Her Highness Sheikha Latifa bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Chairperson of Dubai Culture and Arts Authority (Dubai Culture), has announced a documentary project titled Faces of Hatta. This launch of the project, which follows Her Highness’s recent visit to Hatta, aims to record the oral history and cultural heritage of Hatta, drawing from the oral narratives of people who have witnessed its evolution, with the objective of preserving and transmitting it to future generations. Speaking about the importance of the project, Muna Faisal Al Gurg, Director of the Museums Department in Dubai Culture, said, “The documentation that will be done in Hatta is an important initiative to demonstrate how stories help create, foster and sustain communities. This will contribute to enriching the documentation of Dubai’s culture and spreading awareness about Emirati customs and traditions. This project is aligned with our mission to preserve and celebrate Emirati heritage and preserve it for future generations.” Al Gurg added, “We have developed a plan to roll out the project in phases. The first phase, which has already started, features a series of interviews with leading figures in the Hatta community. We believe this oral history project will provide researchers, historians and other users of this content a deep understanding of Hatta’s distinctive cultural heritage and history.”

Emirates announced that all passengers arriving into Dubai from any point of origin (GCC countries included) must hold a negative PCR test certificate, for which the test must be taken no more than 72 hours prior to time of departure. UAE nationals are exempt from the above, but will be required to take a PCR test on arrival at Dubai airport. Passengers arriving into Dubai from certain countries will be required to take another PCR test on arrival at DXB. Passengers transiting through Dubai must ensure that they comply with the entry requirements of their respective destination country. They further request all travellers to check the website before travelling for further updates.

Amadeus has signed a wide-ranging technology partnership agreement with OK Travels and Tourism LLC. The partnership with Amadeus will provide OK Travels and Tourism with access to a range of cutting-edge travel solutions including artificial intelligence, all designed to deliver a superior level of service to customers and remove friction from the travel experience. Muhammad Ali, Managing Director of OK Travels and Tourism, said: “We understand the challenges of the modern tourism industry and know that planning, developing, and adapting destination resources to the evolving needs of the market is the key to success. In an increasingly digital world where more consumers are online. Amadeus’ solutions will enable us to build upon this philosophy, taking our customer relationships and value-offering to the next level.” Ernesto Sanchez Beaumont, Managing Director of Amadeus Gulf, said: “The UAE is an attractive travel hub, not only for residents from the region but also for global travelers looking to visit or transit through a country with robust health and safety systems in place. In partnership with Amadeus, OK Travels and Tourism will have access to some of the most advanced global technology solutions to enhance its offerings, providing a key point of differentiation based on superior customer experience.” Under the agreement, OK Travels and Tourism will benefit from products including Amadeus Web Services, which allows the creation of customer applications and delivery of a wealth of high-quality tailored content for customers; Business Management Platform, incorporating various solutions such as Robotic Ticketing tools and Sales Data management systems to support pricing, comparing, and ticketing automation through a single platform; Amadeus All Fares Plus, through which agents can find the best air deals for customers in minutes …

As STB GCC Virtual Roadshow gears up for its second virtual meeting event to be held on Wednesday February 3, 2021 from 10am to 4pm UAE time, partners from Singapore express their unstinted support to meet with the experts in the GCC region. Yvonne Low – Executive Director – The Traveller DMC shared, “We will be showcasing products we are current promoting under Origin Journeys (www.originjourneys.com), a travel and experiential platform operated by The Traveller DMC (www.thetraveller.sg), a leisure and business travel company that has won Travel Award Tatler Singapore’s Best Inbound Travel Award for 15 consecutive years and which specializes in creating memorable business meeting and conference events (physical, virtual or hybrid). Through Origin Journeys, we hope to bring novel, well-researched and incredibly exciting experiences that are not previously uncovered, and will be of interest to the Middle East Market. We have actively work / partnering agents in the Middle East market since 15 years ago. We will continue and be committed basis with both existing and new agents to co-create business opportunity and  for business recovery. Middle East is a very important market for us for the premium family segment, small and medium size-corporate incentive and meeting groups.  We hope to see them coming back to Singapore soon. Firstly, it is to connect and engage with our agents/partners and meet them face to face through this virtual platform. Share with them our new/ novel experiences of many Singapore’s products offerings under Origin Journeys. We can offer to conduct business meeting and conference for them (physical, virtual or hybrid) – our new offerings as Professional Congress Organiser.”

Singapore Tourism Board (STB) will host its second virtual roadshow for the Middle East on Wednesday February 3, 2021 from 10am to 4pm UAE time. This will be a really good opportunity to connect with some of the key partners from Singapore in one platform. It is time to register and make your pre-bookings with the partners and get the help from your personalized project manager who will assist you all the way. Serhan Bektas – Business Development Manager – Sea Wheel Travel stated “ME Market is one of the growing market in Far East and Singapore, it is also market that must pay more attention for servicing them as they have specific things along the market inside. The market also more capable to travel as their location is not very far from South East Asia and Europe. It is bridge in between Asia, Europe and Africa. They have so many flights to Singapore and it makes travellers to take off easily. GCC Market is very important that first of all they able to travel more than other countries, GCC countries economy is more stable and better than other countries and this not make them to cut travel expenses due to economic issue. So market is stable and we keep this travelers numbers and increase the numbers. We hope to understand the market and agent requirements correctly and introduce ourselves strongly. Understanding each other is most important thing. We hope to be more known local tour operator for Singapore in GCC in near future. Hope to built-up more good relation and grow up this relations more further.”

International Air Transport Association (IATA) welcomes the opening of the new terminal at Bahrain International Airport. “The opening of the new terminal at Bahrain International Airport is not only an important milestone in the development of Bahrain International Airport as a regional hub but also welcome news for the industry during this difficult time. The new terminal will provide vital capacity and capabilities to cargo operators shipping essential vaccines and PPE equipment immediately, and open the door for increased connectivity once passenger traffic starts to pick up. Aviation is a key pillar of Bahrain’s economy—this has been strengthened today, taking the country one step closer to achieving its Economic Vision 2030 to establish the Kingdom as an aviation center in the region. We congratulate all involved in this significant infrastructure project,” said Muhammad Albakri, IATA Regional Vice President for Africa and the Middle East. The 210,000sq m terminal, which is four times the size of the existing facility, increases the airport’s capacity to 14 million passengers a year, having handled around 9 million in 2019.  

Qatar Airways Privilege Club will extend its valued members’ tier status in recognition that travel plans continue to be impacted by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. This initiative will extend members’ tier status until December 31, 2021 and applies to our Silver, Gold and Platinum members whose tier is due to end this year and have not earned enough Qpoints to retain it. This announcement follows news that Qatar Airways will offer all passengers unlimited date changes and free refunds for tickets issued before 30 April 2021 for travel completed by December 31, 2021. Privilege Club members can therefore benefit from flexible booking policies that will allow them to change their plans with ease if they need to, while retaining their current, hard-earned tier status and enjoying the unique benefits associated with it. Thierry Antinori, Chief Commercial Officer, Qatar Airways said, “Having flown continuously during the pandemic, we currently operate the largest network among airlines based in the Middle East thanks to the flexibility offered by our sustainable, wide body Boeing 787 and A350 aircrafts. We also offer the highest standards of safety on board and at Hamad International Airport – recently endorsed by our Skytrax 5-Star COVID-19 Airline Safety Rating Airport Safety Rating. “Our Privilege Club members are very important to us and we want to continue to be there for them. We understand that some of our members may need more time to plan and book their upcoming travel. That is why we are announcing today our latest tier extension as one of the many steps that Privilege Club has taken over the last year to honour the loyalty of our valued members as we navigate these difficult times …

Through its offices in Dubai and Munich, the expert team at Renner & Grosse Collection provides tailor-made sales, representation and communication solutions to luxury hotels, resorts, villas and destinations looking to grow their business from Germany, Austria, Switzerland and/or the Middle East. In 2020, when Covid-19 turned the hospitality and tourism industry upside down, industry veterans Sabine Renner and Isabel Grosse recognised the need for efficient and innovative solutions to aid the sector’s recovery, and with their shared passion, vision and expertise founded the Renner & Grosse Collection. “As a result of the global pandemic, many hospitality and tourism companies had to downsize their sales & marketing teams and that’s where we can come in as external experts to help develop bespoke strategies, offer practical advice and provide hands-on support to maximise their revenues and increase market share”, comments co-founder Isabel Grosse, who heads up the business in Germany. Sabine Renner, Co-founder, Renner & Grosse Collection who leads the business in Dubai, adds, “Even before the crisis, new travel trends were emerging and we want to ensure hotels and destinations are ready to respond to the changing needs of travellers, especially after the global pandemic. Luxury travel is becoming more and more synonymous with sustainability, community connection and meaningful experiences. Consumers are increasingly conscious about their travels and look for brands and companies that align with their value systems. We are very passionate about this area and can support hospitality & tourism companies with the right strategies and sales & marketing solutions to embrace the opportunities this presents for the industry.”

Qantas and bp announced a strategic partnership to further advance their shared net zero ambitions. Through the collaboration, the companies will work together on opportunities to reduce carbon emissions in the aviation sector and contribute to the development of a sustainable aviation fuel industry in Australia. The two companies have agreed to explore ways in which bp’s global capabilities, skills and knowledge can support Qantas’ industry-leading sustainability and environmental strategy. “By bringing our complementary capabilities together, we can help each other, and our customers, move at a faster pace on the energy transition journey. We are delighted to have the opportunity to collaborate with Qantas on plans to reach net zero while continuing to deepen our existing relationship.” Frédéric Baudry, president, bp Australia and SVP fuels & low carbon solutions, Asia Pacific said, “This is another move towards our ambition to be a net zero company by 2050 or sooner and help the world to get to net zero. We believe the planet needs everyone working together on this vital cause, and that supporting companies to transition to a more sustainable future means we can all get there faster. Forming strong strategic partnerships with leading companies like Qantas is an important way to achieve our shared goals and we are proud that bp is working to provide decarbonisation solutions for customers in Australia.” Andrew Parker, Qantas Group Executive Government, Industry and Sustainability said, “While the COVID crisis has compelled us to make many changes across the business, one thing that hasn’t changed is our commitment to minimising the impact we have on the environment. Even though we have been flying a lot less, we’ve actually seen the same proportion of …

Virgin Hyperloop unveiled its vision for the future hyperloop experience. The newly-released concept video takes the viewer step-by-step through a hyperloop journey, from arriving at the portal to boarding the pod. DP World, the Dubai-based leading global provider of smart logistics solutions, is a major investor in Virgin Hyperloop. Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem, Group Chairman and CEO of DP World and Chairman of Virgin Hyperloop, said, “Showing the passenger experience of Virgin Hyperloop is a glimpse of the future, following the success three months ago when people rode in a hyperloop pod for the first time. We have demonstrated the maturity of our technology. We are getting closer to commercialisation of what will be the first new mass-scale transportation mode in a century.” “Designing a new mode of transportation from scratch is both an opportunity and a responsibility,” said Sara Luchian, Virgin Hyperloop’s Director of Passenger Experience and one of the first people to ride the hyperloop in November. “Hyperloop technology – and what it enables – is paradigm-shifting. It follows that the passenger experience should be nothing short of extraordinary.” “Virgin Hyperloop can accelerate the future of mobility on land. The new mode of travel at supersonic speed rethinks transportation and the perception of space, landscape, time, and distance,” said Bjarke Ingels, Founder & Creative Director, BIG-Bjarke Ingels Group. “In this day and age, Virgin Hyperloop taking off from our portals provides holistic, intelligent transportation for a globalized community to travel across vast distances in a safer, cleaner, easier, and faster way than airlines.” “We leveraged decades of experience designing how people and things move across various modalities – taking some of the best aspects from aviation, rail, automotive, …