In a bid to attract a bigger share of Indian visitors to the UAE, the team of Golden Sands Hotel Apartments, part of A.A. Al Moosa Enterprises and pioneered the concept of hotel apartments in the region, recently returned from a  successful roadshow in Pune. Headed by Shazia Ahmed, Sales Manager the team visited India together with Orient Tours and met with more than 150 top agents from the city of Pune who are marketing Dubai in large numbers. Shazia Ahmed, Sales Manager, noted: “We have a very successful event. This show provided us the ideal platform to interact with key agents on one to one basis and the results definitely affect the future business. It is good to have Dubai delegates gathered in one roof to give information and answer questions from the agents from India. It was a very good face to face interaction and it helped increase their knowledge about the UAE. It was so heartwarming to hear that some of the agents attended the event because they heard about our participation. It only meant the popularity of GSHA all over India.” “The Indian market is in our top three visitors because we offer good value for their money and because of our ideal location thus we are expecting an increased number of guests from this market this year, both from our loyal and new guests,” said Mohammed Khoori, General Manager. Golden Sands Hotel Apartments receives a monthly average of 25% to 30% of their total hotel guests from the Indian market. Golden Sands Hotel Apartments offers a wide range of facilities and holidaymakers can benefit from its favorable location close to the city’s exhibition center and …

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.

Flynas flight from Dammam touched down at Abu Dhabi International Airport marking the start of its new direct operation between Abu Dhabi and Dammam with four weekly flights. Abu Dhabi Airports and Flynas teams celebrate the start of the airline’s new operation from the capital’s airport, linking Dammam with Abu Dhabi with four weekly direct flights.

Lapita Hotel officially opened its doors to receive its first guests. A part of Dubai Parks and Resorts, the region’s largest integrated theme park destination, Lapita is an exotic Polynesian themed resort hotel with 504 rooms, including 60 suites and 3 private villas. Room tariff may range from AED 1400 to AED 4500. Drawing its inspiration from the exotic Polynesian tropical landscapes, the hotel features colourful flowers, lagoon style pools, luxurious guest rooms and themed children’s activities. It is centrally located and easily accessible from Dubai and Abu Dhabi and only 63km from Dubai International Airport, 69km from Abu Dhabi International Airport and 23km from Dubai World Central – Al Maktoum International Airport. Within walking distance, hotel guests can have access to three department stores, family attractions, international dining and over 125 brands.

Dubai Airports welcomed Sichuan Airlines’ first direct flight from Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport to Dubai International (DXB) with a traditional water salute. The airline, which operates into DXB’s Concourse D, offers two weekly flights on Airbus A330. Sichuan Airlines joined DXB’s list of 90 international airlines in September 2015 when the carrier launched flights between Chengdu and Dubai via Yinchuan Hedong International Airport. A direct connection to Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport, which is a major international airport serving the capital of China’s Sichuan province, is a significant addition to DXB’s connectivity which spans 240 destinations across six continents.

LATAM Airlines Group S.A. and Qatar Airways, both members of the oneworld alliance, announced that Qatar Airways, through its wholly owned subsidiary Qatar Airways Investments (UK) Ltd, completed its acquisition of 10 per cent of LATAM reaching a total of 60,837,452 shares. The preemptive rights offering of 61,316,424 new shares, at a price per share of US$10, ended on December 23, 2016, in which Qatar subscribed shares of LATAM through its wholly-owned subsidiary Qatar Airways Investments (UK) Ltd. (“Qatar”), in its capacity as assignee of the preemptive right assigned by the shareholders of the Cueto, Amaro, Eblen and Bethia Groups to Qatar, as agreed between LATAM and Qatar, and other minority shareholders subscribed 12,140 shares of LATAM.

Langham Hospitality Group announced an agreement with Advanced Hotels Company to manage a luxury urban hotel in Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The Langham, Jeddah will feature extensive banqueting and meeting space totalling in excess of 3,500 square metres. These will include a 480-seat grand ballroom that is linked by a private elevator to a 380-seat ballroom that is located directly above the former (both outfitted with private pre-function areas for added exclusivity), a variety of adaptable conference rooms with the latest in audio-visual equipment, prayer rooms, and three dedicated bridal and groom suites.Strategically located within the downtown core directly across a new shopping complex and with a 360-degree view of the city and Corniche, The Langham, Jeddah is expected to open in the summer of 2018. The agreement was signed in the presence of H.E. Mohammed A. Al-Amri, General Manager, Jeddah, Makkah Province for the Saudi Commission for Tourism & National Heritage. Robert Warman, Chief Executive Officer of Langham Hospitality Group said, “We are delighted to introduce the Langham brand to Jeddah as we have been searching for the ideal location in the Kingdom to add to our portfolio. The creative design of the hotel’s façade and interiors along with the luxury facilities of The Langham, Jeddah, underlined by our legendary award-winning service, will provide an exceptional destination for our guests.” Mohammed Yousef Al Hasan, Chairman and Founder of Advanced Hotels Company stated, “We are proud to partner with Langham Hospitality Group to bring the impeccable service standards and unrivalled heritage from Europe’s first grand hotel to the city of Jeddah.” Guests who prefer to live the high life may choose to stay in the opulent two-bedroom Royal Suite …

A new service that enables the use of Emirates ID cards to pass through automated immigration gates at Dubai International (DXB) is gaining popularity, with more than 234,000 UAE residents using it during its phased roll out. Completely free of charge and requiring no pre-registration, the new service makes passing through immigration Smart Gates fast and convenient for all UAE residents. The first of its kind in the region, it is the result of the joint efforts of the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs (GDRFA), the Emirates Identity Authority and Dubai Airports. The new service, available on all 127 Smart Gates across all three terminals at Dubai International, has been enabled by creating a secure and efficient link between various operational systems and databases managed by Emirates Identity Authority, GDRFA and Dubai Airports. Upon inserting the Emirates ID Card into the Smart Gate, the system can quickly, accurately and efficiently confirm the identity, travel plans and eligibility of UAE residents to enter and depart the country.

Dollar Rent A Car has opened  a new branch in Oman to service customers at Muscat International Airport. The car rental company will offer premium fleet, service and competitive prices to passengers departing from and arriving into the Muscat International Airport. Marwan Al Mulla, General Manager, Dollar Rent A Car-UAE and Oman, commented: “This new branch is another example of Dollar Rent A Car’s commitment to rapid expansion into the region. The Muscat International Airport is expected to have a capacity to handle approximately more than 12 million passengers every year so this is indeed the perfect opportunity to get a share of these passengers.” Customers will enjoy driving Dollar Rent A Car’s fleet of wide range of various Japanese and other great vehicles. The company is staffed with professional agent who can recommend the best vehicle for both business and leisure travellers looking for short- or long-term leases of a wide selection of vehicles. Currently, Dollar Rent A Car has seven locations in Oman.  The new outlet is located at Muscat International Airport, Arrival Hall and open 24 Hours.