ZoodMall, the fastest growing B2C cross-border e-commerce marketplace app, operating in Central Asia and the Middle East, announced a new strategic partnership in Jordan with MENA region’s leading payment gateway, HyperPay, to offer customers a convenient and secure online payment experience at checkout when completing a purchase on the ZoodMall Application. Recent studies confirm that the e-commerce sector in the Middle East and North Africa region is on the verge of distinct levels of continuous growth during the coming period, coinciding with the increasing demand among consumers for electronic payment options, and the awareness of merchants of the need to enhance their electronic presence during the Corona virus pandemic. Trade in e-commerce platforms is expected to reach USD 28.5 billion in 2022, which is over 3.5 times the current trade volume and nearly 7% of total retail sales. “The vibrant e-commerce market has witnessed an unprecedented increase during the pandemic period with the volume of e-commerce in the Middle East and North Africa region currently about $ 8.3 billion. With our vision and determination to continually expand our customer experience, ZoodMall recently partnered with HyperPay. This affiliation will enable our Jordanian customers to make payments online, using Debit and Credit Cards with ultimate flexibility, security and ease and will be the stepping stone to roll out ZoodPay ‘Buy Now, Pay Later’ (BNPL) payment options towards Local purchases including three easy instalment plans of up to 60 days without incurring interest charges.” said Mohammad Al Yousef , ZoodMall Jordan’s Country Manager “We look forward to a long-term partnership with ZoodMall Jordan, and help our new partners grow their presence in the Jordanian eCommerce market as well as unlock their full potential …

Sharjah Events has announced the launch of the #SeeSharjah campaign that aims to collate visual content shared on social media depicting the exciting activities, events and attractions held throughout the year in the Emirate. The ‘Sharjah Shines’ campaign stems from Sharjah Events’ vision to forge strong, meaningful and long-term connections with the public. Stunning, impactful photographs and videos will receive attractive prizes, and winners will be able to enjoy immersive experiences at some of Sharjah’s most popular tourist landmarks. Announcing the launch of the campaign, HE Tariq Saeed Allay, Director of the Sharjah Government Media Bureau (SGMB), said, “The objective behind the #SeeSharjah campaign is to utilise the powerful and innovative user-generated content shared on social media to create a sustainable content library that aligns with the vision of Sharjah Events. Compelling images that capture the beauty of the emirate and showcase the excitement and buzz during its year-long events and celebrations at museums, exhibitions, and other locations will find a place on sharjahevents.ae.” He added, “Monitoring user-generated content that creates an excitement about Sharjah’s wide range of events and activities is a unique opportunity to foster a long-term partnership with content creators and is a powerful resource to increase engagement with the public. Studies have revealed that more than 90 per cent of internet users both favour and trust user-generated content on social media platforms.”

FCM customers in the UAE and in several other growing FCM markets now have access to discounted rates for PCR/Serology tests and Nasal Swab/Deep Throat Saliva tests respectively, currently one of the lowest in the market for business travellers. In the UAE, FCM has formed a partnership with Medcare Hospitals & Medical Centres to provide this service to its clients at its Medcare Hospital Al Safa Dubai. “The business travel landscape and the needs of our customers have changed beyond all recognition over the last few months and business travel conditions will continue to evolve and shift as everyone comes out the other side of the global pandemic,” said Ciarán Kelly, Regional Director – Middle East & Africa, FCM Travel Solutions. “It is extremely important to partner with key private and public institutions to form an ecosystem that works together to operationalise cross-border travel. The reality is that many challenges lie ahead of us and the solution may not be straightforward. However, the process is an essential part of this transition into developing a safe and responsible cross-border travel system that works, and FCM is proud to be at the forefront of this initiative.” Dr. Shanila Laiju, CEO of Medcare Hospital Al Safa & Medcare Orthopaedics & Spine Hospital, said, “Medcare Hospitals & Medical Centres is committed to ensuring the wellbeing of our community. As a combined effort of the nation’s initiatives to offer its people a safe environment, it is our priority to facilitate this by creating this secure space for all people travelling into the UAE and those needing to travel out of the country. With borders steadily reopening, we ensure the most trusted and safe access to …

Hundreds of hospitality employees working in Yas Island hotels have chosen to vaccinate as part of Abu Dhabi’s efforts to ensure a safe reopening to tourists and a safe hosting of the recent UFC Fight Island Triple Header event. More than 240 people working inside the UFC Fight Island ‘bubble’ hotels on Yas Island received their first dose of the vaccine, via an initiative to provide free vaccines to all hotel staff who choose to vaccinate. The initiative was launched in line with Abu Dhabi’s coordinated and collaborative response to COVID-19, the emirate-wide ‘Choose to Vaccinate’ campaign and the nationwide immunisation programme. HE Ali Hassan Al Shaiba, Executive Director of Tourism and Marketing at DCT Abu Dhabi, said, “The safe and successful return of fans to live events at UFC Fight Island Triple Header showcased the hard work and collaboration of government departments, public and private sectors and UFC to make it possible. Abu Dhabi is open; Abu Dhabi is safe. This vaccination drive for hospitality staff, who are the face of Abu Dhabi and work tirelessly to uphold the emirate’s standing as a world-class leisure destination, will help reassure visitors that they are in a safe and secure environment and reaffirm our efforts to press forward with our tourism plans, guided by the country’s visionary leaders.” Fahad Al Mahmoud, Executive Director Stakeholder Management at Aldar, who was one of the 240 to receive the vaccine, said: “Our leadership’s tireless efforts and rigorous approach to managing the COVID-19 pandemic have enabled us to remain resilient throughout. The tourism sector is a vital pillar of our economy and this vaccination drive will ensure we continue to play our part in supporting …

Qatar Airways begin trialling the innovative new IATA Travel Pass ‘Digital Passport’ mobile app, in partnership with the International Air Transport Association (IATA), from March 2021. The trial will play an important role in the airline’s vision to have a more contactless, secure and seamless travel experience for its passengers. The first phase of trials of the ‘Digital Passport’ will be rolled out on the airline’s Doha to Istanbul route, enabling passengers to receive COVID-19 test results and verify they are eligible to undertake their journey. It will also allow travellers to safely and securely share their verified ‘OK to Travel’ status with the airline and other stakeholders, even before their arrival at the airport. His Excellency Akbar Al Baker, Chief Executive, Qatar Airways Group said, “The IATA Travel Pass effectively acts as a ‘digital passport’ for travellers and is the latest tool in our fight against the spread of COVID-19, enabling passengers to securely and effortlessly navigate their travel plans, safe in the knowledge that their verified travel credential is based on the latest COVID-19 information, the strictest data privacy regulations and entry rules for the destination they will travel to.” Alexandre de Juniac, IATA Director General and CEO, said, “The trial will help us build confidence among governments and travellers that IATA Travel Pass can securely and conveniently link traveller identities with their digital travel credentials. It will also help us prove that ICAO’s global standards for digital passports work. And it will highlight the need for governments to accelerate their work with industry to develop global standards for health certificates—a critical enabler to safely re-connecting the world.”

Qatar Airways expans its strategic partnerships signing an expanded codeshare agreement with Iberia. The agreement will enhance connectivity between the two airlines’ complementary networks and will offer additional travel options to our customers travelling between the Iberian Peninsula, Latin America, Africa, Asia-Pacific and the Middle East via the Best Airport in the Middle East, Hamad International Airport. Sales of the added destinations have commenced already with the additional codeshare flights starting from today. Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive His Excellency Akbar Al Baker said, “Despite the challenges of 2020, it has been our priority to maintain reliable global connectivity for our passengers. This expansion of our strategic partnership with Iberia further strengthens connectivity between the hubs of Doha and Madrid ensuring more flexible travel options for our customers. Qatar Airways and Iberia have enjoyed the mutual benefits our partnership has brought us since its establishment in 2017, providing more choice and seamless global connectivity for our millions of passengers. As global travel recovers, we look forward to further expanding our commercial cooperation with Iberia and continuing to provide the unrivalled five-star service our passengers have come to expect.” Javier Sanchez-Prieto, CEO, Iberia Group said, “The extension of the codeshare agreement with Qatar Airways is very good news for us. At Iberia we work so that, when countries eliminate their restrictions, we can offer our clients the widest and most comprehensive network possible. The extension of this codeshare agreement with our oneworld partner, Qatar Airways, opens up new markets in Australia and Africa and improves the connectivity we offer between Spain and the rest of the world with a very high-quality service offered by our partner, Qatar Airways.”

Turkish Airlines with its extra guidelines for safe travel and comprehensive hygiene precautions due to pandemic, the flag carrier airline has been awarded the highest ‘Diamond’ status by APEX (Airline Passenger Experience Association) Health Safety powered by SimpliFlying. Analyzed in three categories named Gold, Platinum and Diamond according to the hygiene precautions and preventative measures taken by airlines in the face of the ongoing pandemic, the online audit was conducted with 10 categories and 75 touchpoints in mind as the answers about the health and hygiene precautions were entered with concrete indicators by the participants. Reviewed alongside other airlines, Turkish Airlines achieved the Diamond status which symbolizes the highest health and safety level, thus maintaining its unparalleled service approach and quality in these extraordinary times.Meticulously implementing comprehensive precautions and newly developed changes since the start of the pandemic in order to continue providing a healthy and safe travel experience for its passengers, Turkish Airlines achieved the Diamond status with numerous criteria such as touch-free check-in process, implementation of social distancing, temperature measuring at entrances, Covid-19 test service at the airport, extra hygiene precautions, in-flight social distancing, hygiene expert cabin crews appointed in flights and hygiene kits offered to passengers. On the results, Turkish Airlines Chairman of the Board and the Executive Committee, M. İlker Aycı stated, “We provided comfort and reassurance for our passengers with our Hygiene Expert cabin crews appointed in our flights and hygiene kits offered to all of our passengers, along with all the precautions taken in airports and in our aircrafts.” In his statement on the matter APEX CEO Dr. Joe Leader said, “Turkish Airlines consistently has provided incredible passengers experience now topped by Diamond level …

Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority (RAKTDA) is inviting visitors to make this season truly unforgettable when they book a stay in the Emirate through its new ‘Funderful’ campaign. Whether looking to enjoy its outstanding hospitality, thrilling adventure attractions or authentic cultural experiences, anyone who books a well-earned break in one of Ras Al Khaimah’sparticipating 4- and 5-star hotels for two nights or more till May 31 will be entered into a series of special draws to win an array of prizes. Guests will also get the chance to tackle the campaign’s delightfully quirky tongue-twister ‘absoluxuchillexcitinfunderful’ via dedicated radio competitions to test how well they can get their tongues round the word that so deftly captures all that the Emirate has to offer as well as winning prizes. Guests looking to put their luck to the test or simply for a change in scenery can choose from a variety of accommodation options to suit every need. The campaign aims to highlight the Emirate’s diverse hospitality offer, following the success of its summer ‘Shortcation’ held last year, which generated more than 15,000 room nights over three months. Through this, Ras Al Khaimah was successfully able to position itself as a must-visit destination within the local tourism space, offering visitors the chance to unleash their adventurous side at the Jais Adventure Peak, explore its culture and heritage through its souks, the Pearl Farm and museums, as well as take to the great outdoors while trekking and hiking.  As a result, the Emirate placed first in the UAE in terms of ADR and RevPAR month and year-to-date, as well as leading RevPAR in the GCC.

flydubai announced that Catania and Naples in Italy, Salzburg in Austria and Malta will be joining its European network from May 2021. The carrier has grown its network to more than 65 destinations as countries continue to gradually lift travel restrictions.With the addition of Catania, Malta, Naples and Salzburg the carrier will operate flights to 20 destinations in Europe including Belgrade, Bucharest, Helsinki, Istanbul, Krakow, Prague and Sofia.flydubai flights to Malta International Airport (MLA) and Catania International Airport (CTA) will begin on 12 May 2021 with four times weekly service, while flights to Naples International Airport (NAP) will resume from 13 May 2021 with a three times weekly service.The carrier becomes the first UAE-based carrier to offer direct flights between Dubai International (DXB) and Salzburg Airport (SZG) from May 13, 2021 with a four weekly flights service. Commenting on the announcement, Ghaith Al Ghaith, Chief Executive Officer at flydubai, said, “Since commencing operations in 2009, we have been committed to opening up previously underserved markets and the launch of our latest routes in Europe demonstrates our continuous efforts to offer more people the opportunity to travel more often while creating free flows of travel, trade, and tourism.” Jeyhun Efendi, Senior Vice President, Commercial Operations and E-commerce at flydubai, added, “Whether customers choose to travel in Business Class or Economy Class they can look forward to the convenience of direct connections as well as a comfortable onboard travel experience as they start their journey. We look forward to launching these flights in May.” H.E. Maria Camilleri Calleja, Ambassador of the Republic of Malta to the United Arab Emirates, said, “Joined by the Malta Ministry for Foreign and European Affairs and Malta …

BPG has secured two more marquee brands from the leisure and tourism sector. Motiongate Dubai and Singapore Tourism Board are BPG’s newest clients, capping off a year that has seen the 40 year-old agency enhance its omnichannel client roster. In 2020, BPG bagged a vibrant cross-sector mix of new clients and projects spanning fintech, retail, technology, media, telecom, life sciences and FMCG. Following a competitive tender, BPG Dubai has been appointed the social media agency in the MENA region for Singapore Tourism Board, the lead development agency for one of Singapore’s key economic sectors. BPG will use its creative and digital media expertise to bring alive Singapore’s ‘Passion Made Possible’ brand promise. The holistic digital remit also includes managing Instagram and Facebook for Visit Singapore ME. BPG Dubai has also won the contract to manage the public relations for Motiongate Dubai, the largest Hollywood-inspired theme park in the Middle East and the flagship theme park in Dubai Parks and Resorts. Avi Bhojani, CEO, BPG, said, “BPG Group has a 40-year legacy and deep understanding of the region. We have had the good fortune of supporting iconic regional destination marketing brands like DSF, DSS, Jumeirah, and more. We have partnered in communicating milestone initiatives, which shaped regional and global perceptions. Armed with our clients’ trust, we look forward to leveraging our extensive experience in destination marketing to support Motiongate™ Dubai and Singapore Tourism Board with our insights, refreshed digital skill sets and innovation.”