Emirates airline rolled out a brand new, state-of-the-art online gateway to serve its travel trade partners around the world. Tailored for each market, and personalised for each partner to cater to their unique business environment and needs, the Emirates Partners Portal is a one-stop shop for travel industry partners to quickly and securely access the full range of information on Emirates’ latest products, services and policies, and obtain technical support. This dynamic platform reshapes the way Emirates delivers information to their trade partner community. The portal also offers a range of functions including self-service tools and support, and in-built automation of business processes, all aimed at delivering efficiency for travel partners, as well as providing transparency and clarity on the status of transactions. Adnan Kazim, Emirates’ Chief Commercial Officer said: “This is a bespoke platform which is unique in the industry, and it allows us to offer a truly personalised experience based on our partners’ profiles and needs. We invested in listening to our agents and partners, and then we built the Emirates Partner Portal to address their needs whether for information, training or technical support. We are grateful for our partnership with trade communities around the world and are excited to engage and support them through this new platform. “Through the Emirates Partner Portal, backed by the expert support of our commercial teams around the world, we aim to offer unmatched flexibility and empower our travel partners so that they can confidently provide even better services to their customers, and help them to fly better with Emirates. This launch comes at an especially critical in our industry, where the need for the most up-to-date travel information is an essential …

Al Hamra International Exhibition & Conference Centre, a spectacular venue developed by Al Hamra Real Estate Development, has been recognised as the first safe MICE (meeting, incentive, convention & event) facility in the region by Bureau Veritas, a world leader in testing, inspection and certification services. This certification further underlines the group’s commitment to deliver a safe environment for event organisers and visitors whilst achieving operational excellence in the ‘new normal’. Al Hamra International Exhibition & Conference Centre is designed to meet the needs of every event organiser – from gala dinners, product launches, exhibitions, destination weddings, private events and more. Adapting to the new normal, the preventive measures introduced at the venue include, among others, health assessment and screenings of staff and visitors, enhanced health and hygiene practices across the venue including catering, availability of hand sanitisers, enforcing social distancing measures, re-evaluation of timelines to avoid queuing and bottlenecks, the reduction in the venue participant capacity as appropriate and use of hybrid setting to enable participants to engage virtually. Al Hamra International Exhibition & Conference Centre was assessed on factors including commitment to the programme; respect for social distancing guidelines; compliance with hygienic practices and measures, as well as surveillance and management of any issues. Meeting these requirements, the world-class facility has been awarded the label by the Bureau for a period of six months.

His Excellency Major General Mohammed Ahmed Al Marri, Director General of Dubai’s General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs (GDRFA) met with representatives of tourism companies in Dubai to discuss the mechanism for granting tourist visas as part of promoting and revitalising tourism in the post-COVID-19 phase. The meeting was also attended by HE Major General Obaid Muhair bin Suroor, Deputy Director General of GDRFA Dubai, Colonel Dr. Omar Al Shamsi, Assistant Director General for Entry and Residence Permits Sector, and other officials. “Dubai’s Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing and tourism companies are major partners of the GDRFA in the effort to realise Dubai’s vision to become the world’s leading tourism destination and commercial hub,” Al Marri added. His Excellency said he expects tourism to emerge stronger from the crisis with the removal of air travel restrictions and the resumption of all vital sectors in the country. He emphasised that the UAE has proven its ability to overcome the crisis by creating a robust framework for managing the impact of the pandemic and implementing comprehensive precautionary measures. Following the resumption of air travel, international tourism flows have been increasing, he noted. Al Marri further said the GDRFA is geared to contribute to the revitalisation of tourism in Dubai. The department is working constantly with its partners to facilitate the procedures for issuing visas and receiving travellers, while ensuring compliance with the UAE government’s measures to protect everyone’s health and safety. He stressed on the need to adhere to the UAE government’s air travel protocols.

Experience Hub has announced the launch of the ‘Yas Wellness Program’ on Yas Island, Abu Dhabi’s premier leisure and entertainment hub, following the announcement of the reopening of Yas Theme Parks and attractions at 30% capacity and as part of the Island’s continued commitment to the health and safety of its guests and employees. Travel trade professionals across all markets are invited to learn more about Yas Wellness program through the Yas Expert platform, the dedicated destination online training and certification programme for travel agents. With Ferrari World Abu Dhabi and Warner Bros. World Abu Dhabi set to welcome annual passholders on July 28, with all theme parks and CLYMB Abu Dhabi opening to all guests from 29th July 29, the ‘Yas Wellness Program’ will reassure visitors of Yas Island on the enhanced health and safety measures. Yas Island’s hotels will be open from Saturday August 1. The initiative offers all visitors, trade partners and prospective guests a direct line of communication to specially trained team members to answer all queries and concerns before they visit the island. Starting today, Yas Wellness Ambassadors are available across multiple platforms, including phone, social media, WhatsApp and email, to answer guests’ questions on the health and safety measures in place at the reopened Yas Theme Parks and attractions. The ambassadors will also be on hand to answer queries regarding openings and closures across the island, hotel reopening dates and general visitor information. Yas Island has doubled the cleaning teams and reduced capacity across all attractions, increased the frequency of sanitization at frequent touch points and high traffic areas, and defined clear and separate entry and exit points. Social distancing policies are in place …

Domus Group, organisers of the Dubai HeliShow has announced the new dates of the event to January 19-21, 2021 which was originally to take place in November 2020. To be held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, the coming 8th edition of the Dubai HeliShow is being formatted to become a hybrid type of show – the first ever event in the Middle East region to use this engaging combination of physical and 3D virtual format for tradeshows, conferences, seminars, workshops and the like. Ahmad Abulhoul, Managing Director, Domus Group said, “Following feedback from the industry and with the future development of Dubai HeliShow has promped it necessary to postponed the event. Though 70% of the planned exhibition space and sponsorship are already booked, the over-riding factor for the decision is to give our exhibitor and sponsors a wide range of audience from around the world – either in person or online – to participate. The new dates will allow more time for global participants to prepare, and the implementation of hybrid format will give convenience and flexibility to allow expansion into other world markets that had once found it difficult or costly to attend in person.” Maysoon Abulhoul, Chief Operating Officer (COO), Domus Group commented, “By applying this new hybrid format type of event, Dubai HeliShow’s conference is set to combine a ‘live’ in person experience with a ‘virtual’ online component–giving both physical and online speakers and attendees the same event interaction within the timeframe of the event. The exhibition component of the show will be combining physical exhibitors over an …

Global Village announced the opening date for Season 25 as Sunday October 25, 2020. This Silver Jubilee Season promises to be a season like no other. In addition to the much-loved dining, shopping, entertainment and attractions on offer, including the ever-popular Ripley’s Believe It Or Not! museum attraction, Global Village promises enhancements in guest experience and some surprises that will unfold as part of the Silver Jubilee celebrations. Bader Anwahi, Chief Executive Officer, Global Village, said, “We feel that this is an important message for the country and the region. Over the years we have become a mainstay for family entertainment across the region, and we are proud to be able to play an important role in driving the ‘open for business’ message.” “Business excellence is at the core of our business” continued Anwahi “We are setting the standard in many areas including health and safety. Our team is working tirelessly to ensure that our guests return to Global Village with confidence. Whether it’s by using state of the art technology for wayfinding and contactless payment or by adapting our entertainment offerings, we are breaking new ground across all our verticals for the comfort and happiness of our guests.” The season will run for 25 weeks this year, which means Global Village visitors will, for the first time in many years, be able to experience Ramadan at the park. This provides a great opportunity for people to enjoy the many cuisines of the world for Iftar and take full advantage of Ramadan shopping. Families will also be delighted to learn that opening hours on Saturday have changed to give younger children plenty of time to enjoy the park before bedtime. …

The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) is asking millennials in the Middle East to share their top destinations in the kingdom that they have visited or are interested to visit through its online poll, ‘Amazing Thailand Millennial Roadmap Survey’. As travel restrictions start to ease around the world, Thailand is taking strides to kick start its tourism as it prepares to welcome travellers back to its shores. With the purpose of mapping some of the top must-visit places in Thailand. Welcoming over 550,000 visitors from the Middle East and generating an income of more than 1.4 billion USD in 2019, Arab millennials are among the highest spenders in the world, spending up to twice as much as millennials from the US, Europe, and Asia, and are considered catalyst for the growth of the tourism industry. The ‘Amazing Thailand Millennial Roadmap Survey’ is designed to gather and develop a directory of destination hotspots and hidden gems to visit, tailor-made for the Arab millennial. The Tourism Authority of Thailand will conduct the ongoing survey through their social media channels, including Facebook and Instagram until August 26, 2020. The channels will post both photos and videos of a variety of destinations across the Kingdom and will enable millennials to share their preferences in an online poll. The survey findings will then be used to develop the ideal Thai travel guide that caters to the travel group’s preferences, which will not only include popular touristic destinations, but also hidden gems of the vibrant, scenic, and buzzing country. In addition, participants will automatically enter a weekly draw for a chance to win a Bose SoundLink Revolve+ portable Bluetooth speaker, which will be delivered to their …

With the resumption of economic activities in Singapore, Singapore Tourism Board (STB) is preparing for the calibrated and safe resumption of B2B events in the coming months. To do so, STB has developed a risk management framework for business events of up to 50 attendees, based on strict safe management measures. STB will trial this framework with two pilot events before gradually scaling up to other events and event organisers (EOs) thereafter. Professor Shen Zhongxiang, General Co-Chair of the 2020 IEEE International Conference on Computational Electromagnetics, said, “We chose to continue with our conference in Singapore because of the country’s strong track record in delivering quality business events. We have complete trust that the Singapore authorities and our venue partner have stringent measures to help us deliver a safe event for our participants.” Keith Tan, Chief Executive, Singapore Tourism Board, said, “Singapore’s business events sector has shown much resilience during this difficult period, and we are grateful for their innovativeness and adaptability. While COVID-19 has severely disrupted the industry, I am confident that Singapore will lead the way in reimagining what a safe and high-quality business event could look like. Together with our industry, we want to set Singapore apart as the world’s leading destination for safe, trusted and innovative business events.” Aloysius Arlando, President, SACEOS, said, “Right now, our industry is at a strategic crossroads, and I am heartened that many of our members and industry players have leveraged this crisis as an opportunity to innovate and upskill. We are taking a whole-of-industry approach to establishing safe operating standards and resilient businesses. Together with STB and industry, we have marshalled our collective wisdom and strength to formulate the IRR …

The embassy of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in Bahrain announced that its citizens can return to the Kingdom via the King Fahd Causeway without prior permission, as of Thursday July 23, 2020. Saudi citizens who wish to return to Saudi Arabia should comply with the precautionary measures in force in the Kingdom. The reopening of the causeway comes as Bahrain and Saudi ease COVID-19 restrictions. The 25km-long causeway linking Saudi Arabia and Bahrain is instrumental to economic and tourism activities in both countries. Last year Bahrain received a total of 11.1 million visitors, with 88% are coming through the King Fahad causeway, accounting for 9.7 million visitors

Travel agent’s duties post COVID is going to be a little bit more than anticipated hence, Baraka Travel Suite has put down options that will ensure ease for today’s travel agents. Oscar Herencia, Chief Executive Officer of Baraka Travel Suite stated that he was so eager to present the new updates with travel agents in the UAE as he believes in the health and safety of the destination. Herencia is no stranger to the UAE, as he has been a regular traveller setting up his UAE branch office just one year ago and supporting his UAE Operations as Country Manager is Mushtaq Haffil. Herencia stated, “Our Dynamic Traveller platform allows the travel agent to design either single or multi-destination trip selecting the services with best cancellation policies. This was an area that really worried the travellers and we believe that it is utmost important to reassure the traveller at all times and as the agent, it is a key component of your duty to your client.” He further stated how it can benefit the traveller and the incentives the travel agent can receive. “Dynamic Traveller offers them the results for all transportation and accommodation at a time. Then is it possible to customise it according to customer preferences and also add activities in the cities visited, rent-a-car, transfers and insurance. And specially, agents can have their own mark-up ready but also can change at any moment before sending the quotation. The brochure quotation is done in few seconds and is easily shared with customers by email, whatsapp, facebook, twitter or telegram.”