Etihad Airways has been awarded the New Distribution Capability (NDC) Level 4 certification, by IATA. NDC enhances communication between the airline industry and travel agents, which allows for more effective merchandising, competitive propositions and product personalisation. The NDC standard allows Etihad to transform the way its products are retailed to corporations, leisure and business travellers by addressing the industry’s current distribution limitations such as time-to-market and product differentiation. Level 4 is among the highest NDC certifications awarded by IATA and demonstrates that Etihad’s NDC Offer and Order capability now includes full service and change capability. As a result, partners can now shop, order and amend the order using the NDC connection. Vijay Bathija, Vice President Revenue Management, Etihad Airways said, “Achieving IATA’s Level 4 NDC certification is an important milestone in Etihad’s accelerated digital transformation programme, and a necessity to connect with major players and aggregators. Embracing an agile delivery model is proof of Etihad’s commitment to providing more choice and greater flexibility to our trade partners and customers. The capability gives Etihad the ability to create tailored offers and communicate  more effectively with customers, to best meet their travel needs and respond quickly to changing market conditions.” “Receiving Level 4 NDC Certification is a major achievement on Etihad’s airline retailing journey, one that will provide travellers with richer content and increased transparency regardless of distribution channel,” said Yanik Hoyles, IATA’s Director Distribution.

Just one day more to the show of the year, Gulf Travel Show 2021 as it kicks off at 10 am UAE time tomorrow and April 1  for two whole days of networking with partners from across the globe. Thilakavathy Munusamy – Sales & Marketing Director -Legoland Malaysia Resort, “We are presenting LEGOLAND Malaysia Resort as a must-visit destination for family travelers. As Malaysia’s only International Theme Park and Resort, we offer a multitude of fun, learning through play, thrilling and LEGO-inspired experiences throughout the Resort. Suitable for both young and older kids – the Resort offers a Theme Park, Water Park, SEA Life Aquarium, and the unique LEGOLAND Hotel with its colorful LEGO themes. The fun never stops at LEGOLAND Malaysia Resort and we look forward to welcoming guests from the Middle East/Gulf Region to experience this one-of-a-kind Family-Friendly Resort. Connecting with the Travel trade is critical as we build up product knowledge and awareness for not just LEGOLAND Malaysia Resort but also for the overall Johor destination with more varied experiences in the region that can be built around arts/culture, food and alternative experiences e.g. glamping, proximity to idyllic beach resorts etc. Understanding the Gulf region’s requirements and trends on what travelers want will also allow us to focus on how to offer the right packages and experiences. The more active collaboration will drive a win-win for both us as well as the travel trade sector.  We want to set up the travel trade and market for a rebound once international travel kicks off again. From ensuring that we are ready with the right products and offers to driving the increasingly important Safety and Hygiene agenda for the …

All flights of Emirates and Etihad have been moved from the Northern Gate to Terminal 1 at King Abdul Aziz International Airport in Jeddah from Monday, March 29, 2021. The Kingdom’s aviation body said earlier this month that it will resume international travel and complete the opening of all airports from May 17, 2021. However, international flights coming in from the countries that the authority has suspended travel to and from due to Covid restrictions will not be allowed to fly into Saudi Arabia. In order to ease travel for passengers, the UAE airlines — including Emirates and Etihad — as well as other Gulf carriers are running trials of digital passports. The digital passport — a certification, verification and validation system — could be an advanced form of the UAE’s Al Hosn mobile app, with not just vaccination and Covid-19 test data, but also details like pre-travel eligibility requirements for the destination. It is expected to authenticate all country travel and health regulations, manage all documentation digitally and facilitate seamless travel.

Germany is firmly establishing its position as a leading destination for outdoor tourism, encouraging travellers to consider its nature and outdoor activities following the lift of post-pandemic travel measures, with the German National Tourist Board (GNTB) leading the charge in presenting the country’s offering to GCC travellers. The European country is the ideal travel destination for its array of outdoor locations, wildlife, sports, and adventure tour offerings, favoured by both domestic and international travellers. Germany’s tourism sector is inviting visitors to explore its parks, nature trails, and other open spaces with all the family. “Travellers from the GCC are eager to explore while ensuring they are keeping their families safe,” Yamina Sofo, Director Sales & Marketing, German National Tourist Office Gulf Countries said. “We are encouraging future travellers to consider nature-oriented holidays as an option, and Germany boasts a wealth of offerings across the regions, suitable for families, or solo travellers.”

Two days of collaboration between the travel trade on March 31st and April 1st 2021, once again promises a great line up of speakers with insightful sessions about the industry at the second edition of the Gulf Travel Show. Tourism Malaysia will be the diamond partner at the Gulf Travel Show 2021 with some of their key partners in their very own pavilion. 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. Travel is in the DNA of the Middle Eastern travellers, the moment the lockdowns eased and hotels started welcoming guests, it was the UAE, KSA and other countries in the region that welcomed travellers and went on to boost domestic tourism or staycations which was a partly unexplored territory. However, these staycations became a regular fore hence industry experts started building the confidence of the travellers since last summer which actually saw a bold approach in the Middle East as they opened with great care and precaution to the world. At the Gulf Travel Show experts will add their predictions and research findings to ensure to build confidence of the travellers. The past one year was a test for survival of the fittest, proactive and wide open minders and those who actually looks beyond just short term goals but prepare for a more longer term revival. As the world order kept changing from an overload of misinformation, TravTalk Middle East ensured that the right message and information was passed on to the trade partners which in turn …

Key industry leaders shared their comments on Dubai opening up the events sector over the past six months which has set an example to the world. It was no easy feat to handle as there are so many different areas both in the public and private sector partnered and followed through the tough times. Paul Griffiths, CEO, Dubai Airports, summarised the city’s handling of the pandemic and the platform is created for a business events restart, “The leadership shown by the Dubai Government in managing the pandemic was outstanding and we maintained a very strong position against the pandemic right from day one. We expect to have a very strong rebound and we’re very grateful for the strength of leadership and collaboration we have seen across the sector that has enabled us to weather the pandemic probably better than any other nation.” Mohammad Al Hashimi, Vice President, Commercial Products Dubai, Emirates Airline, highlighted the dynamic approach the city has taken, “Visionary leadership and strong public-private sector collaboration have driven the successful re-start of travel and tourism operations. From airlines and airports to conference organisers and hoteliers, every partner in the Dubai ecosystem is working together to deliver strong visitor experiences and travel confidence. The results are quite evident in the data and the two recent big events that have taken place in Dubai. We are looking forward to the Arabian Travel Market in May, and a long list of events are set to be held from now to 1 October when we will see Expo 2020 go live.” Mark Willis, CEO Middle East & Africa, Accor, spoke about Dubai’s ability to deliver high levels of safety and exceptional visitor experiences: …

Euromonitor International will host a webinar with WTM Global to discuss the prospects for the global travel and tourism market. Called ‘Travel Industry Update with Euromonitor 2021’, the webinar will feature Caroline Bremner, Head of Travel and Tourism Research at Euromonitor International. With almost 25 years of experience at Euromonitor International, Bremner is a regular commentator on trends for World Travel Market. She presented the findings of Euromonitor International’s Travel Forecast Model, which predicts that global inbound tourism spending will recover by 2022 at the earliest – as long as mass vaccinations and testing enable travel to resume safely. “World inbound tourism spending collapsed by -57% in 2020, and our forecast expects it to rebound by 82% in 2021,” she said. In the Middle East, inbound tourism spending for Saudi Arabia is predicted to grow to US$33.5 billion by 2025. UAE’s inbound tourism spend, meanwhile, is expected to top US$25.3 billion during the same year. “In our most pessimistic scenario, spending growth is predicted to rise by 40% in 2021, leading to a more prolonged recovery timeline, returning to pre-crisis levels by 2024.” She discussed Euromonitor International’s recent Voice of the Consumer global survey, which found that 65% of consumers remain concerned about climate change. “Consumers are increasingly interested in having a positive impact on the environment through day-to-day actions,” added Bremner. “France and Germany show high levels of interest in sustainable travel.” Bremner said: “Using Euromonitor’s research, I will outline the outlook for recovery in different regions – and pinpoint opportunities as the market looks to ‘build back better’. “Consumer attitudes have changed during the pandemic so we will look at how travel businesses can adapt, while accelerating their …

FINN Partners announces new strata to their senior leadership team with the creation of the FINN Partners Travel Practice Advisory Board. The founding members of the Advisory Board are travel industry titans Dr. Taleb Rifai and David Scowsill, who between them have over 60 years of senior leadership experience in the travel industry on the global stage.  The creation of the Travel Practice Advisory board was spearheaded by FINN’s Global Travel Practice Leader, Debbie Flynn, with the aim of bringing together senior expertise from FINN’s global health, tech, public affairs and sustainability practices to further support current and future destination and travel clients on the road to recovery from the impact of the global pandemic. Dr. Taleb Rifai was secretary-general of the World Tourism Organisation, leading the UNWTO from 2009 for two consecutive terms ending in 2018.  Taleb has an extensive background in international and national public service, the public sector and academia and held several ministerial portfolios in the Government of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan (2000-2004). Taleb’s experience working alongside international Governments affords him a high level of influence at a critical time for the recovery of the travel industry globally. David Scowsill spent seven years of his impressive career as President and CEO of the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) and has developed an unparalleled network in both private and public sectors. Prior to his time leading WTTC, David’s executive career included leadership positions with: Opodo; the pan European online travel agency, British Airways; American Airlines and Hilton.   David’s global commercial and operational executive experience has given him a business and cultural understanding of all parts of the world. Peter Finn, Founding Partner, FINN Partners Commented: …

Oman Air has resumed flights to Milan. The twice-weekly flights will operate on Sundays and Wednesdays as WY143 from Muscat (MCT) and WY144 from Milan (MXP). Flights from Muscat will depart at 14:35 and arrive in Milan at 19:45. Flights from Milan will depart at 22:05 and arrive in Muscat at 06:40. Oman Air will maintain its comprehensive safety program throughout all elements of the travel journey to ensure that guests fly confidently. Masks are required when guests are onboard the aircraft and in Oman’s airports. Distancing is maintained while guests board and exit the aircraft, which are carefully cleaned after each flight and at the end of every day. Cabin crew all wear a full set of personal protective equipment, meal service has been modified to further ensure safety, and a number of other measures have been implemented to ensure that the airline’s guests and crew are safe at all times. Guests who are planning to travel to Muscat should visit the Civil Aviation Authority website, caa.gov.om, to ensure they are prepared to comply with requirements to enter the Sultanate. Guests travelling to Milan should ensure they are aware of official requirements to enter or transit through the country. Guests departing from Oman should also ensure that they are aware of all pre-departure requirements and requirements during their flights, which are provided at omanair.com.

The organizers of ITB China have announced to host an offline industry gathering at the end of June in place of the ITB China Special Edition trade event originally scheduled in Beijing from 7- 8 May. The industry gathering will be an invitation-only networking event for China-based industry professionals to exchange updates and insights on the future of the Chinese travel market. ITB China Special Edition had been designed at the end of last year as a complimentary event to ITB China 2021 in November and to serve as an industry-hub for informational and commercial exchange towards an expected gradual recovery of China’s international travel market. With strict cross-border travel restrictions still being in place in China, the prospects of international travel to and from China are not reliably predictable at this point in time and Chinese travel agencies are therefore not yet ready to resume regular business activities with regards to purchasing, packaging and promoting international travel products. “Reflecting the current market situation, the trade-focused event – ITB China Special Edition – could not fulfill its intended function and thus would not meet the standard of business value that ITB China had committed to deliver to its partners and customers,” said David Axiotis, General Manager of ITB China. “However, the industry’s desire to stay in touch in person continues unabated, and that is exactly what we will be doing in the first half of 2021 by providing a pure networking occasion to meet face-to-face. At the same time, backed by the anticipation of a powerful resumption of Chinese cross-border travel shared by all our partners, we are moving ahead on the coming ITB China in November with innovative solutions …