Ras Al Khaimah has recorded a 23 per cent increase in visitors from India during the first six months of 2016 compared to the corresponding January-June period last year, according to the Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority (RAKTDA). The positive growth trend during 2016 ranks India as the third largest international source market for the UAE’s most northern emirate – up from fourth last year. Haitham Mattar, CEO, RAKTDA stated that their new brand positioning emphasises Ras Al Khaimah’s natural assets, luxurious indulgence, range of activities for different types of travellers and authentic Arabian heritage and culture – their diverse destination pillars resonate well with Indian travellers.  In-line with the emirate’s international promotional strategy, RAKTDA recently attended July’s MICE India and Luxury Travel Congress (MILT) in Mumbai, the latest stop in a series of roadshows and familiarisation trips with Indian travel trade partners in the first six months of 2016. The promotional programme in India has targeted the country’s swelling MICE and luxury market, which has witnessed tremendous growth in outbound corporate travel in recent years as more and more corporates recognise the importance of MICE activities as a key driver to engage internal and external customers. With RAKTDA projecting further growth from the Indian source market as part of its target to attract one million visitors to the emirate by the end of 2018, Mattar highlighted the emirate’s close proximity to Dubai – a long-standing destination of choice for Indian tourists – has proven a key factor in making Ras Al Khaimah an attractive destination.

Between 2014 and 2015, first class passenger volumes for Emirates, Qatar Airways and Etihad Airways on the top 10 Origins & Destinations between Europe and Asia Pacific increased 67%, whilst business class traffic increased by 47%. This staggering growth in premium classes was complemented by healthy overall growth, with a 7% increase in passenger volumes across all cabin classes for these routes.Airports in the Middle East also noticed a shift in traveller habits: passenger traffic for flights between Europe and APAC going through Doha, Abu Dhabi and Dubai increased by 8%. This data was analysed by Amadeus IT Group’s Travel Intelligence team, and takes into account all bookings in the Amadeus system made via traditional and online travel agencies from across the globe. The figures come on the heels of Emirates and Etihad Airways both renewing their distribution agreements to sell their full range of fares to travellers worldwide through travel agents using Amadeus. Qatar Airways has had such an agreement in place since 2014. While the Amadeus distribution channel supports airline growth by providing the technology for them to partner with the world’s largest travel community, Amadeus Travel Intelligence enables airlines and other travel players to make effective use of data and analytics to improve the profitability of their business. Amadeus Travel Intelligence combines the latest big data technologies with rich data sources and a dedicated team of talented data scientists, to deliver unique and actionable insights into each airline’s business. This intelligence provides in-depth information for airlines to gain real insights into overall market dynamics, their own performance and growth opportunities.The top ten most popular Origins & Destinations between Europe and APAC are Frankfurt – Bangkok,  London– Bangkok, …

In order to strengthen trade ties between Sharjah and United Kingdom; Sharjah Investment and Development Authority (Shurooq) introduced Sharjah’s investment proposition to businesses in United Kingdom last month, participating in the second edition of the GCC-British Economic Forum, which took place on 21 July in London. Organised by the Arab British Chamber of Commerce and hosted in London, the forum was attended by senior officials, executives, and investors from Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. Held under the theme ‘Vision, Challenges and Ambitions: Integration Prospects for a Better Future,’ the one-day event was supported by the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and UK Trade & Investment. Shurooq CEO H.E. Marwan bin Jassim Al Sarkal and Shurooq Head of Investment Promotion Mohammed Juma Al Musharrakh also participated in ‘Social and Economic Development’ panel session of the event. Sharjah Investment and Development Authority has stepped up its trade and investment promotion efforts in the UK, opening a permanent office in London earlier this year. Last year the Authority signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Arab-British Chamber of Commerce (ABCC) to encourage, promote and facilitate investment and development cooperation between Sharjah and the United Kingdom. In April 2016, Shurooq held ‘Sharjah Day’ in London, a business–to-business (B2B) forum aimed at introducing British investors and businesspersons to investment opportunities in Sharjah, with an emphasis on the many projects run by Shurooq.

Tourism Authority of Thailand Dubai and Middle East office has named HH Sheikha Hend Al Qassimi and TV Host & model Amy Kitchingman as official tourism ambassadors of Thailand in the Middle East region. The appointment was made to coincide Tourism Authority of Thailand’s (TAT) Women’s Journey Thailand campaign that was launched on August 1, 2016. The campaign encourages women travellers from around the world to enjoy a huge range of activities, special offers, discounts and privileges as well as products and services geared to meet their needs throughout the month of August. Chalermsak Suranant, TAT Dubai & Middle East office Director, said, that they are thrilled to have HH Sheikha Hend Al Qassimi and Amy Kitchingman as official Middle East ambassador of Tourism Authority of Thailand. The appointment aims to help them further promote Thailand to women expat and local residents in the region. As part of the new contract, HH Sheika Hend Al Qassimi and Amy Kitchingman will attend several events in the Middle East and Thailand and conduct series of filming and photo shoots in Thailand to be used as official promotional materials of TAT in the Middle East.

Residents of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan can now apply for Italy visas and enrol for biometrics at a new visa application centre opened in the capital city of Amman. The new centre has been set up in the high-end Al Barakeh Mall on Said Al Mufti Street 30, P2 Floor, Amman, which is in close proximity to the main business district. Services at the centre commenced from 01 August 2016. With Italy being a world-renowned travel destination and a popular holidaying choice with Jordanians, as well as one of the most important trade partners of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, the added conveniences of the relocated centre will make applying for their visas even more straightforward and easy. The ample mall parking space and enhanced accessibility allows for a more hassle-free experience. Speaking at the launch, the Italian Ambassador Giovanni Brauzzi said that his staff and himself are personally committed to ensure the most efficient handling of visa applications. With around six thousand applications per year, they are conscious of their positive impact on the development of trade and investments between Jordan and Italy and more generally on the development of people-to-people friendly relations. Now, with this new center, they have an important step towards a further improvement of their visa services and he was confident that their efforts will increase the efficiency and the satisfaction of the Jordanian travelers and of the business community.

Hertz Rent A Car, the car rental company, has partnered up with AccorHotels giving Le Club AccorHotels members the ability to enjoy special rates and benefits on car rentals all around the globe. Middle East based members will therefore be entitled to access the benefits both within the region and when travelling all over the world. With this partnership, Hertz expands its presence across key global markets. The partner agreement runs until March 2019. Le Club AccorHotels is the AccorHotels Group’s multi-brand loyalty program for Sofitel, Pullman, MGallery by Sofitel, Novotel, Novotel Suites, Mercure, ibis, ibis Styles, Adagio and Thalassa Sea & Spa. Le Club AccorHotels offers its more than 25 million members worldwide advantages and tailor-made services available at every stage of the customer journey. Members from Europe, Asia Pacific, Africa, the Middle East, Latin America and Canada will now also be able to enjoy a unique rental experience from Hertz, including a discount of 10% on prepaid and non-prepaid Hertz Classic retail rates worldwide, including Hertz Green, Prestige, Family and Fun Collection vehicles. An additional driver at no extra cost, one reward Rental Day for members who enrol in the Hertz Gold Plus Rewards program, via receipt of 900 points upon joining, complimentary one-car-class upgrades, depending on the Le Club AccorHotels member tier, five Le Club AccorHotels points per euro spent on car rental with Hertz as a promotion bonus offer to celebrate the launch of the partnership during July and August. After this period, members will receive three Le Club AccorHotels points per euro spent with Hertz, access to a delivery and collection service (according to Hertz terms and conditions) and Hertz Gold Plus Rewards tier matching …

After resuming departure operations at 18.30 hours UAE local time on August 3, Dubai Airports commenced arrival operations at Dubai International Airport (DXB) under restricted capacity following an operational incident involving an Emirates flight EK521 from Trivandrum (India). According to a Dubai Aiports spokesperson, DXB is operating with one runway, with arriving flights being given priority over departures. While all 282 passengers and 18 crew on board were brought to safety, one member of Dubai Airports’ firefighting team succumbed to injuries sustained whilst responding to the incident. Paul Griffiths, CEO, Dubai Airports, said, “I am deeply saddened to confirm that a member of Dubai Airports’ firefighting team succumbed to injuries sustained whilst responding to the accident of flight EK 521 earlier this afternoon [August 3]. We are doing all we can to support the family of this member of our team and others affected by the incident.” The Emirates Airline confirmed a network wide delay and cancellation of 21 flights from Dubai on August 3 to various destinations such as Mumbai, Kolkata, Medina, Doha, Geneva, Tehran, Muscat, Multan, Bahrain, Dammam, Basra, Karachi, Kuwait, Amman, Riyadh, and Hong Kong. Emirates flight EK521 travelling from Trivandrum International Airport in Thiruvananthapuram, India to Dubai on August 3 was involved in an operational incident upon landing at DXB. The Boeing 777 aircraft, departed at 10.19 AM from Trivandrum International Airport and was scheduled to land at 12.50 PM at DXB. A Dubai Airports spokesperson said, “Operational teams across the terminals at DXB and DWC are doing their best to assist arriving and departing passengers. To ensure the comfort of passengers waiting for their flights, all food outlets across DXB and DWC are providing free …

Abu Dhabi Airports has released figures for passenger traffic at Abu Dhabi International Airport (AUH), for the first half of 2016. Total traffic for January to June reached 11,848,359, million passengers, representing a 6.6 per cent increase from the 11,111,577 in the first six months of 2015. The number of people passing through Terminal 1 saw the largest increase, reaching 4,790,469 — a 22 per cent growth from 3,918,322 in 2015. The most popular destination in June was Mumbai. There was a 26 per cent rise in traffic to the Indian destination compared to the same month last year, with figures up from 55,991 to 70,312. Etihad Airways, the UAE’s national carrier, incorporated the Indian city to its A380 service earlier this year in May. Traffic to and from Doha and Jeddah both grew by 12 per cent in June, with passengers increasing from 53,912 to 60,395, and 52,342 to 58,816, respectively. Abdul Majeed Al Khoori, Acting CEO, Abu Dhabi Airports, said that January and March have been the busiest period for Abu Dhabi International Airport in the first half of the year, with passenger traffic crossing two million in both of these months. They are encouraged by the figures from the six months of 2016, which demonstrate continued growth year-on-year. Consistent increases in passenger traffic are to be expected given Abu Dhabi’s status as an international hub for commerce and tourism, as well as being a bustling transit point.

Travelport has announced the renewal of both its global full content and IT agreements with Emirates. The partnership will see Emirates offer Travelport connected agencies in 180 countries — serving hundreds of millions of travellers around the world continued access to all of Emirates’ fares and inventory through the Travel Commerce Platform. Furthermore, Travelport has signed an extension of its long-standing IT services agreement with Emirates. This agreement will see Travelport continue to provide Emirates with industry leading pricing, shopping and ticket rebooking technology, enabling Emirates to support advanced shopping and rebooking options within their internal sales channels including ww.emirates.com. On the distribution side, the new deal means Emirates will commence the initial rollout of Travelport’s airline merchandising solutions giving them the capability to directly promote their fare brands, ancillaries and associated upsell options — for the first time — to the global travel agent community. Joining approximately 170 airlines now live with Travelport’s merchandising solution (Rich Content and Branding), Emirates will benefit from Travelport’s ability to provide detailed product descriptions, including images and related ancillary options to travel agencies. Derek Sharp, Senior Vice President and Managing Director, Air Commerce, Travelport, commented that they are delighted to build on their strong partnership with Emirates through this enhanced global full content agreement as well as the renewal of their long standing IT agreement.  Emirates’ choice to offer agents their branded fares content with detailed descriptions and imagery will enable agents to more effectively upsell Emirates’ services providing an improved service to travellers and hopefully boosting Emirates’ growth across the globe.

The Italian city of Pisa welcomed the first Qatar Airways at its international airport. The Airbus A330 landed at 06:55 and was greeted by a celebratory water canon salute as well as a welcome ceremony with flags and drums from people in traditional costumes. The VIP delegation on board the flight, which included the airline’s Senior Vice President for Europe, Jonathan Harding, were welcomed by airport authorities representatives Marco Carrai, President of Tuscany Airports; and Gina Giani, CEO of Tuscany Airports as well as Marco Filippeschi, Mayor of Pisa. Pisa is the fourth city in Italy to be served by Qatar Airways, which has been flying to Milan since 2002, to Rome since 2003, and to Venice since 2011. The airline already offers five daily frequencies to Italy: two to Milan and Rome and one to Venice. The new daily flight to Pisa will increase the airline’s weekly flights from Doha to Italy from 35 to 42. In the last year, Qatar Airways has strengthened its existing Italian routes and demonstrated its commitment to the Italian market by introducing new, wide-body aircraft generating a 35 per cent increase in passenger capacity.