With a focus on developing regional business Hard Rock Maldives and SAii Lagoon Maldives, Tiri Consultancy and Crossroads Maldives will work together to bring these unrivaled properties to GCC clients. Crossroads Maldives is the first multi island leisure destination in the Maldives nestles between the Kaafu Atoll and the Enboodhoo Lagoon and just a 15-minute speedboat ride from Velana International Airport in Male. Hard Rock Hotel Maldives introduces unique music inspired stays with a full range of signature experiences for the all ages. With over water and beach villas as well as global brand recognition The Hard Rock Hotel Maldives is the perfect getaway for travellers from the GCC. If the music inspired Hard Rock Hotel doesn’t suit your taste then SAii lagoon certainly will. The Curio Collection by Hilton property overlooks the Indian Ocean and boasts an array of accommodation options which are suitable for couples and families alike. “These properties are absolutely perfect for the GCC market” says Nour Aridi, Managing Director of Tiri Consultancy. She goes on to say “These are two properties which will suit GCC travellers both in terms of accommodation and activities with travellers having the option to eat in various restaurants and enjoy shopping as well as the idyllic Maldivian experience, I am extremely excited to start working with the properties to develop the GCC market”. We are delighted to be working with Tiri Consultancy to target this market for Crossroads Maldives which houses both Hard Rock Hotel Maldives and SAii Lagoon Maldives. We believe we have an excellent proposition to attract guests from the GCC and we are very much looking forward to working with the GCC trade through Tiri Consultancy to …

CLYMB Abu Dhabi was awarded with two GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS titles for the world’s largest indoor skydiving wind tunnel at 10 meters (32 feet) in diameter and 54.6 m (179.2ft) high and the world’s tallest indoor artificial climbing wall reaching 42.16 m (138ft). Launched on November 29, 2019, CLYMB™ Abu Dhabi provides guests with a unique experience, taking them to record-breaking heights. The two attractions are suitable for visitors of all ages and skills, with highly trained instructors taking visitors through safety tips and techniques before introducing flying and climbing techniques. With five climbing walls of varying degrees of height and difficulty, CLYMB™ Abu Dhabi is suitable for both beginners and experts alike, in addition to the largest indoor skydiving flight chamber. Prior to the announcement, visitors have been enjoying the Indoor skydiving and climbing facilities as well as the two in-house Food and beverage outlets at CLYMB Abu Dhabi, offering a fun day out for the whole family. Visitors are also able to watch others tackle The SUMMYT and watch others fly in the wind tunnel from the free viewing platforms. The two titles add CLYMB Abu Dhabi to the list of record-breaking attractions on Yas Island. Bianca Sammut, General Manager of CLYMB Abu Dhabi and Acting Head of Yas Theme Parks commented, “We are delighted that our adrenaline-fuelled attractions have been awarded two GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS titles. As the title holders of the world’s largest indoor skydiving wind tunnel and world’s tallest indoor artificial climbing wall, we are able to provide customers with two unique, record-breaking experiences, unlike any they have witnessed before. This recognition consolidates our position as a global attraction and we look forward to allowing …

Majid Al Futtaim has announced a new opening date for its flagship Mall of Oman. The mall is now scheduled to open its doors to customers in September 2021. The revised opening schedule has been put in place to ensure that Mall of Oman’s tenant partners are best placed, with ample time, support, and resources, to prepare their new stores adequately. This will enable them to deliver the quality of service they and Majid Al Futtaim are renowned for. Shireen El-Khatib, Chief Executive Officer, Majid Al Futtaim – Shopping Malls said, “We take great pride in crafting cherished memories for the friends and families that make up the communities in which we operate. To accomplish this, we believe we must make use of every resource and take every step that we can to deliver the standard of customer service for which we are acclaimed. That is precisely why we have taken this considered and thought-out decision to put in place a new opening date for Mall of Oman.” Mall of Oman is primed to become Majid Al Futtaim’s fifth and largest shopping and entertainment destination in the Sultanate. It will have 145,000 sqm of retail space, comprising of dining outlets and a range of lifestyle experiences. In addition to 350 retail outlets, the mall will also house Oman’s largest VOX Cinemas, a Magic Planet family entertainment centre, a 12,100 sqm Carrefour Hypermarket, and the largest indoor snow park in the Sultanate. Additionally, the mall will play a significant role in supporting local communities, enhancing the Sultanate’s retail and entertainment offerings for both residents and tourists, and boosting the local economy by creating 3,500 jobs once opened.

Singapore has won the rights to host the 110th Lions Clubs International Convention in 2028. The Lions Clubs of Singapore will partner with the Singapore Exhibition & Convention Bureau (SECB), a group under the Singapore Tourism Board (STB), and Marina Bay Sands (MBS) to host the Lions International Convention – one of the most coveted events on the congress circuit. The Singapore edition in 2028 will be the first time that the Lions International Convention is held here, and the event is expected to attract around 20,000 foreign delegates and generate over S$58 million in tourism receipts. Dr. Jung-Yul Choi, Lions Clubs International President said, “We look forward to showing the world how we are united through kindness and diversity, and celebrating our commitment to service and our global communities.” Keith Tan, Chief Executive, STB said, “We are honoured that Singapore has been chosen once more to host the Lions International Convention. This affirms our position as a trusted global Asia hub despite COVID-19. We want Singapore to be the world’s leading destination for safe, trusted and innovative business events and meetings, and we look forward to welcoming Lions and Leos from all over the world to experience this first-hand in 2028.” “2028 will be an amazing year since we will be commemorating the 70th anniversary of Lions clubs in Singapore. You can expect us to go all out, as we will be honoured to celebrate ‘Lionism’ with our fellow Lions and Leos around the world, at the 110th Lions International Convention 2028,” said Charlie Chan, Past International Director, Lions Clubs International. “Marina Bay Sands is excited to welcome all Lions International attendees to Singapore in 2028. As the event’s …

Etihad Airways announced the expansion of its partnership with AccesRail, the world’s leading provider of air-rail intermodal solutions. The partnership allows Etihad to use AccesRail’s expertise to enable its customers to book train and coach tickets in Europe in conjunction with their air fare using the airline’s online booking platform, or through their travel agency. Etihad’s guests can connect to and from their international flights to rail routes operated by major European railway companies using the airline’s ‘EY’ code, including an expanded network of seven rail routes on Germany’s Deutsche Bahn from Frankfurt Main Airport. The partnership with AccesRail has also been extended to the United Kingdom to include 16 destinations westbound from London Heathrow on Great Western Railway, and subject to final government approval, to 28 cities across Italy on the country’s primary rail operator, Trenitalia. Ali Saleh, Etihad Airways Vice President Alliances and Partnerships, said: “This is a tremendous product, which provides convenient rail or coach connections at some of our key gateways in Europe, enabling customers to commence their Etihad journey from multiple domestic points with the best fares available, all on the same itinerary and ticket. “As we aim to personalise the guest experience in-flight by providing more choice and greater customisation, we continue to source more strategic partnerships which will mirror this on the ground, giving options and benefits to the many who choose to travel with us in Europe. We soon hope to expand the partnership with AccesRail to more continents.” Andrew Popescu, Vice President Business Development, AccesRail said, “We are excited to be deepening our Etihad-AccesRail cooperation and look forward to continuing with Etihad on a global scale. Through this enhanced AccesRail partnership, …

Majid Al Futtaim announced that VOX Cinemas are reopen in Abu Dhabi and Al Ainfrom Monday, August 17 in compliance with the recent ruling by the Department of Economic Development in Abu Dhabi. In recent months, Majid Al Futtaim has reopened its leisure, entertainment and cinemas experiences across the Emirates including Dubai, Sharjah, Ras Al Khaimah and Ajman. VOX Cinemas have undertaken extensive precautionary measures and put in place an all-encompassing sanitisation and physical distancing plan. During the temporary closures, Majid Al Futtaim also conducted extensive research to identify the top safety measures that would make guests feel comfortable about returning to its entertainment concepts and used the findings to proactively reimagine the guest experience. Cameron Mitchell, Chief Executive Officer of Majid Al Futtaim Cinemas and Majid Al Futtaim Leisure & Entertainment said, “Cinemas representing 48% of the global box office are now open, including China, which has the largest number of commercial cinema screens in the world, and we are excited about rebuilding the film industry with back-to-back blockbusters in the coming months. Following the premiere of Scoob! last week and new releases including Ava and Black Water Abyss, we witnessed a 30% increase in ticket sales in UAE compared to the previous week.” Mitchell added, “We have extensive measures in place at VOX Cinemas and have introduced innovative new measures to allay any concerns our guests may have. We are excited, prepared and ready to welcome back our guests and employees to Abu Dubai and look forward to reopening more of our entertainment experiences across the region as restrictions are eased.”

Dubai is seen as the safest location to host international exhibitions and conferences in the coming months, while trade fairs will play a critical role in a post-COVID ‘restart’, according to new research. GRS Research conducted a recent market survey of more than 4,000 professionals from 130 countries explored the impact of COVID-19 on the global exhibitions industry, delving into key areas such as travel, budgets, and the importance of trade fairs in a post-pandemic world. “As with many business sectors, the trade fair industry felt the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly in Dubai, which has a thriving exhibition sector at the Dubai World Trade Centre,” said Simon Mellor, Messe Frankfurt Middle East’s CEO. “The purpose of the ‘Exhibitions post COVID-19’ study was to investigate how this global virus affected businesses of MFME stakeholders, and how we can address their concerns collaboratively with our peers. We will continue to run the survey over the course of the year and look to engage more parties as it evolves over time.” Mellor added, “The good news for the exhibitions industry is it’s still a critical component for business success, as this research has indicated. Clearly there is an appetite for the events sector to pick up in Dubai, with this evident during the AI Everything conference at DWTC, which marked the return of physical events in Dubai. “Globally, Messe Frankfurt has ‘restarted’ exhibitions with the opening of Intertextile Shenzhen Apparel Fabrics on 15 July 2020 in China, and we’re on track to deliver two of our most important shows in Dubai. These will take place with stringent health and safety measures to help keep our attendees safe,” Mellor concluded.

Almosafer has launched a dedicated safety guidelines platform that will feed into the travel booking funnel providing up-to-date information about the guidelines of the country of departure and the requirements at the destination country. The move comes in response to the findings of Almosafer’s dedicated survey around post COVID-19 travel for Saudi Arabia, which found that 60% of Saudi travellers want to know the social distancing and PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) rules applicable in-destination before making any travel decisions, while clarity on safety measures taken by hotels and airlines was considered critical for 55% travellers to help in building confidence and come to a decision. The survey also found that travellers from Saudi Arabia specifically require an all-encompassing view of the destination they will choose,with over 55% stating that information about potential quarantine periods and the availability of tourist attractions, dining options etc. is crucial in making an informed travel decision. Ronnie Varghese, Senior Director Digital at Almosafer said, “With our advisory platform, we aim to provide levels of information our customers deem important and trustworthy in making a travel decision. Sourcing and providing this information is quite challenging as data comes from fragmented and disparate sources with varying degrees of accuracy, clarity, recency, authority and language availability. The next phases of this effort will be to automate much of this process to make the solution more scalable for more destinations and additional data points.” Fahad Alobailan, VP of Retail at Almosafer said, “Through Almosafer’s dedicated safety guidelines, we will be able to offer customers the information and guidelines they need to plan their trips. These guidelines will be utilized across the booking funnel online and used by our travel …

Emirates announced it will resume passenger services to Birmingham (September 1), Cebu (August 20), and Houston (August 23). This will bring the airline’s network to 74 destinations, offering travellers convenient connections between the Middle East, Africa, Asia Pacific, Europe and the Americas through its Dubai hub. Flights between Dubai and Birmingham will operate four times a week, while flights between Dubai and Cebu will operate two times a week, utilising an Emirates Boeing 777-300ER aircraft. Emirates’ flights between Dubai and Houston will operate three times a week, utilising an Emirates Boeing 777-200LR aircraft. The airline currently offers passenger services to five gateways in the United States including New York JFK, Washington DC, Boston (August 15), Chicago and Los Angeles – expanding its U.S. network to six cities, and offering 27 weekly flights to the country. Customers can book flights on emirates.com or via travel agents. Customers can stop over or travel to Dubai as the city has re-opened for international business and leisure visitors. COVID-19 PCR tests are mandatory for all inbound and transit passengers arriving to Dubai (and the UAE), including UAE citizens, residents and tourists, irrespective of the country they are coming from.

Dubai headquartered travel management company (TMC) and ATS Travel signed an agreement stating passengers wishing to travel on any airline from the UAE to any destination worldwide can avail of Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) tests at the comfort of their homes or offices. This facility will be offered to all the clients of the TMC at a nominal cost, where ATS Travel will facilitate PCR testing for all its clients based on the rules of the destination airport. “Not all the destinations require PCR testing to be done. Nevertheless, with rules changing dynamically by the day/hour across the globe, it’s important that we, as the TMC advice our customers of the need for a PCR test and ensure that they are done within the time window stipulated by the destination city/country”, informed Saleem Sharif, Deputy Managing Director of ATS Travel. In order to ensure that this service is seamless and offered at the right price, we have partnered with the pioneers in conducting PCR tests in the UAE – Mediclinic. The agreement covers managing the requirements of all our clients across all the Emirates in the UAE. We are in the process of offering similar services to more than 550 Corporate and MICE clients across 14 countries in the region in the coming days, added Sharif. “Mediclinic already has a proven track record in providing safe and efficient at-home PCR testing for air travellers from the UAE, and we are delighted to partner with ATS Travel to provide this service to their clients. All testing is conducted by qualified health professionals using strict safety protocols and results are processed quickly in Mediclinic’s dedicated Covid-19 testing laboratories in Dubai and Abu …