Tag Archives: Mumbai

flynas celebrates launching direct flights from Jeddah to Mumbai and Asmara

flynas celebrated launching direct flights from Jeddah to two destinations in two continents within a couple of days, adding Mumbai, in India, and Asmara, in Eritrea, to its ever-expanding network of international destinations, in parallel with the objectives of the Pilgrims Experience Program (PEP) to facilitate access to the Two Holy Mosques and the National Civil Aviation Strategy to enable national air carriers to contribute to connecting KSA with 250 International destinations and to accommodate 330 million passengers and to host 100 million tourists yearly by 2030. Representatives from flynas and Jeddah Airports Company (JEDCO) attended the ceremony held at King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah to celebrate the launching of direct flights from Jeddah to Mumbai, the financial center and the most populous city of India in South Asia and to Asmara, the capital and most populous city of Eritrea, located on the Horn of Africa. As of Monday, January 15, flynas started operating two weekly direct flights to Mumbai on Mondays and Wednesdays and to Asmara on Wednesday, January 17, with two weekly direct flights on Wednesdays and Sundays. flynas connects more than 70 domestic and international destinations with more than 1500 weekly flights and has flown more than 60 million passengers since its launch in 2007, with the aim to reach 165 domestic and international destinations, in line with the objectives of the Saudi Vision 2030. The success of flynas was recognized with many international awards, including Skytrax International Award as the 4th Best LCC worldwide and the Best Low-cost Airline in the Middle East in 2023 for the sixth time in a row. Meanwhile, flynas won the Best Low-cost Airline Award in the Middle East from …

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Visit Abu Dhabi Roadshow Events in India Highlight Emirate’s Unique Tourism Offer to Travel Partners; DCT Abu Dhabi delegates meet with more than 800 key Indian travel industry professionals 

The Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi) recently concluded its Visit Abu Dhabi Roadshow in India, alongside 28 stakeholders from the UAE capital that included key airlines, cruises, hotels, attractions and DMCs. More than 800 travel trade delegates attended the roadshow across six events in New Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore to learn about the unique and diverse experiences Abu Dhabi offers Indian travellers, whilst at the same time paving the way for long-term partnerships in the sector. The successful events showcased the emirate as a leading tourism destination for leisure, business and incentive travel via a programme of briefings, presentations and a demonstration of the cultural experience of perfume making. This was followed by exclusive networking dinners attended by key industry professionals and buyers, held at The Oberoi (New Delhi), ITC Gardenia, a Luxury Collection Hotel (Bangalore) and Four Seasons (Mumbai). Over the week-long schedule of events, DCT Abu Dhabi showcased key destination highlights to help familiarise industry professionals with the many exciting experiences on offer at the destination including Abu Dhabi’s leading leisure and entertainment destination, Yas Island, which is home to award-winning theme parks such as Ferrari World Abu Dhabi. DCT Abu Dhabi stakeholders also spoke to key partners about the timeline for new developments, and the exhilarating events set to take place across the UAE capital, which include the debut of Broadway musical The Lion King, the UAE’s first-ever NBA games, UFC 281, and a performance by Academy Award-winning composer AR Rahman, as part of Diwali celebrations. The event, which was hosted by DCT Abu Dhabi and the Abu Dhabi Convention & Exhibition Bureau (ADCEB) in partnership with the Experience Hub, will …

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Oman’s Ministry of Heritage and Tourism launches promotional roadshow in the Indian market

Ministry of Heritage and Tourism in Oman conducted a special promotional roadshow in five major source cities in India recently. The roadshow comprised a delegation from the Ministry of Heritage and Tourism, Omani tour operators, hotels, and airlines. These roadshows were held in New Delhi, Ahmedabad, Mumbai, Chennai and Bangalore. The aim of this five city roadshow was to showcase outstanding experiences in Oman’s unique destinations and promote unique travel experiences for leisure, weddings, conferences and exhibitions. In July alone, the number of visitors, including those from India to Oman reached 36,087, the highest in the last decade. This year, arrivals from India reached 167,678 between January to July. Commenting on the launch of the promotional roadshow, Ms Asma Salim Al Hajri, Deputy Director General for Tourism Promotion at the Ministry of Heritage and Tourism, said: “India is one of the most important source markets for the Sultanate of Oman under our marketing and promotional strategy for all target segments. The roadshow will showcase the unique selling points (USPs) of destinations in Oman that will pique their interest to inspire Indian tourists to travel.” “We also seek to promote the Sultanate as an attractive destination for weddings as this is one of the growing tourism segments, especially for visitors from India. With its pristine nature, picturesque beaches and unique architecture, Oman has seen many Indian weddings for its exceptional capabilities in terms of logistical facilities and accommodation,” she added. Al Hajri also said that the Sultanate of Oman is a multi-season destination known for its natural beauty, cultural heritage and hospitality. It has been attracting tourists of all categories for years. “We want to attract more high-income travellers from around …

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Vistara inaugurates non-stop service between Jeddah and Mumbai

Vistara successfully inaugurated non-stop flights between Jeddah (Saudi Arabia) and Mumbai (India). The inaugural flight departed from Mumbai on August 2, 2022 at 1805 Hours (IST) and landed in Jeddah at 2050 Hours (AST). The airline now flies thrice a week between the two cities on its Airbus A320neo aircraft. Commenting on the launch of the new international route, Mr. Vinod Kannan, Chief Executive Officer, Vistara, said, “We are delighted to launch services to Jeddah, and to add Saudi Arabia to our growing international network. Given the multitude of upcoming futuristic projects in Saudi Arabia, strong trade ties with India and presence of large Indian diaspora, there is growing traffic between the two countries. We are confident that travellers will appreciate having the choice of flying India’s best airline on this route.” SCHEDULE OF FLIGHTS BETWEEN MUMBAI AND JEDDAH Sector Flight No. Days of Operation Departure Arrival Mumbai (BOM) – Jeddah (JED) UK 235 Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday 1805 hrs 2050 hrs Jeddah (JED) – Mumbai (BOM) UK 236 Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday 2150 hrs 0530 hrs (+1) ·         +1 indicates next day arrival. All timings shown are in local time zones ·         The inaugural flight from Jeddah to Mumbai will be operated on 3 August 2022 Vistara is India’s highest-rated airline on Skytrax and TripAdvisor, and it has been the winner of several ‘Best Airline’ awards, besides being lauded for world-class cabin cleanliness and upholding high safety standards. In a short span of seven years since starting operations, Vistara has raised the bar for operations and service standards in the Indian aviation industry to become the country’s most loved airline and has recently crossed the milestone of flying 35 million passengers.

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Etihad Airways inks codeshare agreement with Royal Jordanian to enhance guest experiences

Etihad Airways and Royal Jordanian have announced a new codeshare partnership to provide customers with greater access to key leisure and business destinations in North Africa, Europe, Canada, Asia and Australia. This is the first such partnership between the two airlines which offer multiple daily services between their respective hubs in Abu Dhabi and Amman. The partnership will see Etihad Airways place its ‘EY’ code on Royal Jordanian’s flights from Abu Dhabi via Amman’s Queen Alia International Airport to Larnaca and Berlin, while Algiers, Tunis, Vienna and Montreal will be added to the agreement soon. In turn, Royal Jordanian will initially place its ‘RJ’ code on Etihad Airways services from Amman to Abu Dhabi and vice versa, and then from the UAE capital to Brisbane and Seoul. Subject to government approval, RJ will also market Etihad flights from Abu Dhabi to Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Calicut, Cochin, Delhi, Chennai, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Trivandrum, Manila, Beijing and Shanghai. Tony Douglas, Group Chief Executive Officer, Etihad Aviation Group, said, “This partnership reinforces the deep cultural, tourism and trade connections between the UAE and Jordan, and opens up a new world of opportunities for our customers. Both the airlines share the common values of genuine Arabian hospitality and service, combined with the next-generation fleets, enviable reputations for efficiency and reliability, and a combined network spanning the globe.” Stefan Pichler, President and CEO, Royal Jordanian, said, “We are delighted to have Etihad Airways beside our codeshare partners who help us grow in different markets. This move is bound to expand our presence in Asia and Australia, which are key destinations for many RJ customers. This commercial partnership offers convenient transiting in Amman and Abu Dhabi to their final …

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Bahrain Tourism promotes Bahrain as wedding destination

As a result of the efforts by the Bahrain Tourism and Exhibition Authority (BTEA) to promote the Kingdom of Bahrain as a destination for weddings and other happy occasions, the Kingdom of Bahrain hosted an Indian wedding of the son of Indian businessman, Sushil Mantri, from Bengaluru, from December 15 to December 17 2018, at the Four Seasons Hotel Bahrain Bay. The event attracted more than 800 guests who travelled on Bahrain’s national carrier, Gulf Air, from various Indian cities, including Bengaluru, Mumbai, Delhi and Chennai, and from other parts of the world. The three-day wedding included a series of activities, the first of which was the arrival of the bride and groom in a traditional Bahraini environment and means of transportation; the groom arrived on a purebred Arabian horse accompanied by traditional Indian music and dancers, while the bride arrived to the scene of the wedding onboard a traditional boat at Bahrain Bay. After the ceremony, Bahrain’s skyline was adorned with a display of fireworks to celebrate the wedding and the Kingdom’s national holiday, commemorating the joy of both glorious occasions. On the second day of the celebrations, the guests were invited to a traditional Souk (bazaar) that was hosted at the Hotel’s large halls, allowing guests to witness traditional Bahraini craftsmen at work, manufacturing beautifully-crafted products made of gold and pearls, traditional women’s and men’s clothing; and enjoy traditional sweets and beverages that were presented. To conclude the third and final day, a special social and sports programme was organised at Bahrain International Circuit to enjoy karting as a final farewell. Commenting on this occasion, Dr Ali Hasan Follad, Adviser, BTEA, said, “BTEA has played a pivotal role …

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New partnerships for Golden Sands Hotel Apartments during roadshow in Delhi

Golden Sands Hotel Apartments (GSHA) continues to be the preferred accommodation of visitors from India as shown by the increased interest received by the team at a tourism roadshow held in Delhi recently. Over 400 trade professionals comprising key travel and tour operators, wedding planners and upmarket leisure operators from the city attended the roadshow organised by the Dubai Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM). Mohammed Khoori, General Manager, said, “The roadshow opened up new opportunities to tap agents who are not familiar with Golden Sands Hotel Apartments. It was the ideal platform to interact with a significantly higher number of travel agents and tour operators that market a new segment of travellers from India. The main market segments that we are looking at tapping in India this year are the group series departures and the family segment travellers who will be heading for the New Year and Dubai Shopping Festival (DSF) 2019. Our main focus on expanding and consolidating ties with the new travel segment was to reach out to a larger audience and gain a higher market share.” Earlier in the year, the team of GSHA joined another DTCM roadshow and visited the cities of Kolkata, Pune, Ahmedabad and Mumbai and met potential partners and buyers.

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Emirates A380 to resume services to Houston from June 1

Emirates will once again begin operations with its flagship A380 service between Houston (IAH) and Dubai (DXB) from June 1, 2018. Houston will join more than 40 destinations on Emirates’ extensive global network served by its popular A380 aircraft, including Mumbai, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore and Kuwait. Emirates will deploy its three-class A380 on the Houston route, offering a total of  516 seats with 14 private suites in First Class, 76 flatbed seats in Business Class seats and 426 spacious seats in Economy Class, increasing capacity per flight by more than 160 passengers compared to the current Boeing 777-300ER. Services to Houston were upgraded to an A380 in December 2014, but as part of Emirates’ fleet optimisation, the decision was made in July 2016 to operate the route with a Boeing 777-300ER. Flight EK211 will depart Dubai at 09:35 and arrive in Houston at 16:50 daily. Return flight EK212 will depart Houston at 20:00 and arrive in Dubai at 20:00 the next day. Passengers from Houston can enjoy convenient connections in Dubai when travelling to destinations in India, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore or South Africa.

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Jazeera Airways to commence India operations from Nov 16

Low cost carrier Jazeera Airways will begin operating to Hyderabad (India) from November 16, 2017, followed by Kochi, Mumbai and Ahmedabad by mid-December. Jazeera Airways will operate daily flights to Hyderabad departing 1840 hours arriving 0135 hours, making it possible to travel to India without wasting a working day. Schedules for other routes to the subcontinent will be announced shortly. Fares from Kuwait to Hyderabad start from KD 32 one way and are on sale now with a baggage allowance of 30 kg in economy class and 50 kg per passenger in business class. Travellers can book now via Jazeera’s revamped website – www.jazeeraairways.com, or through the dedicated app or from all travel agents. Jazeera has just launched its refurbished cabin interiors in both economy and business class on the first aircraft of its A320 fleet, together with a bold new livery and stylish new crew uniforms. The complete fleet will receive the cabin upgrades by the end of the year.

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Sharjah eyes India market

India has emerged as the fourth largest market for global visitors to Sharjah, according to the figures revealed by the Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority (SCTDA). The Authority led a marketing campaign targeting India’s outbound tourism over the past few years, attending key travel events and visiting cities across the country. In a first, the SCTDA led a delegation of Sharjah-based tourism and hospitality organisations to the 23rd edition of the SATTE travel trade show, in New Delhi, India. Sharjah’s delegation to SATTE and India International Travel Mart in Mumbai included Ramada Sharjah, Golden Tulip Sharjah, Sheraton Sharjah Beach Resort & Spa, Sharjah National Hotels, Air Arabia, SATA (Sharjah Airport Travel Agency), Cozmo Travels and Auras Tours. According to the Indian Ministry of Tourism, 18.33 million Indians travelled overseas during 2014 and the World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) expects that Indian outbound travel could grow to 50 million by the year 2020.

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