasib Khan, Managing Director and Founder, UDrive, commented, “Car sharing has evolved into sustainable mobility with potential for strong growth worldwide. We believe that Dubai’s Smart Vision, the transient nature of life and the prevailing costs of car ownership makes car sharing an excellent mobility solution. For those who don’t want to commit to ownership, or don’t have the need for everyday car accessibility, UDrive makes the perfect option, whilst being also a reliable connector to the public transport. We are pleased to be the first public car sharing provider in the Middle East and to be a part of Dubai’s Smart Vision.” UDrive cars can be booked and paid for via an app, offering Dubai’s most convenient and affordable car rental options for residents and visitors. Vehicles can be rented at a location nearest to the drivers via the UDrive app or can be reserved for fifteen minutes at no extra costs. The cars reserved can be opened using the UDrive app and will need to be activated using the pin provided on the device located in the glove box. This keyless access …

With the opening of the 21st season at the entertainment destination Global Village with the concept of a new world every day, the visitor numbers for the first two months from November 1 to December 31, 2016, have gone up to 2.3 million. It was stated at a recent press meeting with the CEO Ahmad Hussain Bin Essa that over 250,000 tickets were sold at the smart solutions with smart gates which was just introduced during this season and as the social media presence had been extremely active they have been able to sell the tickets in various new and innovative ways such as special family packs at the fuel stations which would increase the awareness amongst the residents living around and they have determined that the current length of stay of the guests on average is about six hours. He further stated that this season they signed an MOU with 42 top travel agents in order to increase the number of tourists visiting the destination.  They have been very active in most road shows alongside DTCM with a focus on Russia, Africa, India and China markets. Their main aim is to improve the guest experience and ensure that they have the happiness meter at a very high level.

Emirates will resume its flagship A380 service between Dubai and Narita from March 26, 2017. This follows the airline’s recent A380 deployment to Moscow, and will take place after the upcoming launch of A380 services to Johannesburg. It will also coincide with the launch of A380 services between Dubai and Casablanca. Emirates will deploy its three-class A380 on the Narita route, offering a total of 489 seats, with 14 private suites in First Class, 76 mini pods with lie-flat seats in Business Class and 399 spacious seats in Economy Class, increasing capacity per flight by more than 135 passengers compared to the current Boeing 777-300ER. Flight EK318 will depart Dubai at 02:40 and arrive in Narita at 17:35 daily. Return flight EK319 will depart Narita on Monday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday at 22:00 and arrive in Dubai at 04:15 the next day, while on Tuesday and Wednesday, it will depart Narita at 21:20 and arrive in Dubai at 03:35 the next day. All times are local. Narita will join more than 40 destinations on Emirates’ extensive global network served by its A380 aircraft, including Paris, Rome, Milan, Madrid, London and Mauritius. Emirates currently operates a three-class Boeing 777-300ER aircraft on its daily flights between Narita and Dubai. The resumption of Emirates’ A380 service to Narita makes it possible for Japanese travellers to fly only on A380s to their final destinations, particularly when travelling to European cities, via Dubai.

Shangri-La Hotel, Dubai, has announced the completion of phase one of its AED70 million extensive renovation programme which has been undertaken across its public areas including the Lobby Lounge and Dunes Café. The renovation project, which began in June 2016, has taken over 5.5 million minutes of man-time from the start to the end of phase one.  Phase two includes the renovation of 302 rooms and suites to be completed in 2018. A stunning ‘wave’ chandelier designed by bespoke chandelier designers, Lasvit, hangs in the entrance of the hotel weighing the equivalent of over 700 bags of sugar. Another spectacular chandelier hangs in the two-storey staircase connecting the lobby and dining outlets. In the lobby itself, plentiful flashes of gold and ruby red detailing reflect the jewels of traditional Arabian souks. In addition, 4,212 hand-cut, blue, tiger’s eye stone tiles have been pieced together to form the entry walls to the six lobby elevators. The stone is also featured on the tables in the Lobby Lounge. Tiger’s Eye is a semi-precious stone believed to hold soothing qualities and has been introduced to bring a further sense of calm to the surroundings.

Major General Mohammed Ahmed Al Marri, Director-General of the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners’ Affairs in Dubai, revealed that Dubai International airports received 105, 326 passengers in one day for the first time. Major General Mohammed Ahmed Al Marri expressed his happiness about this achievement consisting of receiving this huge number of passengers to UAE, which reflects UAE’s vision to make of Dubai a place where the world’s cultures meet and interact. Major General Al Marri made this statement as he presented statistics about the numbers of passengers coming and traveling from Dubai on New Year’s Eve. He stated that the total number of passengers during the period from December 28th to December 31st 2016 reached 669,093 passengers, noting that the numbers of travelers coming to Dubai reached 389,290 while the travelers from Dubai reached 288,803. He said that Dubai seeks to accomplish the entry and departure procedures for travelers according to the best standards to guarantee their satisfaction. He also noted that a special team was assigned to facilitate these procedures during holiday’s period to guarantee speeding the process.

Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum has announced the development of ‘Dubai Harbour’, a unique new waterfront destination that will feature the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region’s largest marina. The announcement was made in the presence of Crown Prince of Dubai His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum; President of Dubai Civil Aviation Authority and Chairman and Chief Executive of Emirates Airline and Group H.H. Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum; Chairman of Dubai International Marine Club HH Sheikh Mansour bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum; Director General of Dubai Protocol Department H.E. Khalifa Saeed Sulaiman; and Group Chairman of Meraas HE Abdulla Al Habbai. The project, located on King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud Street, in the area between Jumeirah Beach Residence and Palm Jumeirah, also known as Mina Al Seyahi, will be developed by Dubai’s leading holding company Meraas. The iconic luxury waterfront destination, spread over 20 million sq. feet, will include a 1400-berth marina as well as a cruise ship port and terminal, a shopping mall covering 3.5 million sq. feet, an events arena, luxurious residential buildings, hotels, offices, retail stores, public services, restaurants and cafes and ‘Dubai Lighthouse’. The masterplan of the new destination integrates Skydive Dubai, Dubai International Marine Club (DIMC) and Logo Island into a single community. To be developed in phases, the ‘Dubai Harbour’ project will be completed in four years once ground has been broken.