Travelport and Al Hashim Travel have announced a new, exclusive, long-term agreement. Al Hashim Travel is located in the Eastern province of Saudi Arabia, with 10 branches in the region. The agency is also set to expand across in Saudi Arabia in 2017. The agreement with Travelport will see Al Hashim Travel benefit from the industry leading merchandising and desktop technology, Travelport Smartpoint.  Travelport Smartpoint allows travel agents to not only sell airline tickets, but also the branded fares and ancillaries of over 400 of the world’s leading airlines, including network and low-cost carriers. Additionally, over 650,000 unique hotel properties and 36,000 car rental locations are available through Travelport’s Travel Commerce Platform. Commenting on the new agreement, Abbas AlSaleh, Chief Executive Officer, Al Hashim Travel, said: “This exclusive deal with Travelport provides a great opportunity for our business to advance our operations. We strongly believe that Travelport’s pioneering technology will support our business to work smarter, grow revenues and enhance our online presence.” Asgar Khan, General Manager, Al Hashim Travel, said: “Travellers are increasingly expecting a more personalised travel experience. They want more choice and flexibility when they book. Travelport’s technology is cutting edge in enabling us to meet and exceed our customers’ expectations around new travel trends.” Ibrahim El Mohandes, Country Manager, Travelport Saudi Arabia, said: “We are delighted that Al Hashim Travel, a leading travel agent in Saudi Arabia, has seen the value in our Travel Commerce Platform. Our innovative technology solutions will not only help them to boost their online presence and grow sales but also increase their brand awareness both within the Kingdom and internationally.”

Residents of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) can now apply for visas to Belgium at a new visa application centre launched at the VFS visa center in Abu Dhabi. The centre was inaugurated by H.E. Dominique Mineur, Ambassador of the Kingdom of Belgium to the United Arab Emirates. VFS Global currently serves the Government of the Kingdom of Belgium in 10 countries from 45 visa application centres, globally. The new centre in Abu Dhabi is located at the Joint Visa Application Centre, Level 25, Shining Tower, Mubarak Bin Mohammed Street, Adjacent to Khalidiyah Mall, Abu Dhabi. H.E. Mineur said, “The launch of the new Visa Application Centre is a step forward in Belgium’s goal to serve our clients in a better and quicker way. Abu Dhabi is the first step and Dubai will follow. Our collaboration with VFS Global is also part of a more global plan to promote Belgium as an interesting country for tourism and business. Our collaboration with VFS Global is a long lasting and based worldwide, and I am convinced that together we can achieve these goals.” Vinay Malhotra, COO – Middle East & South Asia, VFS Global, “We are honoured to partner with the Government of the Kingdom of Belgium and further extend visa services in Abu Dhabi. It is also a great privilege to be a part of the journey towards advancement of travel between the beautiful country of Belgium and the UAE. We are confident the centre will help us achieve our common goal of providing added convenience and accessibility to UAE residents applying for a visa to Belgium.”

The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) is bringing back the Thailand Tourism Festival (TTF) to Bangkok’s Lumpini Park to highlight some of the fun and fascinating attractions that can be enjoyed by local and international tourists travelling in the kingdom with free admission. The Festival, which coincides with Chinese New Year 2017, will be held during January 25-19, 2017, and is expected to attract over 650,000 visitors with 90 per cent of these visitors predicted to travel in Thailand in 2017. These trips could generate up to 400 million Baht in revenue. Yuthasak Supasorn, Governor of TAT said, “Thailand has so much to offer visitors and domestic tourists, and we want this year’s Thailand Tourism Festival to showcase the unique local experiences and attractions to be found in all parts of the nation. By visiting Lumpini Park, visitors can enjoy a taste of the foods, festivals and culture found in all five regions before they choose where to travel. They can also enjoy live music, cultural shows, lucky draws, and a wonderful holiday atmosphere with the best of Thailand on show in the heart of Bangkok.”TTF 2017 is expected to attract over 650,000 visitors with 90 per cent of these visitors predicted to travel in Thailand this year, which could generate up to 400 million Baht in revenue. At the TTF 2017, activities will be organised with 10 zones that highlight Thainess from the five main regions of Thailand – the North, Northeast, East, South and Central regions. Each of the zones will have demonstrations of the local culture and cuisine. There will also be the chance to make merit by giving alms at 7:00 a.m. to 88 monks on …

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.

Kuwait-based agency Rehlat has selected Sabre Corporation to power its online platform, rehlat.com. Rehlat opted for Sabre’s industry-leading technology and travel management services to increase its online conversion performance, revenue and customer satisfaction as well as personalize its offering, Bader Al Bader, President and founder of Rehlat Travel said, “It’s only been a couple of months since we launched our operations on Sabre, but we have already seen the positive impact on our sales and performance. Sabre’s global expertise in online travel, impressive dedication, and scale of cutting-edge technology made them an easy choice to help us provide a personalized travel experience for our customers. We look forward to rolling out new capabilities in mobile and social media to meet the expectations of our tech-savvy travelers.” Daniel Naoumovitch, CEO Sabre Travel Network Middle East stated, “Online travel has doubled in the Middle East since 2013 and online travel agencies, like Rehlat, are exceeding growth expectations as more and more consumers head online to shop for travel. We share Rehlat’s passion to provide a seamless travel experience and believe that technology can simplify the complexity of today’s travel, and unlock greater value, revenue and efficiency.”

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.

Dubai Airports, operator of Dubai International (DXB) and Dubai World Central (DWC), has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Bureau Dubai Expo 2020 to ensure a world-class experience for the millions of guests that will visit Dubai during the event. Following the signing of the MoU the airport operator is now an official supporter of Dubai Expo 2020. As part of the agreement, Dubai Airports will engage with the Expo 2020 team and airport stakeholders to create an ‘expo experience’ inside the airport which will set the tone for visitors and entice transfer passengers to return or stopover. Additionally, as part of its DXB Plus programme and service strategy, Dubai Airports will work with airport stakeholders to ensure minimal queuing and fast and convenient passage through both airports. Dubai Airports recently launched two major projects that will provide the capacity required for Expo 2020 and onwards. The first, DXB Plus, is designed to deliver a consistent and differentiated customer experience while boosting capacity to 118 million by 2023 without adding any additional significant infrastructure. Capacity gains and service enhancements will be achieved through streamline, customer-centric processes and new technology. The second, also currently underway, will see DWC’s passenger terminal building expanded from the current 5 million passengers per year to 26 million by the end of next year.  As part of the DWC expansion programme the check-in area, baggage and immigration halls, as well as security screening areas, will be substantially expanded while the forecourt will be improved to ensure easier access to the parking and drop-off areas. Once complete the passenger terminal will provide a total of 24 boarding gates, 7 baggage reclaim carousels and 104 check-in desks.

The 2017 edition of Emirates Airlines Festival of Literature will be held from March 3-11, and will see 160 authors from more than 30 countries conducting 250 sessions. The Festival is held under the patronage of H.H. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE Vice-President & Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, and in partnership with Emirates Airline and the Dubai Culture & Arts Authority (Dubai Culture), the Emirate’s dedicated Authority for heritage, arts, and culture. The Emirates Airline Festival of Literature is the Middle East’s largest celebration of the written and spoken word. In nine short years the Festival has grown into the UAE’s premier literary festival, hosting international and regional writers, poets, thinkers and speakers from around the world.

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.

Hamad International Airport (HIA) has joined the top tier of global airports becoming the sixth airport in the world to receive the ‘5-Star Airport’ designation by Skytrax, the London-based aviation institute and the gold standard for conveying the passenger’s voice in airport and airline rankings. This makes HIA the first ever airport in the Middle East to earn this acclaimed title. The prestigious 5-Star Airport rating is awarded to airports achieving the highest, overall Quality Performance. The 5-Star Airport rating recognises those airports providing excellent facilities for customers combined with high quality airport staff service. Airport Quality ranking covers front-line areas for departures, arrival and transfer, including airport facilities, customer service, security, immigration, shop outlets and food and beverage facilities. The highest rating – five stars – has previously only been awarded to five other airports worldwide: Singapore, Seoul, Hong Kong, Tokyo-Haneda and Munich.