Marriott Executive Apartments, part of Marriott Bonvoy’s portfolio of 30 leading brands, has announced its debut in Qatar with the opening of Marriott Executive Apartments City Center Doha. Owned by Al Rayyan Tourism Investment Company (ARTIC), the elevated serviced apartments answer to the rapidly growing demand for longer stay accommodations which offer a sophisticated experience with amenities and services that mirror the comforts of home. “We are pleased to build on our fantastic relationship with ARTIC and open the first Marriott Executive Apartments in Qatar. With the current trend for ‘bleisure’ travel, we believe this opening will cater for guests looking to mix business and leisure travel by creating a ‘home from home’ feeling for their longer stay,” said Safak Guvenc, Area Vice President, Gulf, Levant and Turkey, Marriott International. “This opening reflects ARTIC’s investment strategy focused on high-quality hospitality assets in premium destinations that enable us to create significant additional value through redevelopment, rebranding, or reformatting in partnership with leading global operators like Marriott International. Marriott Executive Apartments City Center Doha enhances our extended stay and serviced apartment offering and underlines our commitment to providing a full range of accommodation at the highest quality and standards of service. This is one of six properties in Qatar that we plan to launch with Marriott International this year, as we continue to balance our growing portfolio of operating assets with a healthy future project pipeline and contribute to the continuing expansion and range of Qatar’s hospitality sector in the process,” said Tarek El Sayed, CEO and Managing Director, ARTIC. “We are excited to welcome guests to enjoy a premium and trusted home-away-from-home experience at Marriott Executive Apartments in Doha. Our team …

“Malaysia has already placed strict SOP’s and at present open for business travellers. We are looking at opening travel bubbles with our neighbouring countries like Singapore and Thailand and by Q3 or 2022 exploring to open to other markets starting with China, Japan and India and then reaching the Middle East. We are constantly reviewing all possibilities, SOPs are already in place for various touristic areas and hotels in keeping with international standard. It is good to connect with all of you for the first time from Middle East and India together at the second edition of the Gulf Travel Show,” says Manoharan Periasamy – Senior Director of International Promotion Asia & Africa Division – Malaysia Tourism Promotion Board. He adds, “We participated in November 2020 for the first time at the Gulf Travel Show and due to the positive feedback received from the travel trade we pledged our support as diamond partner at this second edition with 10 selected partners from Malaysia showcasing their many offerings for two whole days. It is a great opportunity to be with the industry players from Middle East and India as they are two of the key source markets; Middle East in top 5 and India in top 10. For this year, we are promoting the hashtag  #WeMissYou to the market indicating that we miss the tourists coming to our beautiful country and can’t wait to see them again at the Malaysian shore soon.” Shahrin Mokhtar, Director of Tourism Malaysia – Dubai shared, “We have been keeping the Middle East agents engaged by conducting a specialized training programme to learn more about the destination and all its offerings, our participation in the Gulf …

The second edition of the Gulf Travel Show 2021 with Tourism Malaysia as diamond partner ended its first day with over 1,200 meetings and 800 visitors which included travel agents, tour operators, tourism boards, airlines, hotels, travel management companies, international agencies and media. Today, the final day of the show, promises to get bigger and better. San Jeet, Director, DDP group in his welcome message says, “Although this is a virtual show our aim remains the same of connecting people, building relationships and helping them grow their business. We also have 50 industry leaders who are sharing their views on the future trends and the new business model.” Some of the key highlights of the day included panel discussions with renowned personalities in the industry. Ambassador WTTC, Gerald Lawless, kicked off an insightful session on the New Era of hospitality with Raki Phillips – CEO RAKTDA, Tim Cordon – Area Senior Vice President Middle East and Africa Radisson Hotel Group, Marc Descrozaille  COO – Middle East & Africa Region: Gulf (excl. KSA) and Sub-Saharan Africa Accor and Alexander Suski – Commercial and Business Development Director  – ISHRAQ Dubai LLC. Tourism Malaysia conducted two very interesting sessions about rediscovering their destination under two different topics. The first was Discover the Hidden Gems of Malaysia moderated by              Razaidi Abd Rahim, Director, Tourism Malaysia India / Chennai with Thilakavathy Munusamy – Sales & Marketing Director -Legoland Malaysia Resort, Steve Woon, Senior Vice President – Sales & Marketing, Lexis Hotel Group and Yunus Sampeh, General Manager, Borneo Trails Tours and Travel. The second was based on Discover the Hidden Gems of Malaysia moderated by Amir Muhammad Hanif, Marketing Manager, Tourism Malaysia – Dubai Office with …

The inaugural virtual press conference was held on the opening day at the Gulf Travel Show 2021 conducted by Tourism Malaysia. It started off with the promotional video for Malaysia Truly Asia, which transported you virtually from pristine beaches to amazing nature getaways, cultural splendor at Sarawak village, street food and fine dining options, theme parks with the longest water slide, and the famous Petronas tower describing the breathtaking destination of Malaysia. Mohamed Lotfy – PR & Communications from Tourism Malaysia Dubai office welcomed the media and introduced the speakers for the press conference. Opening remarks were made by Manoharan Periasamy – Senior Director of International Promotion Asia & Africa Division – Malaysia Tourism Promotion Board, greeted the Middle East and Indian media for their presence. “It is good to connect with all of you for the first time from Middle East and India together at the second edition of the Gulf Travel Show. We participated in November 2020 for the first time at the Gulf Travel Show and due to the positive feedback received from the travel trade we pledged our support as a diamond partner at this second edition with 10 selected partners from Malaysia showcasing their many offerings for two whole days. It is a great opportunity to be with the industry players from Middle East and India as they are two of the key source markets; Middle East in top 5 and India in top 10. For this year, we are promoting the hashtag  #WeMissYou to the market indicating that we miss the tourists coming to our beautiful country and can’t wait to see them again at the Malaysian shore soon. Malaysia has already placed strict …

Qatar Airways announced its summer schedule, maintaining its position as the leading international carrier providing reliable global connectivity. Having never stopped flying throughout the pandemic the airline has worked diligently to be the world’s leading airline for safety, innovation and customer experience. By the peak of the IATA Summer Season, the national carrier of the State of Qatar plans to operate over 1,200 weekly flights to more than 140 destinations. This has been recognised with multiples awards, including being the first global airline in the world to achieve the prestigious 5-Star COVID-19 Airline Safety Rating by Skytrax. This was in addition to Qatar Airway’s home and hub, Hamad International Airport (HIA), being the first airport in the Middle East and Asia to be awarded a Skytrax 5-Star COVID-19 Airport Safety Rating in December 2020. Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive, His Excellency Akbar Al Baker, said, “We are proud to lead the recovery of international aviation, implementing the highest standards of bio-safety and hygiene and investing in the latest innovations to simplify travel and restore passenger confidence during the most challenging period in aviation’s history. Having never stopped flying throughout the pandemic, we have used our unrivalled experience and modern, fuel-efficient fleet to operate a sustainable and reliable network our passengers, trade partners and corporate customers can rely on. We also continue to offer the largest international network, including launching seven new destinations, to provide the connectivity our passengers and cargo customers need. As the global vaccine rollout begins to gather pace, we look forward to a gradual easing of entry restrictions throughout 2021 and welcoming back our millions of passengers onboard the World’s Best Airline.”

Kanoo Travel has extended its 25-year partnership with Sabre Corporation. A new multi-year agreement will see it using Sabre’s industry-leading technology and solutions to power operations, drive growth and transform the experience it offers travellers in a dynamic travel environment. Through partnering with Sabre, Kanoo Travel was able to develop its own customised platform, Kanoo Krystal, which provides the agency with unique content and corporate solutions that meet evolving traveller needs.  The new agreement will see Krystal combined with Sabre’s cutting-edge Sabre Red 360 platform, which leverages data-driven insights to offer travellers greater choice and highly personalised experiences.  This powerful combination will enable the agency to work faster and smarter and will help generate additional revenue opportunities. “Sabre’s technology has been critical in responding to constantly evolving market demands and traveller needs,” said Nabeel Kanoo, President of Kanoo Travel. “We expect that travel in our region will increase in a post-COVID-19 environment.  We need to be ready for this by equipping ourselves with intelligent technology that makes shopping and booking travel intuitive, personalised and flexible.  Partnering with Sabre will give us a competitive edge during what is a pivotal time for travel.” “To fuel recovery, agencies like Kanoo Travel need access to cutting-edge technology and content,” said Abdul-Razzaq Iyer, vice president, Sabre Travel Network Middle East.  “Kanoo is already a proven innovator in travel, delivering highly tailored experiences to its customers.  However, we expect that any recovery of travel in the Middle East will likely be very competitive, and travellers will want to be given the increased choice, control and flexibility. With its suite of intelligent technology, Sabre can help Kanoo react to real-time changes and deliver a highly consultative service …

Second edition of the virtual trade event, the Gulf Travel Show 2021 connecting Middle East with the world will kick off at 10 am today until 6 pm. The two-day event will include networking sessions between Middle East and the globe along with 50 experts from the travel, tourism and hospitality sector as they discuss the current status of the industry. Successfully concluded in 2020 with 40 plus exhibitors, 6000 one-to-one meetings, and 2,500 visitors from 59 countries which included travel agents, tour operators, tourism boards, airlines, hotels, travel management companies and international agencies encouraged the emergence of a second edition. Some of the exhibitors shared their views before the event. Olivier Ponti, VP of Insights, Forward Keys, “The Gulf Travel Show presents a great opportunity for ForwardKeys to assist the many businesses in the Gulf region to get back up on their feet. Already our travel data is showing improvement in future air bookings to Egypt, Dubai, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and even the Maldives. Now is the time to seize new business opportunities by making smart business decisions driven by real time data. At the GTS 2021, ForwardKeys will show off for the very first time its latest addition to Traveller Statistics, a dataset designed for the travel industry to monitor traveller departures at airports around the world. We now can show you short-term and long-term forecasts, 10 years into the future.” Shady Dawad – General Manager – Copthorne Hotel, “Due to current Covid-19 restrictions, it is important to maintain strategic partnerships with Travel Trade in order for any hotel business to thrive amidst pandemic. Sharing of best practices, strategies, and lessons learnt is vital for maintaining the business health …

Island resorts around the world will lead the recovery in leisure travel, according to research carried out ahead of Arabian Travel Market (ATM) 2021, which will be in a hybrid format, with the in-person event taking place on 16-19 May at the Dubai World Trade Centre and the virtual event to be held the following week, on 24-26 May. “Both islands tick all of the proverbial boxes for tourists,” said Danielle Curtis, Exhibition Director ME, Arabian Travel Market. “Even though demand maybe pent-up, visitors will still want direct flights, easy access, reasonable restrictions, low COVID cases, good vaccination rates, open and in some cases isolated resorts, with a natural environment including quiet beaches,” added Curtis. “And after a standard temperature checks upon arrival at the hotel, guests in the Maldives can roam freely, they only need to wear a mask indoors, with similar restrictions applicable in Seychelles,” added Curtis. “With three weekly flights from Dubai, Cyprus is another interesting case and from April, it will welcome Israeli tourists who have had both vaccination doses,” said Curtis.

Khimji’s House of Travel, one of the leading travel companies in Oman, has extended its partnership with Amadeus to build momentum around its digital transformation and the development of integrated travel services. Since 2012, Amadeus has worked with the agency to strengthen its position in Oman’s travel and tourism market as well as helping it expand across the region. Cashio Vettom, General Manager of Khimji’s House of Travel, said: “One of the pillars of our success has been an unwavering focus on digital transformation and innovation. We have developed state-of-the-art service platforms with the support and expertise of Amadeus – a pioneer of the global travel industry. Our experience means we can completely trust Amadeus to offer solutions that ensure we exceed our customers’ expectations. This is especially important considering the uncertainties of the COVID-19 pandemic, and as we strive to give confidence to the local travel market.” Ernesto Sanchez Beaumont, Managing Director of Amadeus Gulf, said, “Our priority in Oman has always been on maintaining strong, long-lasting relationships with our customers. Khimji’s House of Travel is a great example of how trust built over time brings dividends to our customers and the travelers they serve. We are determined to keep delivering digital solutions that enable the agency to offer its customers an even more rewarding and seamless, travel experience.”

Tourism Malaysia pledged partnership for the second consecutive time at the second edition of the Gulf Travel Show on 31st March and 1st April 2021 as diamond partners. Tourism Malaysia will have its own pavilion with 13 booths consisting of Tourism Malaysia Dubai, Tourism Malaysia Jeddah, Tourism Malaysia India with 3 DMC/Tour Operator partners, and 7 hotels and resorts from different areas in the country. This platform will allow them to share the necessary precautions that they have implemented to ensure the safety of all travellers that will come when the borders open. Manoharan Periasamy, Senior Director of International Promotion Asia & Africa Division – Malaysia Tourism Promotion Board said, “India and Middle East market has been a key source market for us mainly due to the historical and traditional ties we have with them. Summer has always been a key Middle East market driver as we receive many travellers during this period whilst the month of May is the peak for Indian tourists. Over the past year, the pandemic however did hinder the situation, but now we are preparing once again to welcome our friends from India and the Middle East to a safer destination that would provide them what they require in terms of a secure, family-friendly holiday escape. Our partnership for the second consecutive time with the virtual event Gulf Travel Show provides us the opportunity to renew partnerships and seek new connections that will help us when the time is right.” Shahrin Mokhtar, Director of Tourism Malaysia – Dubai shared, “Tourism Malaysia Dubai, Jeddah & India join forces with major tourism partners to spearhead Malaysia promotion in Virtual Gulf Travel Show 2021. Tourism Malaysia has become …