Hagag Group officially entered the construction phase for its most exciting project to date, Port Tel Aviv. Located 50 meters (approximately 164-feet) from the Mediterranean seafront, the project features 40 exclusive luxury apartments along with a five-star hotel. Port Tel Aviv is housed within a new architectural icon inspired by the Cubist art of Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque and designed by leading architecture firm, IlanPivko Architects. The ten-story property is situated in the heart of the Namal Tel Aviv Port, in the city’s highly coveted Old North neighborhood. Port Tel Aviv is set to deliver new benchmarks for quality and value in the Israeli real estate market and will be delivered in Q4 2022. Port Tel Aviv’s five-star boutique hotel will take over the first two floors of the development, and will offer 44 room and suite accommodations. The top seven floors feature 40 luxurious apartments with one to four-bedroom layouts, two mini-penthouses with private pools, and two exclusive five-bedroom penthouses with private rooftop decks and swimming pools. The development is modernist-inspired,  which perfectly fuses art and architecture, and evokes the striking design housed within. Each floor of Port Tel Aviv features wrap-around recessed private terraces with mosaic-like façades that offer both ‘brisesoleil’ protection, which reduces heat gain within the building by deflecting sunlight. Living spaces are designed to maximize the Mediterranean light with bright open interiors, luxurious floors, and high ceilings that facilitate unobstructed floor-to-ceiling views. Port Tel Aviv’s location places residents in the center of the Namal Port district in the desirable Old North neighborhood. As one of Tel Aviv’s most dynamic areas, the neighborhood fuses leisure and convenience with access to the city’s beaches, recreation areas, …

Cebu Pacific (CEB) has launched affordable COVID-19 testing options to boost confidence in air travel. Passengers traveling from Dubai to Manila with connecting or transfer flights to select provinces in the Philippines, can now avail of antigen tests through the airline’s Test Before Boarding (TBB) initiative for only AED54 (Php700).The antigen tests, which provide results within 30 minutes, are accepted for travel to General Santos City, Butuan, Dipolog, and Pagadian. For these destinations, passengers can head directly to the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 3 just  a few hours before their estimated time of departure to get the test. Passengers will just have to register onsite and pay the fee to CEB’s diagnostic partner, Philippine Airport Diagnostic Laboratory (PADL). Only those holding negative test results will be allowed to board the flight. The airline’s price for the antigen test is considered the lowest in the industry, with its TBB testing facility at the NAIA Terminal 3 now open for walk-ins from 2 AM to 2 PM daily. Meanwhile, all of its other domestic and international flights, including travel between Manila and Dubai maintain the requirement of a negative RT-PCR test result.CEB has ensured this need is fully covered with RT-PCR tests for only AED 255 (PHP 3,300) via its three partner laboratories, namely: PADL, Health Metrics, Inc. (HMI), and Safeguard DNA Diagnostics Inc. (SDDI). Candice Iyog, CEB Vice President for Marketing and Customer Experience, said, “We remain committed to making flights affordable for everyone and seeing that testing is required by a number of destinations at the moment, we have partnered with accredited laboratories that may offer affordable testing options. We look forward to the day trust and confidence …

Café Délices has refreshed its menu along with expanding its outdoor seating area. The warm and welcoming Café facing the Dubai Water Canal on Al Abraj Street, Business Bay is home to visitors seeking an excellent location to unwind over authentic Bahraini cuisine. Café Délices offers all-day dining with its newly dished menu that is as stunning as the view. The Café provides a variety of lip-smacking Bahraini flavours perfectly paired with cold beverages to complement the fantastic panoramic views of Dubai water canal. From Signature dishes like Bahraini Tikka and Bahraini Kebab to a wide range of creative mocktails, fresh smoking hot grills, choicest range of coffee and delectable desserts. The Café offers an extensive menu to satisfy the palates under a picturesque setting whether one is looking to hang out with friends, spend a quality time with family or just a time away from work. Commenting on the new menu and the café expansion, Iman Syami, PR & Marketing Manager at Gulf Court Hotel Business Bay said, “The new expansion of the Café serves us as an opportunity to share with everyone that we are home to authentic Bahraini cuisine, and at the same time introduce the Bahraini hospitality to the people, as part of the Gulf Hotels Group hospitality standards.” Featuring an indoor dining area as well as an extended outdoor area, Café Délices serves the freshest ingredients with delectable flavours and variety of shisha. The warm tones blending with the panoramic view of the Canal and the unique design is sure to make any guest feel relaxed on any day.

Yas Island will light up in color and festivities to mark the beginning of 2021 with firework celebrations that are due to kick off on the Island at 12:00 am on December 31, 2020. Residents of Abu Dhabi and the UAE will be able to enjoy the superlative fireworks show over Yas Island with a range of different viewing options available, including viewing fireworks from restaurants in Yas Marina.

First Marriott Resort in Dubai is set to open in September 2021. Located on the beach of the iconic Palm Jumeirah, the first Marriott Resort in Dubai offers the best of both worlds, catering to both the leisure seeking and dynamic business traveller. With the convenient conjunction to Dubai’s Sheikh Zayed Road, connecting the downtown area and the Burj Khalifa with the main shopping malls and business districts, the resort is the ideal starting point to explore all that Dubai has to offer. Our Rooms have private balconies and offer deluxe bedding, complimentary Wi-Fi and 24-hour room service. Enjoy a swim in the hotel’s beachside pool, workout in the fitness centre or relax at the Saray Spa. Young travellers can enjoy their own space at the indoor Kidz Club. The hotel has 8 restaurants which include Korean, Italian, Japanese and Mexican cuisines. In front of the hotel is the West Beach promenade where guests can relax on the hotel’s private beach, swim or enjoy water sports in the warm waters of the Arabian Gulf, explore the restaurants along the promenade and more.

Sharjah recently opened an amphitheatre in the city’s eastern region enclave. Built on a total area of 190,000 sq.ft., this stunning Roman-style attraction is Sharjah’s latest cultural and architectural landmark. Sheikh Sultan bin Ahmed Al Qasimi, HE Tariq Saeed Allay, Director of Sharjah Government Media Bureau (SGMB), and several members from local media houses outlets attended the tour to explore the venue and learn about its state-of-the-art facilities. Strategically located on an elevated hillock, at the foot of the Al Sayed mountain, the amphitheatre offers sweeping views of the KhorfakkanCorniche. This open-air semi-circular space boasts an imposing stone façade made up of 235 arches and 295 columns, and can host 3,600 people at a time. As the group continued their tour of the vast amphitheatre site, the SMC Chairman briefed media representatives on its unique characteristics including the world-class technologies that power the venue’s audio-visual and lighting systems to offer guests remarkable cultural experiences including live concerts. He also mentioned that the amphitheatre features state-of the-art cooling systems, which will allow it to host visitors and big events throughout the year. Sheikh Sultan bin Ahmed Al Qasimi said, “Historically, cultural hubs have played a key role in fuelling knowledge and creativity. Amphitheaters, in particular, have been serving as the gathering place for such pursuits, for centuries. The Khorfakkan Amphitheatre is a spectacular new addition to the city’s cultural and touristic landscape. A popular destination in Sharjah, picturesque Khorfakkan has served as a hub for people to explore art and culture, and connect with our natural landscape. This amphitheatre adds an accent to these experiences – opening a new window to the world to come and enjoy Emirati, Arab and international …

Turkish Airlines has resumed flights from the United Arab Emirates. As the airline that flies to more countries than any other airline in the world, flag carrier recommenced its operations from Dubai, scheduling seven flights per week with wide body aircrafts. Operations from Abu Dhabi will be resumed starting from January 2 with four weekly flights as well. Turkish Airlines will connect passengers via Istanbul Airport to more than 200 international flights, while providing its passengers peace of mind and safe travel experience with new precautions in place. Having worked with government officials and relevant national and international authorities, the flag carrier airline has implemented a number of stringent health and safety measures, adopting policies and strict mandates to deliver the world-class service the airline is renowned for. All passengers, including Turkish Airline staff, are required to wear a mask at all times, while a ‘Hygiene Kit’ (consisting of a mask, a hand sanitizer and an antiseptic tissue) will be provided to passengers on board. “Hygiene Expert” cabin crews appointed in flights will be in charge of lavatory disinfection and enforcement of all on-board hygiene and social distancing measures. During the flights, cabin air is constantly cleaned by hospital-standard HEPA filter, and the air is completely renewed about every 3 minutes. To help ease the burden of the COVID-19 pandemic on passengers, Turkish Airlines offers flexible options for customers booking new flights. Travelers can now change tickets bought until March 31, 2021 for another flight taking place by December 31, 2021. Alternatively, customers can change their ticket to an open ticket for use on another date. Passengers can also make unlimited changes for tickets booked between these dates with no …

United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) in partnership with Google hosted their second edition of the global Tourism Acceleration Program in the Middle East region, a program designed to boost innovation and digital transformation in the tourism sector in each of the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt by providing key insights and market intelligence for effective tourism planning. The online event was attended by UNWTO Member States’ tourism ministers, top travel associations, tourism boards and Destination Marketing Organizations from across the region. Participants gained first-hand access to UNWTO and Google’s insights of the tourism sector and developed new strategies for a more sustainable recovery. UNWTO is proud to partner with Google to bring the power of innovation and digital transformation to tourism across the Middle East region. Zurab Pololikashvili, Secretary-General, UNWTO said, “UNWTO is proud to partner with Google to bring the power of innovation and digital transformation to tourism across the Middle East region. The effective use of data can help destinations of all sizes grow their tourism sectors, while at the same time providing key insights into how tourism can be managed responsibly and inclusively, with sustainability as the driving force.” Commenting on the program, Lino Cattaruzzi, Google’s Managing Director in Middle East, said: “Digital skills are now more critical than ever and they will be vital in helping our region recover more quickly and more sustainably. Today’s acceleration program is an opportunity for tourism boards and businesses in Middle East  to prepare and find new ways to engage with would-be travelers. We remain optimistic about the future of the travel and tourism sector, and about the role that Google and technology can play to help it recover …

Etihad Airways has expanded its business with the launch of charter and special flight services. Fully customisable, business and leisure guests can choose from a variety of flight options including a dedicated passenger service, cargo only flight or a combined passenger and cargo package. Alex Featherstone, Vice President Network Planning & Alliances, Etihad Airways, said, “While the COVID-19 pandemic continues to impact the commercial aviation industry, charter flights provide a convenient alternative to travel, providing customers with the flexibility to choose the departure time, destination and routing.” This year, Etihad has flown over 500 charters including passenger, government and humanitarian flights. Over 3.8M tonnes of cargo has been transported for the government of Abu Dhabi as part of the national aid programme using charter services. Etihad Wellness, the airline’s health and safety programme, ensures the highest standards of hygiene are maintained on charters flights at every stage of the customer journey. This includes specially trained Wellness Ambassadors, a first in the industry, who have been introduced by the airline to provide essential travel health information and care on the ground and on every flight. As part of the Etihad Wellness programme, global COVID-19 insurance cover is included for all passengers travelling with Etihad. Etihad also charters flights for sports teams including a last-minute flight for Manchester City Football Club in 2019 to help them continue the Asia pre-season tour after they faced a delay on their initial journey.

Philippine government has announced that the construction of the Philippines Pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai has already reached 87 per cent completion. Philippine Department of Trade and Industry (PDTI) and Commissioner General Secretary Ramon Lopez said that ‘Bangkóta’ is on track of its scheduled handover in March 2021, with the teams involved exerting full efforts. Bangkóta also highlights the country’s passion for sustainability—sourcing majority of its materials from the local markets of UAE. According to Lopez, such readily available materials are among the contributing factors that led to them staying on track of their schedule despite the movement restrictions caused by the pandemic. Lopez said, “The Pavilion’s concept, including the materials to be used, has been well thought of by the creators, a reason it became easier for the team to go ahead and build the design. While recent restrictions brought about by the pandemic posed a challenge, they also unleashed within the team their resourcefulness and creativity—allowing them to pull such magnificent work without any delays.” Omar Shehadeh, Chief International Participants Officer, International Participants at Expo 2020 Dubai, also commended the efficiency of the team in terms of the construction of the pavilion, saying, “The sheer passion of the people behind the Philippines Pavilion is truly commendable, and I am honoured to have witnessed their creativity and hard work coming to life through Bangkóta. I am confident that Filipinos in the UAE will be further proud of their identity once they get to witness what the Philippine team has prepared for them in the upcoming Expo 2020.” Hjayceelyn Quintana, Philippine Ambassador to the UAE , for her part, expressed her pride for the team behind the pavilion, saying, “This …