Over the years, Thailand has become one of the most visited destinations by GCC travellers. Join in for the special webinar on August 10, 2020 at 11am UAE time to find out more information on some of the most amazing offerings offered to the GCC clientele. For registration call or email Crisna on crisna@ddppl.com or +971554704200. The session will really be a good platform for all the agents in GCC as they will be fully equipped with updated products and services as well as off-the-beaten-path regions in Thailand for Arab Millennials. GCC clientele are always on the look-out for new destinations that offer unique experiences which Thailand has a whole host of other interesting products that can add a lot more value to the travellers. This webinar will take the agents on a trip to learn about Shopping, Dining and Sightseeing products, Polls, Hotels presentations from The Peninsula and Sofitel Sukhumvit Bangkok, Q&A and last but not least the giveaways for the agents who can answer the questions.

RTA (Roads and Transport Authority) together with Nakheel has completed the first phase of five bridges leading to Deira islands. Deira Island Project is developed by Nakheel which is Dubai’s new waterfront. It consists of four man-made islands reclaimed from the Arabian Gulf along the coast of Deira spanning 17 million square metres; rendering it the largest development project in Deira. The project comprises the construction of hundreds of hotels, furnished flats, mixed-use buildings and marinas. It is expected to attract about 250,000 residents. “The newly constructed bridges and roads provide access points to and from Deira Islands at the intersection of Al Khaleej-Abu Baker Al Siddique Streets. The bridges span 2,571 metres in length and have a total capacity of 20,700 vehicles per hour,” said His Excellency Mattar Mohammed Al Tayer, Director-General and Chairman of the Board of Executive Directors of Roads and Transport Authority. “The project will raise the capacity of Al Khaleej St. along 1.8km stretch, and provide better traffic safety and services from the intersection of Abu Hail Northwards to Al Baraha Hospital Southwards. Such improvements are attributed to the addition of two signalised junctions at the intersections with Abu Hail and Abu Baker Al Siddique Streets in place of the existing R/As. Street improvements also include rails, traffic signs, rainwater drainage works, utility shifting and street lighting,” explained Al Tayer.

Emirates announced it will resume passenger services to Kuwait City (August 5) and Lisbon (August 16). This will take Emirates’ passenger network to 70 destinations in August, over 50% of its pre-pandemic destination network, as the airline gradually resumes operations with the safety of its customers, crew and communities as its top priority. Flights from Dubai to Kuwait City will operate as a daily service and flights from Dubai to Lisbon will operate three times a week. The flights will be operated with the Emirates Boeing 777-300ER and can be booked on emirates.com or via travel agents. Destination Dubai: From sun-soaked beaches and heritage activities to world class hospitality and leisure facilities, Dubai is one of the most popular global destinations. In 2019, the city welcomed 16.7 million visitors and hosted over hundreds of global meetings and exhibitions, as well as sports and entertainment events. Free, global cover for COVID-19 related costs: Customers can now travel with confidence, as Emirates has committed to cover COVID-19 related medical expenses, free of cost, should they be diagnosed with COVID-19 during their travel while they are away from home. This cover is immediately effective for customers flying on Emirates until October 31, 2020 (first flight to be completed on or before 31 October 2020), and is valid for 31 days from the moment they fly the first sector of their journey. Health and safety: Emirates has implemented a comprehensive set of measures at every step of the customer journey to ensure the safety of its customers and employees on the ground and in the air, including the distribution of complimentary hygiene kits containing masks, gloves, hand sanitiser and antibacterial wipes to all customers.

Heralding growing confidence among travellers in the wake of the global COVID-19 pandemic, Rotana has revealed that occupancy levels are continuing to rise at its properties. The company’s UAE portfolio recorded an average of 60% to 65% occupancy during the weekends since last month, with growth in guest numbers fuelled by an increasing demand for short ‘staycation’-style breaks among residents. Reflecting on the latest developments, Guy Hutchinson, President & CEO, Rotana commented, “The hospitality industry is embarking on the next phase of its recovery as guests begin to regain confidence in travel by enjoying local breaks. We are proud to contribute to the acceleration of this process through our industry-leading Rotana Safe Space programme, which has been very well received and enables guests to relax, safe in the knowledge that they are in caring hands at all of our properties.” Rotana also revealed that between 5% and 6% of bookings at its UAE properties have been made by overseas travellers, a number that is projected to rise as international flights gradually resume. The figures underline the resilience of the nation’s hospitality sector, which has successfully weathered the storm created by travel restrictions implemented around the world in response to the crisis. Hutchinson continued, “The UAE has done a tremendous job in containing the virus and is ready to welcome international guests, as highlighted by the recent WTTC Safe Travels stamps awarded across the country. While the journey toward a full recovery will take time, we are well on our way to rebuilding the trust of travellers and embracing the future with a renewed sense of optimism. We look forward to welcoming guests from around the world to share Treasured Time …

One of the most visited destinations by the GCC and Middle East has been Thailand for various many reasons. Thailand tourism will host its first virtual event on Monday 10th August 2020 from 11am to 12 noon. Join in and learn at the webinar some vital information about the destination. Pichaya Saisaengchan, Director of Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) Dubai &The Middle East Office shared that The Middle East is home to a youthful population, and millennials in the region are some of the highest spenders globally. As a result, they are constantly developing their tourism offerings in order to move away from mass tourism and encourage sustainable tourism in order to attract millennials. The webinar, ‘Arab Millennials in Amazing Thailand’, sheds light on the Kingdom’s latest tourism offerings to our partners in the region to cater to the growing demographic – including dining, shopping, and off-the-beaten-path regions to visit.

Etihad Airways has launched innovative new protective wear for First and Business class guests. As part of its new health and hygiene programme, Etihad Wellness, premium passengers will receive a snood style facemask for use throughout their journey and beyond. The soft reusable snood has been treated with MicrobeBARRIER fabric treatment, a broad spectrum antimicrobial treatment, laboratory tested and proven to reduce the presence of germs in fabrics. With this long-lasting protective layer, the snoods are washable and reusable, making them environmentally friendly. Travellers can choose to wear the snood around their neck like a scarf and when in close proximity to others, pull it up over their mouth and nose to protect themselves and those around them. Made out of lightweight, breathable and stretchy jersey fabric, the snood is comfortable and ideal for travel because it can be easily slipped on and off as needed. The safety, health, and wellbeing of Etihad’s guests is the airlines top priority, during and beyond the flight. The MicrobeBARRIER treated snood is one of the many initiatives the airline has introduced to create a healthier and cleaner environment.

Riyadh Travel Fair 2020 has been postponed for the second time in 2020 due to the COVID–19. The Travel Fair is planning to return in 2021, with dates fixed for March 15-18, 2021. The decision was made in the interest of public health and safety by officials at ASAS Exhibitions and Conference Organizing Company, the company responsible for organizing the annual travel fair. Bandar Al-Quraini, General Manager of ASAS Exhibitions and Conference Organizing Company said, “While our travel partners and visiting public were looking extremely forward to another exciting edition of the Riyadh Travel Fair, our concern for public health and safety during this pandemic necessitated its 2nd time postponement.” He added, “We are now planning for the 2021 edition, and look forward to welcoming back all our travel industry partners and public then, once the health and safety of visitors can be fully assured and as always in accordance with Saudi government regulations and advisories.” Riyadh Travel Fair is the largest tourism and travel exhibition in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, attracting visitors and exhibitors from countries in the Middle East and North Africa, Asia, Australia, and Europe. The 2020 edition was to see 275 exhibitors representing more than 50 countries participating, with visitors expected to surpass 30,000 during the three-day event.

VFS Global has announced the launch of a COVID-19 Diagnostic PCR and Antibody testing service starting from August 3, 2020 in the UAE. The service is offered in partnership with UAE Ministry of Health approved and certified testing laboratories. While VFS Global provides a seamless online appointment booking system, tests are conducted by trained medical professionals from approved and certified testing laboratories. The test reports are directly sent by the partnered laboratory to the registered email address of the individual within 24 hours, ensuring confidentiality. Customers can have their test sample collected either at the partnered certified laboratory in Ajman, Dubai, or Sharjah, or at a location of choice within the UAE using the ‘At Your Doorstep’ service. An exclusive fast track service and a dedicated help desk is provided for VFS Global customers to reduce the waiting time. Speaking on the launch of the service, Vinay Malhotra, Regional Group COO – South Asia, Middle East & North Africa, Americas, said, “We believe a convenient and reliable pre-departure COVID-19 testing solution can become a catalyst in the recovery process of international travel by providing an assurance to destination countries, airlines and travellers and by becoming a major risk-mitigator. Countries might even consider making this mandatory for all incoming travellers to ease the pressure of testing upon arrival.”

Reed Travel Exhibitions, the exhibition organisers behind IGTM (International Golf Travel Market) has confirmed that IGTM 2020 (due to take place October 19-22, 2020) at Celtic Manor Wales will now postponed, to 2021. In a statement released by David Todd, Event Manager, IGTM said, “With the current restrictions affecting so many of our key stakeholders whose welfare is our number one priority, we simply cannot recreate the same on-site face to face experiences and meeting quality that we would expect at an IGTM event. After much consideration, we have made the difficult decision to postpone IGTM Wales to 2021.” “We recognise that business has to continue and know how important IGTM is as a meeting place for annual business strategies, so we do not want that opportunity to go to waste. Therefore, as a thank you to the industry’s loyalty over the last 23 years, and for this year only, we’re going virtual and global with IGTM LINKS – and it’s completely free of charge for all delegates. Following research with all of our stakeholders, we’ve had some excellent feedback expressing the need to ‘keep the communication flowing’ and ‘developing digital platforms for destination gathering without having to embark ourselves on fact finding missions’. Our aim is to keep everyone connected at this difficult time for the travel industry and the golf travel community, to be that business support system and help keep our world moving towards 2021,” Todd added. Todd concluded, “IGTM LINKS is not a replacement for IGTM, rather it is a one-off event we have created to keep the industry connected with the obvious opportunity to do business, keep their conversations going, catch up and arrange appointments …

WTM London and ITIC will come up together to host a tourism investment summit that will help recover businesses and restore travellers’ confidence after the COVID-19 pandemic. The conference aims to explain the financial mechanisms that allow travel companies to recover and rebuild. Investment experts will also give guidelines on how to prepare for any other future global disaster. Dr. Taleb Rifai, Chairman of ITIC and former Secretary-General of UNWTO said, “It is a great honour and a privilege for ITIC to partner with WTM, the greatest and most impactful Tourism Trade Show in the world. It will focus to prepare a comprehensive tourism recovery plan, to rebuild destinations, encourage innovation and investment, and rethink the tourism sector”. Ibrahim Ayoub, Group CEO, MD and Organiser of ITIC said, “We are thrilled to partner with WTM for our third tourism investment conference where Ministers, Policy Makers, Tourism Leaders and Projects Owners will engage with Investors and Private Equity firms to discuss and explore new financial mechanisms and alliances in sustainable investments in the industry and readying for market recovery in the post COVID-19 era”. Simon Press says, “Our virtual event provides us with the opportunity to work closely with the global travel professionals and ensure we can support the industry in recovering, rebuilding and innovating as quickly and efficiently as possible. “WTM Virtual will embrace travel professional’s communities around the globe. We’re very excited to provide to our clients and visitors the opportunity to attend both shows: live and virtual this year”.