Abu Dhabi International Airport (AUH) received close to 1.9 million passengers in November, representing a 4.4% increase in airport traffic compared with November 2015. Abu Dhabi Airports’ traffic figures also show consistent growth throughout the year, with total AUH passenger numbers having increased by 5.3% on the previous year. More than 22 million travellers have used AUH so far during 2016. Total passenger traffic in November reached 1,860,207 which was a 38.6 per cent increase in passenger traffic through Terminal 3 compared to the same month last year, reaching 1,317,591. Traffic to and from Saudi Arabia saw a large surge compared to the previous year, with a significant increase of 43.5 per cent and the cargo services experienced growth of 1.3 per cent this year (2016) compared to November 2015.

DUKES Dubai has opened doors on December 28. “Once complete, DUKES Dubai will consist of 273 guestrooms including 64 suites, with a ladies-only Liberty Duchess floor featuring 20 rooms, as well as 227 fully furnished hotel apartments and six distinctive dining experiences,” said Abdulla Bin Sulayem, CEO, Seven Tides. The five-star hotel is located on the west trunk of Palm Jumeirah. It is the first international property for DUKES, which has been popular with GCC visitors in London for decades. The soft opening of DUKES Dubai comes at a time when Dubai’s popularity with British nationals continues to rise. In 2015 Dubai welcomed 1.2 million visitors from the UK, representing the emirate’s third largest source market. That is in addition to approximately 240,000 UK nationals that are estimated to be resident in the UAE. “Dubai is an increasingly popular destination for travellers from the UK, especially during the Christmas and New Year period and having the opportunity to begin our soft opening period on 28th December, we didn’t hesitate to open our doors,” said Debrah Dhugga, Managing Director, DUKES Dubai and DUKES London. Initially for the soft opening, bedrooms on the first six floors of the 15-floor property will be in service, as will the hotel’s signature outlet Great British Restaurant (GBR) and DUKES Bar.Serving modern British brasserie-style cuisine, GBR will operate under the culinary direction of executive chef Martin Cahill, serving quality British produce in a dramatic setting overlooking the Gulf. The meticulously planned menu of much loved dishes includes cod and chips, Lancashire hot pot, Colchester Oysters and Dover sole, with calorific sweets taken straight from the kitchens of the Home Counties. For lighter bites and drinks, guests …

Eagle Hills, an Abu Dhabi-based private real estate investment and development company, has announced the award of its contract for marine and grading works on The Address Fujairah Resort and Spa and The Address Residences Fujairah Resort and Spa, to BATCO Group, a general engineering and contracting company. The project is located in Sharm in Fujairah, famous for its landscape of mountains and sea views, and is situated south of Al Aqah beach and only 21 kilometres south of Dibba Al Fujairah, offering uninterrupted sea views. The mixed-use development will offer the emirate’s residents and visitors a holistic experience of hospitality, leisure and entertainment. It comprises The Address Fujairah Resort and Spa hotel, and The Address Residences Fujairah Resort and Spa. On completion, the five-star hotel will include 198 keys, five beach and five garden villas, four residential buildings with central courtyards, adding to a total of 170 branded and serviced residences. Commenting on the signing with the contract, Low Ping, CEO of Eagle Hills, said: “The awarding of the marine and grading contract to BATCO Group on The Address Fujairah Resort and Spa and The Address Residences Fujairah Resort and Spa emphasises our aim to provide our customers with modern, sustainable, and innovative solutions. This is the important milestone towards our commitment to deliver the project; Fujairah’s ultimate leisure and lifestyle destination with a 500-metre promenade.The awarded marine and grading contract signifies the beginning of the exceptional and exclusive destination Fujairah has yet to offer. Through following innovative approaches and taking into consideration sustainability measures, we are enhancing the existing site while protecting the beachfront promenade to be enjoyed by all visitors alike. We, along with our development partners, …

Targeting the honeymoon travellers from the GCC/UAE Hurawalhi Resorts recently announced the new opening at an exclusive event in Dubai. Just a 40-minute seaplane flight from Male offers 90 Villas including 60 Ocean Villas and 30 Beach Villas, Hurawalhi Island Resort is a sanctuary of serenity for grown-ups who are seeking luxury and innovation. 60 per cent of the island runs on sustainable solar energy with the majority of the villas being powered by solar panels. No plastic bottles – the island has its own water bottling plant and sustainable energy throughout; Best Diving in the Maldives with nearby Manta Rays, Nurse Sharks and world-class dive sites; Largest underwater restaurant, ‘5.8 Undersea’ – 5.8 metres under the sea; Adults-Only sanctuary on pure white sand on a crystal blue sea and Duniye Spa uses only organic, preservative and chemical free products. All guests can enjoy either sunrise or sunset panoramas. And with dining options that include on the beach, over the water, and even under the water, the philosophy here is that nothing is impossible.

The official Dubai Shopping Festival (DSF) has kicked off under the slogan – ‘Shop. Win. Celebrate.’ The festival will end on January 28, making this edition one of the longest in its history. The arrival of DSF 2017 also kicks off the new Retail Calendar of Dubai, with the festival starting earlier than in previous years to take advantage of the holiday season retail buzz. As part of the exciting line-up of activities, one of DFRE’s Strategic Partners, Dubai Festival City (DFC), an Al Futtaim Group development,  launched a stunning new waterfront attraction that is set to rival popular waterfront shows in other global destinations worldwide. The DFC launch event will culminate in a spectacular fireworks show celebrating the start of DSF 2017. To make the shopping experience even more rewarding, thousands of retail outlets will be offering discounts of up to 75 per cent on a range of merchandise including apparel and fashion, consumer electronics, watches, perfumes, furniture, home appliances, and much more. DSF 2017 promises a lot of entertainment programs and events for their visitors. There are innumerable programs that have been organized for different segments of people. Special efforts have been taken to ensure that every guest is well taken care of throughout their visit to the festival. This is because of their impressive and exclusive festival ideas people around the globe eagerly wait for celebrating this festival. It is known to be the most successful and largest entertainment and shopping programs that are conducted every year. Thankfully, with flexible Dubai tourist visa options, you can easily travel to Dubai to be part of this astounding shopping festival. An experienced visa specialist will carry out all legworks, …

International Roundtable Conference by Future Leaders with the topic Climate Change – A sustainable thought of our future leaders was organised and facilitated by Iftikhar Hamdani, Cluster General Manager of Ramada Hotel & Suites Ajman and his efficient team at the Penthouse, Ramada Beach Hotel Ajman. At the opening Sumair Tariq, Managing Director of R Hotels stated the high value placed by R Hotels in its Corporate Social Responsibility and the reason behind this roundtable to engage the younger generation by discussing the impact of climate change, conveying the importance of sustainable actions and generating ideas on how they can play a part in protecting the planet. Hamdani, Cluster General Manager of Ramada Hotel & Suites Ajman reiterated that the outcome and suggestions by the future leaders will be finally collated as a white paper and passed on to the relevant authorities for action. Chief Guest for the event His Highness Sheikh Dr.Abdul Aziz Bin Ali Bin Rashid Al Nuaimi, Green Sheikh shared thoughts on the environment by engaging the future leaders in conversation as well. A very good initiative by the dedicated team at Ramada Ajman, R Hotels and their partners.

Residents of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia can now apply for visas to Belgium and Luxembourg at a Visa Application Centre launched for the Embassy of the Kingdom of Belgium for the first-time in the Middle East. Services at the centre commenced on December 12, 2016. Visa applicants can visit the centrally located VFS Global centre located on the First Floor at Dove Plaza, Umm Al Hamam Street, Umm Al Hamam, Riyadh, to submit their visa applications and enrol for biometrics. The well-appointed centre caters to the growing needs of outbound travellers from the country. With Belgium and Luxembourg emerging as popular travel destinations, the new centre will offer applicants greater convenience and enhanced quality of services when applying for their visas. Since commencing visa processing operations for the Government of the Kingdom of Belgium in 2006, VFS Global serves the client government in 10 countries from 51 visa application centres across the globe. In the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia the company currently serves 21 client governments, from 67 visa application centres located across the country. Some of the key features of the centre include convenient and centrally-accessed location, professional staff with local language capability to handle queries and applications, well-appointed centre for enhanced comfort of applicants, automated queue governance for smooth flow of applicants, dedicated website for easy access to information including visa categories, requirements, check-list and applicable fees, 100 per cent secure handling of passports, documents and personal information, door-step delivery of passports and Premium Lounge for personalised and comfortable service.

Mini Port is a daily passenger baggage transportation service between Taksim and Atatürk Airport . The passenger comes to the Mini Port Service Point and submits their flight information to the officials, the Miniport Service Officer welcomes the passengers and receives their baggage, The Mini Port officials comply with the transport procedures of baggage arriving by the vehicle of the transportation company. This occurs at scheduled times, three times a day to the Mini Port Office in AHL International Lines metro floor from Taksim Mini Port Office. The passenger who is travelling from Istanbul and receives his baggage from AHL Mini Port Office, delivers his baggage to the counters in check-in area as complying with normal flight check-in procedures and the service is offered from Airport to Taksim and from Taksim to Airport. The scope of services was expanded and within the cooperation with the contracted hotels in Taksim region, passenger baggages will be transported from these hotels to Atatürk Airport. Recently, Turkish Airlines presented new features including Denon Headphones to be added to its on-board entertainment services. Due to this recent in-flight innovation, Turkish Airlines’ business class travellers on extended route flights will have the possibility to experience a renewed audio experience without any cost. This brand new app has been created in accordance with the Off-Airport concept which is now very much preferred by modern airlines. Now passengers who have to check out early from their hotels would spend their day comfortably without carrying their baggages. The Mini Port Office in Istanbul Atatürk Airport is located on the metro floor. Ahmet Olmuştur, Chief Marketing Officer, Turkish Airlines, said: “Turkish Airlines has been confirmed as one of the companies …

Dubai has again been ranked the most expensive place to celebrate New Year at Dh2,240 per person in an annual survey of seven popular global cities, with Edinburgh, Scotland, rated the best value for the second year in a row at Dh725, a difference of Dh1,515. In its annual research the company measured the average cost across selected establishments, with results reflecting expected costs for a partygoer buying food, entertainment and refreshments. Sydney offers an affordable option for UAE residents wanting to get abroad for the holiday and Paris is cheaper than New York by Dh700 to ring in 2017. The full listing (from cheapest to priciest) is as follows: Edinburgh (Dh725) Sydney (Dh950) Amsterdam (Dh955) Paris (Dh1,170) London (Dh1,435) New York (Dh1,870) Dubai (Dh2,240) Errol Fonseca, head of retail at Travelex, explained New Year is a busy time for Travelex, with customers flying off for city breaks to enjoy the festivities. “We always see an increase in orders of foreign currency in the run up to the new year, so it’s our pleasure to put these figures together for our customers. Exchange rates can also play a big part in decision-making and up to date figures can be found our website,” he said.

Hotels.com has recently refurbished and improved the functionality of its Middle Eastern websites, in both English and Arabic, to improve both usability and performance. Hotels.com already serves millions of customers globally through 89 localised websites in 39 languages, and is continuously building its portfolio of properties with the latest hotel deals for popular destinations like the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Bahrain, Kuwait and Qatar. Hotels.com offers an unsurpassed hotel booking experience and unbeatable Secret Prices to Hotels.com™ Rewards members, making it ideally positioned to cater to the hotel booking needs of the regional market. “We know that speed is important to our customers and we want to provide fastest booking experience possible in all languages on desktop and mobile. In fact, one in every three bookings on Hotels.com globally is now made on mobile. Speed and convenience are crucial to delivering unsurpassed experiences for our customers,” commented Michael Korkia, Senior Marketing Manager EMEA for the Hotels.com brand.