Etihad Airways launched its regular flight service between Abu Dhabi and Tel Aviv. Additionally, on Monday, Israel was added to Abu Dhabi’s ‘green list’, giving quarantine-free travel for visitors arriving in Abu Dhabi. The launch of scheduled operations comes as the next historic step in developing diplomatic, trade and tourism ties between Israel and the UAE, which were inked as part of the Abraham Accords in September 2020. Abu Dhabi’s Etihad Airways EY598, the first scheduled flight from Abu Dhabi International Airport to Ben Gurion International Airport, took to the skies this morning (Tuesday) at 10:05 (UAE time). Onboard the flight was a diplomatic and economic delegation representing the UAE. The delegation includes H.E. Mohamed Al-Khaja, UAE’s first Ambassador to Israel, Eitan Nae’eh, Israel’s Head of Mission to the UAE, and Tony Douglas, Etihad’s Group CEO. Tony Douglas, Group Chief Executive Officer, Etihad Aviation Group, said, “Today is a hugely significant moment in Etihad’s history, as we operate our first scheduled commercial flight into Tel Aviv. Last year, we witnessed the UAE and Israel make history when signing the Abraham Accords, and we are tremendously excited about the opportunities this poses to Etihad, and our home Abu Dhabi.” “On our inaugural flight today, we were delighted to welcome representatives from some of the UAE’s finest tourism and hospitality operators. These business leaders will not only showcase Abu Dhabi as a world-leading tourism destination but also reinforce the emirate’s robust and united response towards wellness,” added Douglas

Air Arabia has announced the resumption of direct flights between Sharjah and Sarajevo, capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina, starting May 7, 2021. Customers can now book their direct flights between Sharjah and Sarajevo by visiting Air Arabia’s website, by calling the call centre, or through travel agencies. Ensuring the highest standards of safety at every step of the journey by following all health and safety protocols, Air Arabia has also added to the convenience and confidence of passengers by introducing free COVID-19 insurance coverage. The insurance is automatically included as part of the booking and no additional documents are required from passengers.

flydubai has resumed flights to Eritrea’s capital Asmara with weekly flight service. Flights to Asmara start from 15 April and will operate between Terminal 2, Dubai International (DXB) and Asmara International Airport (ASM). Flights are now available to book on flydubai.com. With the relaunch of flights to Asmara, flydubai has been steadily increasing its operations and has recently announced the start of flights to a number of destinations including Doha, Istanbul and the Maldives as well as new routes such as Malta, Tel Aviv and Tirana. Ghaith Al Ghaith, Chief Executive Officer at flydubai, said, “We continue to reopen destinations on our network and look forward to offering our passengers the convenience of direct airlinks to Dubai.” Sudhir Sreedharan, Senior Vice President of Commercial Operations (UAE, GCC, Africa and the Indian Subcontinent) at flydubai, said: “We are pleased to relaunch our operations to Eritrea as we continue to offer convenient and reliable travel services between both countries. We look forward to welcoming our passengers from Asmara back onboard our flights as they travel to Dubai and beyond on our growing network.”

Epic Reality designed to help tourists & locals navigate the city of Dubai safely and in a time-efficient manner has officially launched from Modus Capital’s Venture Studio, and is now available for download on Apple iOS and Android devices. Conceptualized in the UAE, Epic Reality acts as a city guide that provides real-time updates on the city’s safe and risk zones, as well as critical information related to COVID-19 health precautions, including social distance practices, facial wear dress code policies, seating capacity, temperature checks, and the relative exposure risk based on indoor vs. outdoor activities etc. The score is compiled from the most up-to-date international data sources such as the World Health Organization (WHO) and run through a proprietary algorithm to produce a COVID-19 Risk Score.   Users can browse a listing of fun engaging activities, events, travel tours, sightseeing spots, restaurants, bars, cafés—and learn about each venue or activity’s health measures to ensure a safe travel experience during their stay in Dubai. Ahmad Daneshvar, Epic Reality Co-Founder, said, “We are extremely excited to be able to allow travellers to enjoy Dubai in a safe and risk-free environment by helping them stay well-informed of the city’s health & safety measures. We want to provide travellers—and locals alike—with essential information on how to get around Dubai during the pandemic when health and safety concerns are top of mind.” “The application has been developed with an intuitive design and user-friendly interface that promises to give users timely information and provide significant assistance during the pandemic,” added Daniel Ashtari, Co-Founder. “Epic Reality will enable tourists and locals to discover and book activities in a well-informed and safe manner,” said Kareem Elsirafy, Managing Partner at …

Emirates airline has announced it will resume four-weekly services to Orlando from 2nd June 2021, further expanding its US network, and offering customers worldwide more travel choices and enhanced connectivity via Dubai. With the addition of Orlando, Emirates will be serving over 60 weekly services to and from 11 US destinations including Boston, New York (JFK), Los Angeles, Chicago, Washington D.C, Seattle, Dallas, Houston, San Francisco and Newark (in June), reaffirming the airline’s ongoing commitment to this growing market and offering a convenient connection to travellers headed from and towards the Middle East, West Asia, and Africa via Dubai. Emirates customers also have seamless access to other US cities via the airline’s codeshare agreements with Jetblue and Alaskan Airlines. Flights to/from Orlando will operate four times weekly on Emirates’ two-class Boeing 777-200LR, offering 38 lie-flat seats in Business and 264 ergonomically designed seats in Economy class. Emirates flight EK219 will depart Dubai at 08:55hrs, arriving in Orlando at 16:30hrs while the return flight EK220 will depart Orlando at 21:00 hrs, arriving in Dubai at 19:10hrs the next day.  

REHLATY by dnata Travel revealed its most popular holiday destinations over the spring break holiday as UAE travellers look set to explore more of the world as restrictions ease for travel to more places worldwide.  Now in year two of its operation, REHLATY, part of the dnata Travel Group, has revealed that 70% of its bookings in 2021 so far have been for outbound travel, with the Maldives and Tanzania proving the top-selling destinations for its Emirati travellers. For this latest holiday in the UAE calendar, trending getaways of interest for REHLATY’s customer base include family travel to Bosnia for an escape amidst the Olympic Mountains, family-friendly beach breaks on the Indian Ocean islands of the Maldives and Zanzibar, safari journeys across Tanzania, and beach and wildlife-filled adventures in Sri Lanka. Rehab Mansoor, General Manager at REHLATY by dnata Travel, commented, “At REHLATY, we aim to keep our finger on the pulse of travel trends monitoring destinations that are open for travel and providing accessible, safe travel from the UAE with the needs and wants of the Emirati traveller community always front-of-mind – keeping travellers in the know and creating perfect holiday itineraries. “In 2021 so far, 63% of our overall bookings have been for couples who trusted their dedicated REHLATY Relationship Manager to provide a tailor-made romantic getaway and a stress-free honeymoon of a lifetime. This has been followed by families who come to us to ease the process of arranging their holiday and all of the extra details they might be looking for.” “From our destination knowledge, and in response to latest trends and requests, we have created new itineraries for the spring holiday and beyond, taking families, …

In a few hours, you will be transported to the beautiful Spanish islands by 3 experts as they conduct the final in the tri-series Rediscover Spain webinar with Daniel Rosado Bayon – Director-Spain Tourism GCC & Iran,  Laura Marichal Báez​-Tourist Promotion Coordinator – Tenerife Select, Maximo Caletrio-Market Manager – Brand Management Department, Visit Valencia and Carlos Bernús Blanch, Tourist Promotion Manager – Island Council of Formentera. Daniel Rosado Bayon – Director-Spain Tourism GCC & Iran – “There is much more to know about Spain as Spain being a year round destination, the possibilities in the country are endless. From stunning landscapes to vibrant cities and towns to Arab heritage and great shopping- Spain has it all. With these webinars , we will have an interesting journey through different regions of Spain and get a better understanding of its offering.” Laura Marichal Báez​-Tourist Promotion Coordinator – Tenerife Select – “Tenerife, a  Spanish island located in the Canary Islands, is a renowned luxury destination in Europe known as Atlantic Hawaii, as it has a year-round spring climate. Tenerife can offer the GCC market a wide range of services and facilities designed to meet the needs of the most demanding clients, with a renovated and extensive hotel infrastructure and with an excellent selection of modern and luxurious complimentary leisure offer, which positions us as the leading choice in the Canary Islands and the second-best luxury destination in Spain.” Maximo Caletrio-Market Manager – Brand Management Department, Visit Valencia, “València’s geographical location makes it an excellent operational base from which to explore the rest of Spain. At just an hour and a half from Madrid by train, three hours from Barcelona by car, and with …

Arabian Adventures to launch ‘The Perfect Evening by Arabian Adventures’, a new, high-end dining experience in the Dubai Desert Conservation Reserve (DDCR). Known for its award-winning range of desert safaris, city tours and ongoing commitment to conservation in the DDCR, Arabian Adventures is revealing a luxurious new camp in a private ‘cove’ amidst the dunes of this spectacular, pristine reserve – set to provide a unique, once-in-a-lifetime desert voyage, with a front-row seat to the stars. The experience includes pick-up and drives into the DDCR in a premium vehicle with an Arabian Adventures expert safari guide, sundowners with canapes at a perfect sunset stop, and premium dining at the newly-designed camp with a private chef and waiter, with some traditional Arabian surprises for guests along the way. Justine Thomas, General Manager at Arabian Adventures, commented, “This new, high-end private dining experience in the Dubai Desert Conservation Reserve represents a first for Arabian Adventures, as we continue to evolve and extend our product offering to meet the needs and wants of our customers. “We have witnessed a surge in requests for guests seeking a refined, private dining experience in the Dubai desert. As such, our team of local experts is taking the 5-star restaurant experience you can expect from this incredible city and are placing this into an idyllic setting in its surrounding desert within a new luxury retreat, with a personal waiter and private chef on-site. “Match this premium dining event with the privacy and beauty that can only be found in the DDCR, and we believe that we are introducing a new, must-do Dubai experience, for local residents and international travellers alike.” Thomas concluded, “Complete with a lantern-lit path …

Nakheel announced that The View at The Palm, a stunning observation deck that showcases a 360-degree view of Palm Jumeirah, is set to open its doors to the public on 7 April 2021. Visitors can purchase their tickets and experience the Palm Jumeirah like never-before, as well as embark on an interactive journey towards the rich history of this splendid island through multiple immersive touchpoints. Omar Khoory, Chief Assets and Hospitality Officer, Nakheel said: “Twenty years ago, Nakheel embarked on a journey to bring the vision of Palm Jumeirah to life and today, we celebrate its growing success story by launching The View at The Palm. As well as a world attraction, The View will uncover the evolutionary journey behind building one of the most splendid man-made islands in the world. As Nakheel continues to add innovative destinations to its ever-growing retail portfolio, we hope that these experiences will inspire wonder to visitors of all ages and backgrounds. We are delighted to welcome residents to experience Palm Jumeirah in a completely new way and we are confident that it will be memorable.” Issam Kazim, CEO of Dubai Corporation for Tourism and Commerce Marketing (Dubai Tourism), said: “The View at The Palm marks another major milestone for Dubai’s tourism industry and adds to the city’s range of diverse offerings that residents and visitors can enjoy. The opening of the observation deck under stringent precautionary measures will further enhance the safe environment that Dubai has created in line with the directive of our visionary leadership to ensure that the health and safety of people remains the top priority. The significance of the solid relationships that we have built over the years with …

One of the most aspired destinations by the GCC travellers is the Spanish islands, Turespaña – Spain Tourism Office GCC will conduct the final in the triseries of “Re-discover Spain” on Wednesday 7th April 2021, from 12noon to 1pm. This one hour will enable the travel trade in GCC to learn about the amazing offerings that await them when the borders open. Maximo Caletrio-Market Manager – Brand Management Department,Visit Valencia, “València is located on Spain’s eastern coast, at the mouth of the Turia River, right in the centre of the Gulf of Valencia. It is situated on the shores of the Mediterranean, a stretch of water which has gradually forged the city’s character over the centuries. València’s geographical location makes it an excellent operational base from which to explore the rest of Spain. At just an hour and a half from Madrid by train, three hours from Barcelona by car, and with daily departures to the Balearic Islands, the capital of the Mediterranean is well worth a visit. Bask in the city’s pleasant climate, stroll along its wide sandy beaches, just fifteen minutes from the centre of València, catch a glimpse of its past, sample the local cuisine and discover the richness of its culture.” Carlos Bernús Blanch, Tourist Promotion Manager – Island Council of Formentera, “Formentera is the smallest inhabited island of the Balearic Islands (83.2 km2) and has a peculiar indented shape giving it a large stretch of coastline (69 km) made up of numerous beaches and coves and curious coastal nooks and crannies. The island of Formentera is located in the Mediterranean Sea and is part of the Balearic archipelago. From the moment you disembark on Formentera you …