All stakeholders of travel, tourism and hospitality gathered at the World Travel Market seeking new opportunities at ExCel-London. This time the three day event will address and focus on several issues faced by the trade partners. With the ever changing new trends in travel, tourism and hospitality, there are many emerging new trends in the sectors. There will be more than 80 conference seminars covering all the key sectors including aviation, hotels, sports, tourism, responsible tourism, blogging, social media and travel technology. Do not miss out the WTM Presents Keynotes with tourism expert Doug Lansky and futurist Brian Solis. Also, the latest worldwide travel and tourism industry data (statistics and trends) will be presented by the leading research organisations Euromonitor International, Mintel and Nielsen. Mintel’s session will even cover the impact and opportunities of Brexit on the UK travel market. The WTM Speed Networking in the Global Stage will bring 1,400 exhibitors and more than 200 businesses senior buyers over one session. The two pillars of the WTM London 2016: World Responsible Tourism Day and the prestigious UNWTO & WTM MINISTERS’ SUMMIT will both celebrate their tenth editions this year. Let’s not forget the Travel Tech Show, the UK’s largest travel technology event and the fastest growing region at WTM London. The show brings together the latest products and services in technology to the global travel industry.

Orange Suites Hotel Apartments, a 4-star hotel owned by Ahmed Sharif Company, has officially opened its doors in Juffair, Bahrain, under the patronage of His Excellency Shaikh Khalid Bin Humood Al Khalifa, CEO, Bahrain Tourism and Exhibitions Authority. The hotel is spread over 37 floors and includes 128 suites, as well as a wide variety of facilities that are suitable for families and ensure they have the highest level of privacy and comfort in a warm and stylish home environment. This is the first project to be launched by Ahmed Sharif Company’s hotels, under the umbrella of the Parkside Group. Commenting on the opening, CEO of the Bahrain Tourism and Exhibition Authority Shaikh Khalid bin Humood Al Khalifa stated that they are delighted to launch the Orange Suites Hotel Apartments which supports the development of the tourism infrastructure in the Kingdom of Bahrain. The addition of this hotel will increase the number of hotel apartments, which statistically is the preferred type of accommodation for the majority of family visitors and tourists. This is a significant juncture in the illustrious timeline of the Company as they take their initial step into the hospitality industry of the Kingdom. Orange Suites Hotel Apartments provides comfort and luxury unrivalled, delivering on the promise it holds to offer customers an experience like none other.

Seychelles becomes Turkish Airlines’ third island in the Vanilla Islands Group, with the addition of three weekly return flights to Mahé, Seychelles. Turkish Airlines has celebrated the addition of a tourist favourite, Seychelles, to its global route map with the airline’s inaugural flight landing at Mahé International Airport and opening up a world of 114 countries to passengers travelling from the land of perpetual summer. Flying directly from Mahé International Airport, the brand new service will connect passengers departing from Seychelles to 88 worldwide destinations including Paris, Dubai, Frankfurt, London, Milano, Bombay, Abu Dhabi, Vienna, Munich, Zurich, Rome, Moscow, Dusseldorf, Colombo and Hong Kong. The flight is already available for booking at www.turkishairlines.com. This service brings the total number of destinations the airline flies to in Africa to 42, as it keeps its status as the carrier that flies to more countries and international destinations than any other airline by serving its services to 114 countries across Europe, Russia, Central Asia, Far East Asia, the Middle East, Africa, North and South America. The inaugural flight from Istanbul got a water cannon salute at Mahe International airport at a ceremony graced by Ahmet Olmuştur, Chief Marketing Officer of Turkish Airlines;  Alain St. Ange, Minister for Tourism and Culture of the Republic of Seychelles; and  Joel Morgan, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Transport of the Republic of Seychelles, in the presence of diplomatic, protocol and media representatives as well as Turkish Airlines’ officials.

Qatar Airways has announced a code-share partnership with Air Botswana, offering Qatar Airways travellers access to three key destinations in Botswana, Africa. The partnership with Air Botswana, the national airline of Botswana, will provide Qatar Airways passengers with connections to the Botswana cities of Gaborone, Francistown and Maun via Qatar Airways’ South Africa gateway Johannesburg. Qatar Airways operates double-daily flights between Johannesburg and its state-of-the-art hub, Hamad International Airport in Doha, with onward flights to more than 150 destinations worldwide. The new code-share agreement allows business and leisure travellers fast and convenient access to the home of Botswana’s rich mineral industry, abundant game reserves, and luxury safari lodges. Botswana’s luxurious tourism experiences are complemented by Qatar Airways’ ultra-modern fleet of aircraft featuring the world’s best Business Class on services to South Africa.

Sharjah International Airport handled 2,996,433 passengers during July, August and September this year, a 13 percent increase over the same period in 2015. Overall, the number of inbound, outbound, transit and transfer passengers handled during the first nine months of the year increased by 12 percent, compared to the same period last year, to total 8,344,293. Sharjah airport recorded its first million-passenger month in August, with the months of July and September falling just slightly short of the million passenger mark. Meanwhile, 20,362 aircraft take-offs and landings were handled during the July to September period, 8 percent more than the equivalent period during 2015. Airlines have added a number of new connections from Sharjah International Airport this year, including new Air Arabia routes from Sharjah to Batumi (Georgia) and to Sarajevo (Bosnia and Herzegovina). Indian international airlines Air India Express and Jet Airways have both launched new Sharjah routes this year catering to business travellers and tourists, plus Indian expatriates working in the UAE. Jet Airways added new daily routes to Mangaluru (IXE) and Kozhikode (CCJ), while Air India Express has introduced new flights to Mumbai (SAHAR), Chandigarh (IXC) and Tiruchirapalli (TRZ) airports. Turkish airline, AtlasGlobal, also launched a new Sharjah route in April, adding a three-times-weekly service to Istanbul Atatürk International Airport. More new airline routes are planned for the next few months including the addition of a Hyderabad to Sharjah service from Jet Airways in December 2016 and a new Sharjah to Baku service from Air Arabia scheduled for 23 March 2017. Sharjah International Airport surpassed 10 million passengers per annum for the first time during 2015 and plans to handle 25 million passengers per annum by the …

British Airways has launched a direct flight between Muscat and London, further adding convenience to customers travelling between the two regions. Customers, who previously flew between the two cities via Abu Dhabi, can now experience an uninterrupted service, and a reduced flying time of seven hours and 15 minutes, two and a half hours shorter than the previous nine hours and 45 minutes’ journey. The service is operated by the airline’s Boeing 777, five times per week, featuring four cabins of travel – First, Club World (British Airways’ business cabin), World Traveller Plus and World Traveller (British Airways’ economy cabin). The UK carrier, which first began flying to Oman in 1972, inaugurated the new service with a water cannon salute as it landed at Muscat International Airport a few days ago. Anjulika Dutton, Commercial Manager UAE, Oman, Egypt and Central Asia, said that British Airways has successfully served the Omani market for more than four decades. During this period, they have witnessed a strong growth in passengers travelling between these two regions, and anticipate that this new direct service will further enhance connectivity for business and leisure travellers between Oman and the UK. Departing Muscat International Airport at 10.55am, the flight lands at London Heathrow’s Terminal 5 at 2.55pm on the same day, with the return journey departing the British capital at 7.50pm and arriving in Muscat at 7.05am the following morning. A full timetable of British Airways flights is available online here where customers can find the lowest fares and book, pay and check-in online for their flights.  

Qatar Airways’ first daily regularly-scheduled Airbus A350 service to London Heathrow arrived in the United Kingdom on Sunday October 30, as the airline introduced the state-of-the-art aircraft on the route, complementing the existing ‘best of fleet’ on its six daily flights from Hamad International Airport. To mark the occasion Qatar Airways followers on social media were able to follow a live tour of the interior cabin of the A350 while on the ground at London Heathrow. The video can is now available at https://www.facebook.com/qatarairways/ The landing of the A350 on Sunday 30 October also marked another milestone for the airline as it took place on the same day as the start of a new joint business agreement between Qatar Airways and British Airways. The agreement benefits customers by offering a wider choice of flights by code sharing on all seven Qatar Airways and British Airways direct daily flights between London and Doha. Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive, His Excellency Mr. Akbar Al Baker, said that Qatar Airways Airbus A350 is one of the most advanced aircraft in their fleet, offering passengers an unrivalled level of comfort while experiencing our award-winning hospitality. It is only right that such an aircraft serves one of their six daily scheduled flights from Doha to London, a route further strengthened by their continued partnership with British Airways.

A new free entry transit visa effective from November 1, 2016 was announced by Qatar Airways and Qatar Tourism Authority for travellers to explore the destination within 96 hours.  This scheme allows passengers with layovers of five hours or more in Hamad International Airport to request a complimentary transit visa. The new system will allow transiting passengers of all nationalities to enter Qatar for up to 96 hours in between flights. All visas are granted at the sole discretion of the Qatari Ministry of Interior. Passengers can apply for their free transit visa through any of Qatar Airways’ offices, or online. To be eligible for the transit visa, passengers must have a confirmed ticket for a journey into Qatar, with a confirmed onward journey out of Qatar on a Qatar Airways-operated flight. Terms and conditions apply, which can be found at qatarairways.com/transitvisa

Qatar Airways has announced an expanded codeshare agreement with British Airways, which will provide travellers with a wider choice of flights and an enhanced network. With the launch of British Airway’s non-stop service between London and Doha, travellers will benefit from seven daily flights to Heathrow, improving connectivity on to each airline’s network. The expanded code-share network will now also include all of British Airways’ flights within the United Kingdom, covering Aberdeen, Belfast, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Inverness, Leeds, Bradford, Manchester and Newcastle. Additionally, Qatar Airways will code-share on a number of routes from London Heathrow to Europe, including all services to Dublin in Ireland; Hamburg and Stuttgart in Germany; Luxembourg; Basel in Switzerland; Bilbao, Malaga, Ibiza and Palma in Spain; Lisbon and Faro in Portugal; and Billund in Denmark. This codeshare follows the recent announcement that Qatar Airways and British Airways will commence a joint business agreement from October 30, the same date as the first direct scheduled daily British Airways flight flies between London Heathrow and Doha. As part of the agreement, all non-stop flights between the United Kingdom and Doha will operate under the code-share agreement allowing both Oneworld carriers to provide passengers with better links between the UK, Asia, Middle East and Africa.

Qatar Airways has added another eight flights a week to Riyadh and one more daily flight to Dammam, increasing its connectivity to the two major Saudi cities, starting October 30, 2016. Through its hub in Hamad International Airport, Qatar Airways will operate four flights a day to King Khaled International Airport in Riyadh, and five daily flights to King Fahad International Airport in Dammam. The additional flights take Qatar Airways’ total connectivity within the Kingdom to 158 flights a week, serving eight destinations: Riyadh, Jeddah, Madinah, Dammam, Hofuf, Gassim, Taif, and Abha. Qatar Airways, the official sponsor of Al-Ahli Saudi FC and F.C. Barcelona recently announced hosting a friendly football match bringing together both teams to play at Shiekh Thani Bin Jassim Stadium (Al-Gharrafa Stadium) on December 13, 2016. Travellers from Saudi Arabia can take advantage of the increased frequencies to visit the new destinations that Qatar Airways has announced this year, which include exciting cities all around the globe, such as Los Angeles and Atlanta in the USA, Adelaide in Australia, Auckland in New Zealand, and numerous others in Europe, Asia, and Africa.