Eagle Hills, an Abu Dhabi-based private real estate investment and development company, in partnership with The Address Hotels and Resorts,  has announced the official launch of sales for The Address Residences Fujairah Resort and Spa. Premier serviced and branded apartments of The Address Residences Fujairah Resort and Spa are now available for purchase, including two-, three-, and four-bedroom options with varied spaces of 102 to 325 sq m. All units have sea views, while all ground floor apartments include private gardens. The apartments are ideally situated at the centre of the development, a short walk to the beach and waterfront promenade. Residents will have full access to the hotel’s amenities. On completion, the development will include a five-star hotel with 196 keys, 10 beach and garden villas, four residential buildings with central courtyards, adding to a total of 170 branded and serviced residences. The Address Fujairah Resort and Spa was recently unveiled as the first development for Eagle Hills in the United Arab Emirates. The development is set to be completed by mid-2019.

Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide has announced the signing of Four Points by Sheraton Ras Al Khaimah with Hamarain Real Estate LLC. Scheduled to open in the first quarter of 2019, the hotel will be Starwood’s first property in the Emirate of Ras Al Khaimah and the fourth Four Points by Sheraton in the United Arab Emirates. Neil George, Senior Vice President, Acquisitions & Development, Starwood Hotels & Resorts, Africa and Middle East, says, “This deal is in line with the strong demand for affordable yet modern accommodation in the UAE and also underlines Ras Al Khaimah’s plan to enhance the destination and diversify its hotel portfolio. We look forward to working together with Hamarain Real Estate to introduce our first property in Ras Al Khaimah.”

Turkish Airlines has added a daily flight to Atlanta, joining Buenos Aires, Sao Paulo, Panama, Bogota, Toronto, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, Washington, Boston, Montreal, San Francisco and Miami as the carrier’s 15th destination in the Americas. Passengers between Istanbul and Georgia’s capital will be able to enjoy special round-trip fares. Additionally, up until the end of October 2016, Miles&Smiles members will enjoy a 25% mileage discount when redeeming miles on the route or a 25% bonus on paid tickets as well as the opportunities for upgrades.With Atlanta being the ninth U.S. gateway for Turkish Airlines, momentum continues for the carrier as it expands its presence in the U.S. offering 70 flights per week and providing one-stop connections to 289 destinations and 115 countries through its Istanbul hub. Ahmet Olmustur, Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) of Turkish Airlines said: “Turkish Airlines has become one of the world’s premier airlines, constantly adding to its network and making significant strategic investments that continually enhance its range and product offer. This significant launch reinforces Turkish Airlines as a global leader in aviation with an internationally known brand helping passengers widen their world. The addition of the Atlanta gateway means that we will now be connecting business and leisure travelers through our Istanbul hub more efficiently and to more destinations than any other airline via one-stop connection through the world’s most traveled airport, Atlanta’s Hartsfield Jackson International Airport.” “We are pleased to welcome Turkish Airlines as the newest carrier to Atlanta, solidifying the Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport not only as the world’s busiest airport, but also the gateway to the World,” said Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed. He added, “The new route will open a …

A Green Key Workshop was organised by Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority to promote sustainable practices in hospitality sector. Green Key certification will be a priority area for Sharjah in developing the emirate’s hospitality sector and enhancing its position as a leading tourism destination in the region, said His Excellency Khalid Jasim Al Midfa, Chairman of Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority (SCTDA). Addressing a Green Key Workshop organised by the Authority in Sharjah, HE Al Midfa said: “The UN World Tourism Organisation forecasts 1.6 billion tourists by the year 2020. In order to minimise the negative impacts of this growth and harness its power to help make positive change, sustainable tourism must become a reality for all tourism stakeholders.” HE Al Midfa called upon the hospitality industry to enhance awareness among hotel staff for the successful implementation of sustainable practices across the industry. “We must work together to create tools and training to boost sustainable practices and meet the demand for sustainable tourism products and services,” he added.The Green Key Workshop was organised to spread awareness about the most efficient methods of sustainable hospitality and waste and energy management practices in Sharjah. The workshop demonstrated the emirate’s commitment to promoting sustainable tourism and green economic growth. The workshop highlighted the economic and socio-cultural benefits of sustainable practices to the over 50 staff and clients from the tourism and leisure industry. Calling on the industry for efforts to prevent climate change by facilitating sustainable economic growth, the workshop pointed out that responsible energy usage, and waste and resource management will enable the industry to reduce operational costs. The participants were given a step by step approach to engage hoteliers and staff for a …

Aimed at reinforcing their presence in the Indian market, Ramada Downtown Dubai and Hawthorn Suites by Wyndham Jumeirah Beach Residence inked an exclusive partnership with Hotel Representation and Development Services (HRDS) Global in India. Under the agreement, Ramada Downtown Dubai and Hawthorn Suites by Wyndham officially appoint HRDS Global as their exclusive sales, marketing and public relations partner in India. HRDS Global will negotiate with tour operators, corporate entities and third party agents on behalf of the hotels, and will represent them in relevant exhibitions and trade shows across the country.

Dubai’s Department of Tourism & Commerce Marketing (Dubai Tourism) and Airbnb, the community-driven hospitality company, have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to help promote responsible hosting and help grow and diversify tourism in the emirate. It follows the introduction of enhanced regulations last month that make obtaining a ‘holiday home’ license more streamlined for individual tenants and homeowners who want to rent their homes to guests.The MoU will bolster collaboration between the two parties and help enhance and diversify the emirate’s holiday home sector, boosting competition through a safe and transparent holiday home segment. Under the agreement, Airbnb will cooperate with Dubai Tourism on preventing breaches of the regulation by informing all host members of the Dubai Tourism regulations via its website and through email reminders of the rules. The two parties will also explore joint marketing and promotional activations for Dubai as a tourism destination. The MoU agreement states Dubai Tourism and Airbnb will work together to help grow and diversify tourism in Dubai, and promote innovative forms of tourism; Airbnb will raise awareness on the positive impacts of the Airbnb community by sharing aggregated, anonymised data about short term rental hosts; Airbnb will help promote responsible sharing of holiday homes by creating a “Hosting Page” on its platform, informing hosts of the rules and linking to official information and Airbnb will send regular reminders to its hosts in Dubai to remind them of the rules around responsible home sharing Airbnb is an increasingly popular way for guests from around the world to experience Dubai by staying with local hosts. There are almost 3,500 Airbnb listings in Dubai. This number and the number of guests choosing Airbnb when …

Marriott International has revealed the details of the United Arab Emirates’ first Renaissance Hotel. It is set to open at the end of 2016; the Renaissance Downtown Hotel, Dubai will be a 298-room luxury hotel aimed at business and leisure travellers who seek both authentic and unexpected experiences. Details of the brand’s UAE debut come as the travel company plans to open an additional four hotels in the country throughout 2016. Amongst the 2016 openings are Abu Dhabi’s first Marriott Hotel, the 315-room five-star Marriott Hotel Downtown Abu Dhabi as well as the 64-suite Marriott Executive Apartments Downtown Abu Dhabi. Further strengthening Marriott International’s luxury lifestyle offering, scheduled 2016 openings also include the 86-room La Ville Hotel CITY WALK Dubai, Autograph Collection, the 68-suite La Ville Apartments CITY WALK, Dubai and 500-room Lapita Hotel, Autograph Collection, all set to open by the fourth quarter of this year.

The Kingdom of Bahrain has launched its new tourism identity under the slogan of ‘Ours. Yours’, a step to further develop the tourism sector as a main contributor to the national economy. The new identity was unveiled by the Bahrain Tourism and Exhibitions Authority to the regional market at the Arabian Travel Market (ATM) held in Dubai, United Arab of Emirates. The Kingdom plans to revamp its access points for foreign visitors including the modernisation program for the Bahrain International Airport which will result in increasing the capacity to 14 million visitors annually and port facilities for yachts that arrive in Bahrain from other countries. The tourism sector’s direct contribution to the GDP in the Kingdom of Bahrain is around $700 million – around 3.6 per cent – according to the statistics published for the year 2015, an increase of up to 9 per cent when compared to 2014. It is also expected that the tourism sector revenues will increase to $1 billion by 2020. The industry currently provides more than 31.5 thousand jobs, accounting for 4 per cent of the total workforce in Bahrain. The total investment in the travel and tourism sector in the Kingdom last year amounted to 280 million.

Armenia is the latest destination added to Qatar Airways global route map, and will commence four times weekly service between Doha and Yerevan, connecting the city and country with more than 150 destinations worldwide. The inaugural flight touched down in the early hours and was greeted by a traditional water salute, Qatar Airways’ Chief Commercial Officer Dr. Hugh Dunleavy, who travelled on board the inaugural flight with Armenia’s Ambassador to Qatar, His Excellency Gegham Gharibjanian were greeted at the arrival gate by Yerevan’s Zvartnots International Airport, Deputy General Manager, Andranik Shkhyan.

British Airways has identified destinations such as London, Paris, Amsterdam, Rome and New York as the top most romantic city getaways and honeymoon locations across Europe and North America and has offered attractive packages for summer honeymooners in the UAE as the temperature rises in the region. Return fares start from AED 2,229 from Dubai to the UK and AED 3064 to North America via London across World Traveller cabins. Return fares from Abu Dhabi to the UK start from AED 2210 and to North America via London from AED 3068 across World Traveller cabins. British Airways’ discounted return fares from the UAE to London and North America are available for a limited time until May 18, 2016 with travel valid until November 2016. From the UK capital, customers flying with British Airways can take advantage of connecting flights to 10 destinations in the UK, 106 in Europe and 83 in the rest of the world. If a good deal and five desirable destinations are not enough, then British Airways’ well-travelled cabin crew have some insider tips about some of the romantic things to see and do in each location. A full timetable of British Airways’ flights to London and beyond is available online.