Bollywood Parks Dubai, the first of its kind Bollywood themed park in the world, and a part of Dubai Parks and Resorts, set to be the region’s largest integrated theme park destination on its opening in October 2016, presented an exclusive preview and tour of the upcoming park at a press conference held at Taj Dubai, Business Bay. Hosting the event was Thomas Jellum, General Manager of Bollywood Parks Dubai along with senior management from Dubai Parks and Resorts. Based on popular films featuring the biggest names of Bollywood including Shahrukh Khan, Salman Khan, Aamir Khan, Hrithik Roshan, Farhan Akhtar and more, the mega-entertainment project unveiled details of all its major rides and attractions that will appeal to families and children alike and immerse visitors into the grand and explosive world of Hindi Cinema. Jellum commented: “We cannot wait to welcome people into Bollywood Parks™ Dubai this October! Each show and each ride has all been carefully developed to completely transport our guests into the world of Bollywood, whether they are chasing Don, flying with Krrish, being saved by Chulbul Pandey or playing cricket with Bhuvan and today we have highlighted our biggest attractions. Bollywood is cherished and adored not just by people in the region, but by a large global audience and we are positive that the park will be the hottest destination in Dubai this year.” Highlights of the press conference were a special never seen before video preview of the park featuring clips of the intellectual properties as well as the first look of the new Pre-launch brand campaign featuring 2 characters created specially for Bollywood Parks™ Dubai. Several interactive displays were also presented to the guests …

Consulate General of the United Republic of Tanzania in partnership with Holidays and Incentives and Regency Travels conducted a road show at the Hyatt Regency in Creek. Some of the leading travel agents in the UAE attended the event whilst four of the most luxurious properties in Zanzibar made their presentations. From Zanzibar the four properties  included The Residence, Melia, Park Hyatt and Elewana. The travel agents were given quite an opportunity to learn about the destination and the exclusive properties available for their clientele. Lastly was the presentation by the Tanzania tourism office where the spokesperson explained from traditional source markets Italy remains on top with over 65% traffic to the destination with other countries such as UK, France, Germany, Kenya, South Africa and North America  and the emerging countries are India, China, Russia and Middle East.

Emirates’ premium and loyal customers can now look forward to even greater levels of comfort, hospitality and convenience with the opening of the airline’s new two-level premium lounge at the Cape Town International Airport in South Africa. All Emirates First Class and Business Class customers, as well as Skywards Platinum and Gold members travelling from Cape Town to Dubai will have complimentary access to the new facility, which has the capacity to accommodate 123 people comfortably. The lounge, which was recently opened, represents an investment of US$2,89 million by the airline. It is conveniently located in the international departures corridor next to Emirates’ preferred boarding point at Gate A3. Emirates’ airport lounges are an integral part of the airline’s service and product offering for its premium and loyal customers, and the continued investment in airport services ensures the airline pays as much attention on providing luxury and comfort on the ground as it does on board it flights. Cape Town has become Emirates’ 39th lounge in its network of over 150 global points and the 14th destination to feature the airline’s new lounge design concept, which includes Italian marble floors, leather armchairs and walnut wood finishes creating an upmarket contemporary space with a fresh relaxing atmosphere.

Dubai Holding, through its real estate arm “Dubai Properties Group” unveiled “Marasi Business Bay,” a new waterfront destination, its largest development along the creek within Business Bay. The development embraces the longest promenade in the Emirates, spanning 12 kilometers, water homes, floating restaurants, retail options and five palm tree-lined marinas. Located on the Dubai Canal Project, Marasi Business Bay is set to become a major future landmark in Dubai – an unprecedented unique waterside destination concept in the UAE and the Middle East. Marasi Business Bay features the region’s first purpose-built yachting destination with floating restaurants and cafes, alongside onshore boutique shopping and a range of leisure and entertainment facilities. The development’s residential units, which are to be built on water with boat access, provide unparalleled direct canal views and create a unique new living proposition for the real estate market in Dubai. H.E. Mohammad Abdulla Al Gergawi, Chairman, Dubai Holding, said that the new project will strengthen the historic relationship between Dubai and its creek through the addition a new dimension to the residential, tourism and leisure offerings along the Dubai Creek.

Air France first launched its Premium Economy cabin in 2009 and is now offering Premium Economy class travel across the entire long haul fleet, including Dubai to European destinations. Passengers can now enjoy an even more comfortable way of travelling for business or pleasure at affordable prices, in a separate cabin. The Premium Economy seat offers 40% more space than regular Economy class and has been enjoyed by close to three million customers since launch. Air France Premium Economy fares start at AED4,515.00 to Europe (terms & conditions apply). Passengers in Premium Economy enjoy some little extras with the added benefits of Business class amenities such as a complimentary toiletries kit, a soft blanket, down pillow, and a bottle of mineral water. Passengers travelling with Air France and KLM enjoy all the benefits of global networks, and easy and convenient connections to most of the world’s major destinations, through the two global hubs in Paris (Air France) and Amsterdam (KLM).

Qatar Airways will expand its network to Chiang Mai in Thailand from December 16, 2016. The airline will fly to Chiang Mai five times a week via Yangon, the former capital of Myanmar, with an A330-200.The largest and most culturally significant city in northern Thailand, Chiang Mai will be the fourth city in the Asian country to be served by Qatar Airways, which currently flies to Bangkok and Phuket, and will commence flights to Krabi on 6 December. With the addition of Krabi and Chiang Mai to its network Qatar Airways will increase its flights to Thailand from 39 to 48 per week by the end of 2016. The launch of flights to Chiang Mai comes at a time when Qatar Airways is rapidly expanding its network and will inaugurate 14 new destinations on its route map throughout 2016 and into early 2017. New destination launches include: Marrakech (1 July 2016), Pisa (2 August 2016), Windhoek (28 September 2016), Helsinki (10 October 2016) Sarajevo (2 November 2016), Seychelles (12 December 2016), Auckland (6 February 2017), Skopje (2017), Libreville (2017), Douala (2017), Lusaka (summer 2017) and Nice (summer 2017).

The Saudi-based national airline, flynas, is increasing capacity between their home country and the UAE with new flights linking Abu Dhabi with Riyadh and Jeddah. Effective on June 23, flynas will add a second daily service between Riyadh and Abu Dhabi, increasing its combined offer with Etihad Airways to four daily services. Also on June 23, flynas will enter the Jeddah–Abu Dhabi market with a daily flight which will complement Etihad Airways’ existing thrice daily services. Together, both carriers will offer four daily services linking Jeddah and the capital of the UAE. These services will provide guests with greater choice and flexibility when travelling between the two countries and beyond over Etihad Airways’ worldwide network. In addition to Riyadh and Jeddah, Etihad Airways currently serves Dammam and Madinah, offering a total of 63 weekly flights to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Whilst flynas new services will offer 14 weekly flights from Riyadh to Abu Dhabi and seven weekly flights from Jeddah to Abu Dhabi. The additional flights from flynas will be operated by a two-class Airbus A320 aircraft, offering an additional 3,416 seats per week, and ensuring maximum connectivity through Etihad Airways’ Abu Dhabi hub to key destinations in North America, Europe, the Indian Subcontinent, and Southeast Asia. This comes as part of an expanded codeshare agreement between the two airlines signed in October 2012. The codeshare agreement allows flynas to place its ‘XY’ code on multiple Etihad Airways’ flights between Abu Dhabi and 20 destinations on its global network. Gregory Kaldahl, Etihad Airways’ Senior Vice President Network, said: “The expanding of our codeshare with flynas reflects our commitment to the key market of Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

The Ajman Tourism Development Department (ATDD) has wrapped up a successful roadshow in Europe held from May 16 to 20, returning with encouraging feedback from the European tourism and travel market. More than 500 representatives from leading travel and tourism companies attended the UAE Destination presentations held in the cities of Prague in Czech Republic, followed by Warsaw in Poland and concluded in Budapest, Hungary. The roadshow focused on the UAE as a destination and promoted the emirate of Ajman as a unique destination offering a variety of activities, events, attractions and accommodations to leisure and business travelers. During their first stop in Prague, the delegation was welcomed by UAE Ambassador to Czech Republic H.E. Mohamed Hamad Al Shamsi who praised Ajman Tourism for spearheading such promotional tours in major capitals and cities in Europe to promote the UAE.

Millennium Plaza Hotel Dubai, along Sheikh Zayed Road, announced that the 65-storey tower will undergo renovations of its lobby, which is expected to be completed in September. The new lobby design will feature understated luxury with modern amenities and warm interiors that exude a relaxing welcoming to guests. Guests will be welcomed by new decor and design elements as they enter the lobby. Each zone of the lobby such as the main lobby area, welcome desk, and restaurant area will be intended to create an inviting space that ultimately promotes socialization. The new lobby also offers different seating options to meet a variety of needs. Family and friends can find new gathering areas to socialize, while business travelers can find a quiet corner to check emails and return calls.

The aviation industry’s first smart online flight permit application will be launched by international trip planner, Djetops, in a live Beta version demonstration at EBACE, Geneva, on  May 24-26 , 2016.  PermitsGlobal automates the complex process of obtaining over-flight and landing permits, giving pilots and flight operators 24/7 control over their flight permit applications from a smartphone, tablet or via the web.Flight Operators and Dispatchers will be able to discover the benefits of PermitsGlobal at its stand, where 11 connected devices, both mobile and PC based, will be available.  PermitsGlobal is being evaluated and tested by a number of European operators and the final product will be available to customers within the third quarter of 2016. In addition to contending with the general and special requirements for granting flight permits, the challenge for operators to date is that individual countries have different requirements and procedures, which can change on a daily basis.  In this dynamic environment the process can be time consuming and busy pilots and corporate flight departments want a lasting paperless solution that accesses all the information they need, wherever they are in the world.