Saudi Arabia is set to reopen its borders to international travellers, although the relaxation across the kingdom comes with strict coronavirus safety guidelines, according to a report by Saudi Press Agency (SPA). Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s government also decided lifting the precautionary measures related to the spread of a new variant of coronavirus (Covid-19) in a number of countries, regarding the suspension of all international flights for travellers, entry to the Kingdom through its land and sea ports. Taking into consideration the following: Entry into the Kingdom for non-citizens coming from the United Kingdom and South Africa, as well as from any other country being specified by the Ministry of Health, in which the new variant of the novel coronavirus (B. 1, 1, 7) is spread, shall be provided that whoever wishes to enter shall spend a period of no less than (14) days outside the country in which the new coronavirus variant (B. 1, 1, 7) is spread before entering the Kingdom, with a (PCR) examination after the expiration of this period, proving that he/she is COVID-19 infection-free. Citizens who are allowed to enter into the Kingdom for humanitarian and urgent cases coming from countries where the new coronavirus variant (B. 1, 1, 7) is spread, shall be quarantined, pursuant to paragraph (1 ) above, in their homes under observance for a period of (14) days, with two (PCR) examinations of the first shall be carried out after arrival within no more than (48) hours and the second before ending the quarantine on the 13th day. As for the countries in which cases of the strain (B. 1, 1, 7) were registered, those coming from them shall be quarantined …

Ferrari World Abu Dhabi and Warner Bros. World Abu Dhabi are set to ring in the New Year with the unmissable ‘Double the fun in 2021’ offer running from January 4, 2021 until February 20, 2021. Guests can avail the offer for just AED 310 and enjoy unrivaled experiences on two different days at each of the theme parks. What’s in store? Family and friends can visit Ferrari World Abu Dhabi and enjoy a free visit to Warner Bros. World Abu Dhabi and vice versa! Revelers can look forward to a stellar mix of record-breaking rides that ignite passion and fuel excitement in the hearts of guests of all ages at Ferrari World Abu Dhabi. Little ones can head to the all-new Family Zone to experience miniature rides of the park’s most thrilling rides while adults can hop aboard 43 rides and family-friendly attractions for an exhilarating trip. Hungry for action and adventure or a dash of whimsical fun? Guests will be met with unrivaled excitement with 29 state-of-the-art exhilarating rides, interactive family-friendly attractions and unique live entertainment for a one-of-a-kind experience at Warner Bros. World Abu Dhabi! Don’t miss the chance to make timeless memories and head to Ferrari World Abu Dhabi and Warner Bros. World, tickets are valid for redemption until 20 of February.

Arura Hospitality announces its partnership with Frank Porter, a global provider of world-class vacation home management services. Arura Hospitality will be providing Frank Porter with properties that meets certain specifications as vacation homes to valued guests. Through its wide network, Arura Hospitality will be responsible to attract guests searching for holidays well-spent and introduce properties in the United Arab Emirates managed by Frank Porter. Commenting on the sought after partnership, Alaa Al-Ali, CEO of Joyoun Holding said, “As we are heading towards continued success and strong drive to become the best, we strive to meet customer demands, and adapt and live to expectations as we face changing market and its prospects. Arura Hospitality strives to achieve business excellence by focusing on working for success and continuous growth. This is made possible by providing personalized hospitality management services that are specifically designed to meet individual requirements of each property.” Anna Skigin, Founder and CEO of Frank Porter said, “We are delighted to sign a partnership agreement with Arura Hospitality, one of the leading companies in the hospitality sector in the UAE.” “We hope that this partnership will lead to meeting all specific and detailed requirements according to the needs of tourists and guests, especially with the UAE’s leading position on the global tourism map.” added Anwar Nusseibeh the Managing partner, “Frank Porter specializes in managing world-class holiday homes, working to provide distinguished hospitality services in all the properties that it manages while removing all the difficulties of the renting experience offered by similar platforms. The experts of Frank Porter’s professional team provide integrated services for all real estate, starting with producing successful advertisements for homes or apartments to be rented through …

Turkish Airlines announced for flights to Turkey which have STD (schedule time of departure) 30 December 2020 00:00 or later with the dates and times of the countries where the flights are operated , 6 years and older passengers who will enter Turkey must submit negative PCR test documents taken 72 hours before the schedule time of departure of the flight (maximum 72 hours between the sample delivery time and the schedule time of departure of the flight). It must be nucleic acid test. Transit passengers who will not enter Turkey only should pay attention to the destination country regulations. This implementation is valid until March 1, 2021. Moreover, passengers (6 years and older) traveling from UK, Denmark or South Africa with the flights that have STD (schedule time of departure) 30 December 2020 00:00 or later with the dates and times of the countries where the flights are operated or passengers have been in these 3 countries in the last 10 days and will enter Turkey are required to submit negative PCR test documents taken 72 hours before the schedule time of departure of the flight (maximum 72 hours between the sample delivery time and the schedule time of departure of the flight). These passengers will be quarantined at their residences (if any) or in different places and they will be subjected to a PCR test 7 days later. If the test result will be negative, quarantine will be removed.

As the entry restrictions into Abu Dhabi relaxes, international tourists, residents and travellers from selected destinations, flying with Etihad Airways, will be allowed to enter the emirate without the need to self-isolate for 14 days. The list of countries eligible for entry without quarantine, referred to as ‘green’ countries, will be reviewed by the Department of Health on a two-week rolling basis. Travellers from ‘green’ countries will need to self-isolate until they receive a negative PCR test result. Those entering the Emirate from countries not on the ‘green’ list will be subject to a reduced quarantine period of 10 days. Tony Douglas, Group Chief Executive Officer, Etihad Aviation Group, said: “With Abu Dhabi at the forefront of the global response to COVID-19, the approach to managing the pandemic has positioned the capital as one of the safest cities in the world to visit. The gradual reopening of our border cements the rigorous health and safety measures we have implemented across the airline. We can proudly say Etihad has played its part, by positioning ourselves as an industry leader, ensuring guests travelling with us do so with complete peace of mind.” “As we approach the winter break and get ready to mark the end of a challenging year, the time to welcome the world to Abu Dhabi is now. We are tremendously grateful for the ongoing support of the Abu Dhabi authorities and will continue to work closely with them to ensure the highest level of safety measures are maintained,” Douglas added.

Pegasus Airlines new cabin baggage policy will be implemented from January 04, 2021 in which current 8kg hand baggage allowance will be removed and passengers will be allowed to take only 1 piece of the cabin baggage with the following rules:Passenger will be allowed to take only women’s handbag and 1 piece of cabin baggage with maximum dimension (55X40X20 cm) into the cabin – irrespective of the weight.If cabin baggage exceeds the specified dimensions or if more than one piece of cabin baggage, then the unsuitable piece or pieces shall be taken as check-in baggage. The excess baggage proceeds will be collected as piece concept payment at the boarding. If the extra piece/pieces will be taken at the check-in, then the regular excess baggage process by considering passenger baggage allowance will be collected. A Duty-free bag can be accepted together with the cabin baggage. But if it is found that there are other items in the duty-free bag, cabin baggage will be taken under the aircraft. And the guest will be able to take only a duty-free bag into the cabin. The bags with personal belongings similar to Duty-Free bags can only be accepted into the cabin if cabin baggage is none. The guest with an infant is allowed to carry a baby carriage bag additionally. – One piece of cabin baggage that fits in the baggage size will be considered as cabin baggage and will be allowed to be taken into the cabin without weight control.  PETC can be taken into the cabin together with cabin baggage. For the musical instruments, if the guest has only a musical instrument in the size of cabin baggage (55X40X20), payment will not …

Emirates is taking its signature A380 experience to the next level with the unveil of a brand new Premium Economy cabin product, together with enhancements and a refreshed look across all cabins onboard its newest A380 aircraft. Sir Tim Clark, President Emirates Airline said, “The Emirates A380 is already one of the most sought-after travel experiences in the skies, and now we’ve made it even better. While others cut back, Emirates is working hard to restore the products and services that we’ve had to suspend or adjust due to pandemic precautions, and introduce new offerings and enhancements. True to our fly better promise, Emirates continues to invest to offer our customers the best possible experience.” The airline received its newest A380 aircraft from Airbus’ Hamburg facility last week, and its remaining order of 5 A380s will also be delivered with premium economy cabins over 2021 and 2022. Emirates’ premium economy seats will also be installed on some of its Boeing 777X aircraft which are only due to join the fleet in 2023. Emirates is considering plans to retrofit its existing A380 fleet. Commenting on Emirates’ premium economy cabins, Sir Tim said, “Our Premium Economy product was carefully developed in keeping with Emirates’ brand positioning as a full-service airline of the highest quality. Our First, Business and Economy experiences reset industry standards when they were introduced, and we are confident that our Premium Economy will also make its mark as a distinct premium offering. Until we have a viable number of seats in our inventory to bring to market, we plan to offer the Emirates Premium Economy experience as a complimentary upgrade to valued customers. We’ll also deploy our newest A380 …

Occidental Al Jaddaf is set to open in February 2021, the brand new 365-room hotel is a chic four-star property in the thriving Al Jaddaf district of the city. Part of the globally renowned Spanish hotel chain, Barceló Hotel Group, the hotel represents a fusion of Spanish hospitality and Arabic culture, perfectly encapsulating the beauty and charm of both cultures. Featuring five brand new exciting dining concepts, including a Lebanese restaurant, pool bar and Spanish restaurant, the property, Occidental Al Jaddaf is set to become a heaven for foodies and cultural catalysts of the city. As a part of the launch, Occidental Al Jaddaf will give away a 21 individual night stays with breakfast as part of activation from their Instagram and Facebook accounts launching the 3rd of January. Entry is simple and requires participants to tag a friend they consider deserving of the prize in a specific post on Instagram. The winner will be announced via Instagram stories and along with the person tagged will win a voucher to avail of the luxury stay for two people. The competition is open to everyone and anyone living within the UAE and the winner is picked at random.  Whether it is a friend, family member or colleague that has had a difficult 2020, Occidental Al Jaddaf will help people of the UAE pay it forward in 2021, spreading positivity, optimism and goodwill.  The winner must be following @occidentalaljaddaf to qualify for the competition.

Wizz Air Abu Dhabi confirmed that Athens will be its inaugural destination, with flights from Abu Dhabi International Airport starting on January 15, 2021. Fares start as low as AED 129, with tickets already on sale on wizzair.com (which also has an Arabic booking website) and the airline’s mobile app. The airline is also to start flights from Abu Dhabi to Thessaloniki, starting on February 4, 2021 with fares starting at AED 149. Kees Van Schaick, Managing Director of Wizz Air Abu Dhabi, said, “The waiting is almost over for Abu Dhabi fans of our ultra-low fare airline. From January 15, 2021, a new model of air travel comes to Abu Dhabi, offering new choices and new competition, demonstrating that things are looking up for next year. Our network from Abu Dhabi will expand rapidly as destinations on our planned network are added to the ‘green countries’ list.  Thanks to the support of the government and our local business partners in Abu Dhabi, we are fully prepared. We have the aircraft, we have the crew, we have the partners, and we are ready to fly. We look forward to building a new travel segment in this important market.” Wizz Air Abu Dhabi is a joint venture established between ADQ and Wizz Air Holdings plc.  It initially announced a route network that also includes Alexandria, Kutaisi, Larnaca, Odesa and Yerevan.  Flights to these cities will launch as each destination joins the ‘green countries’ list.  Further destinations will be launched as the airline adds to its Abu Dhabi-based fleet over the coming months.

Trip.com Group has signed an exclusive 18 month China Business Development Collaboration with Experience Hub, to support Trip.com employees to promote Yas Island, Abu Dhabi, one of the fastest growing leisure and entertainment destinations globally, as the perfect holiday destination for Chinese tourists. Amanda WANG, General Manager of Destination and Government Relations said “Trip.com Group is keen to cooperate with Experience Hub to provide full support for the promotion of Yas Island Abu Dhabi in new product forms and new marketing strategies. The success of the Trip.com 3-day Yas Island Week aims to further deep relationship between Trip.com Group and Experience Hub, whilst engaging our employees. It not only brings wonderful activities and rich products, but also provides training for Yas Island travel experts through education and entertainment, opening a new chapter for Trip.com Group cooperation with Experience Hub.” Liam Findlay, General Manager of Experience Hub said, “Through the program we aim to develop and celebrate staff loyalty to Yas Island and increase visitation from China, one Yas Island’s key source markets. With over 100 staff members attending the 3 day Yas Island Week event, we are confident  the partnership will help rebuild consumer confidence in China, support recovery of the sector and foster growth of the travel industry. We look forward to welcoming back guests to Yas Island from China.”