flydubai announced that it will provide passengers with a new multi-risk travel insurance which will be automatically applied to all passengers purchasing a flydubai ticket. Passengers who purchase a flydubai ticket, through the flydubai website or mobile app, flydubai travel shops, the flydubai Contact Centre or through any flydubai travel partner, will automatically receive the new, multi-risk travel insurance, provided by AIG Travel, at no additional cost.  In addition to multi-risk coverage, the insurance also provides COVID-19 coverage. The policy covers both return and one-way trips outside of a passenger’s country of residence. Commenting on the announcement, Hamad Obaidalla, Chief Commercial Officer at flydubai, said, “the safety and wellbeing of our passengers and crew remains our highest priority. Our multi-risk travel insurance will offer passengers more confidence to travel knowing that they will be looked after at every step of their journey. We expect the demand for travel to increase during the upcoming winter holidays season and this will give our passengers greater piece of mind.”

Attended by a record number of agents from the GCC, Tourism Ireland hosted their second webinar with the spokesperson from Tourism Ireland for GCC and 4 other partners. Siobhan Naughton, Marketing and Trade Executive, Tourism Ireland shared an overview about the destination, the flight access and the latest updates about the covid centric practices and safety charters  which still includes the quarantine period of 14 days. She mentioned about the British Irish Visa Scheme; the visa requirements for other GCC countries and shared that they were very busy preparing for visitors to travel to Ireland soon. She then opened the floor for industry speakers starting off with Byrne Learat – Founder & CEO – Adams and Butler (DMC). She gave an in depth presentation on the various programmes and itineraries that can be tailor made for the guests. She shared that they remit part of the commission to the agents that book the clients especially at this period of time so that it will help both parties to continue in their business. She mentioned that Ireland is known as ‘island of horses’ and as DMC they do prepare itineraries to accommodate the requests of the clients. She stated that especially travellers from the kingdom of Saudi Arabia prefer to self -drive and discover the destination, hence this is the ideal destination. Avril Collins – Marketing Manager – Ireland’s Blue Bookwhich includes a romantic collection of over 50 Irish Country House Hotels, Manor Houses, Castles and Restaurants shared many interesting details about the different properties under their belt. From five star elegant properties to Michelin star restaurants that can really add a lot more to the itinerary of the discerning traveller. …

Unspoilt nature and carefree enjoyment, sustainable offers and good entertainment are the cornerstones of the ‘German Summer Cities 2021′ campaign, with which the German National Tourist Board (GNTB) is promoting vacations in the urban regions in summer 2021. With #GreenSummerStories, the GNTB draws the attention of potential guests to alternative offers beyond the familiar tourist hotspots, such as green spaces, parks, local recreation areas and leisure activities in the vicinity of urban destinations. “The Corona pandemic has disproportionately affected city breaks as a particularly successful segment of German incoming tourism. In line with the growing need for security and care on the part of foreign guests, the focus in the coming year will be on new sustainable city experiences – German Summer Cities,” explains Petra Hedorfer, CEO of the GNTB. “We are setting new trends for international travellers with attractive offers in the areas surrounding the cities. Our marketing activities are focused on raising brand awareness for the Destination Germany brand and inspiring our customers’ travel plans for next year.” The ‘German Summer Cities 2021’ will focus on five thematic clusters: ‘Nature and the City’ focuses on the broad spectrum of nature and activity offers in the city and directly at the gates of the cities. ‘Sights’ also highlights lesser-known highlights in metropolises and smaller cities. ‘Romanticism’ gives suggestions for dream routes to indulge and linger. ‘Art and Culture’ spans the arc from classical culture, tradition and customs to contemporary art experiences. ‘Entertainment’ inspires trips to Germany on the occasion of small and large events that will take place in 2021. Petra Hedorfer continues, “With great commitment, many partners in Germany’s tourism industry have adapted to the needs of customers …

Anantara Al Jabal Al Akhdar Resort welcomes guests back to its glorious haven in the clouds. Tourists from the Middle East and beyond can now plan a trip to Oman’s leading resort and apply for a tourist visa to enter the country, provided they have a hotel booking or sponsorship from a local travel agency. Travellers are also required to present two negative COVID-19 PCR tests to be enabled entry in Oman, one no more than 90 hours prior to departure and another conducted at the airport on arrival. For trips less than 7 days, visitors will also be able to bypass the quarantine requirement and freely explore their destination. Experience the time-honoured tradition of Omani hospitality and indulge in exciting escapades while soaking in dramatic canyon views with the prefect getaway at Anantara Al Jabal Al Akhdar. Located at 2,000m above sea level, this elevated luxury resort offers Omani splendour in the most breathtaking of natural settings.

A team of experts from Ireland will join you in the comfort of your office or home for a good session about the exciting destination today at 3pm UAE time. Siobhan Naughton, Marketing and Trade Executive, Tourism Ireland stated that in this special webinar exclusively for the travel trade from GCC and India will focus on many interesting factors with regard to the destination. Their proactive efforts over the past has gained them a place in the travel arena among some of the key players, however, their offerings are more unique with not just the beautiful outdoors but rich in history, culture and natural beauty in lavish environments. You can be transported to the lands of the kings and queens long ago with the many castles that are in the destination. She will be joined by some partners from the destination; Eimear Lafferty -Leisure Markets Manager – Northern Ireland willshare about the visitor attraction opened in 2012 with the great Titanic story as it unfolds. Joe Shannon   –   CEO – G Golf Ireland will be sharing some exclusive information for those “Golfers” who always look for a new area to play. Avril Collins – Marketing Manager – Ireland’s Blue Book which includes a romantic collection of over 50 Irish Country House Hotels, Manor Houses, Castles and Restaurants will have a lot to share about these interesting places. Lastly, Siobhan Byrne Learat – Founder & CEO – Adams and Butler – well versed in Arabic and Middle East culture will share some insight for the travellers in the Middle East conforming to their most important travel requirements.

Majid Al Futtaim announced the launch of the region’s first cinema in the snow, which will allow guests to enjoy a hugely unique big screen experience in the desert surrounded by real snow. Snow Cinema is a collaboration between VOX Cinemas and Ski Dubai and is proudly supported by Dettol. From December 11 until the end of February, guests can snuggle up and get cosy while enjoying the magic of movies on the slopes of Ski Dubai. Get in the holiday spirit and meet Santa Claus in his grotto followed by a screening of a family-friendly festive favourite such as The Grinch, Frozen 2 or Daddy’s Home 2, which will be shown daily at 10am, 1pm, 4pm and 7pm. There will also be a nightly screening of popular recent releases such as Knives Out and The Call of the Wild, as well as seasonal hits like Last Christmas. Cameron Mitchell, Chief Executive Officer at Majid Al Futtaim Cinemas and Majid Al Futtaim Leisure & Entertainment, said, “We are extremely excited to launch the Middle East’s first cinema in the snow, which will allow guests to experience the magic of movies in the unique setting of the ‘World’s Best Indoor Ski Resort’. “At Majid Al Futtaim, we are constantly looking for new ways to enhance the guest experience. Today’s guests are becoming increasingly discerning and demand a more engaging and dynamic experience, making it essential that we continue to evolve and experiment. The launch of Snow Cinema is aligned with our commitment to offer guests experiences that go beyond their expectations and marks another innovative collaboration between Majid Al Futtaim’s brands following the hugely successful VOX Cinemas Drive-In at Mall of …

Visit Maldives has started a radio promotion with Al Khaleejiya for the Middle Eastern region. The purpose of this two-week campaign is to promote the destination and the unique experiences available in Maldives. In this regard, this campaign also aims to inform prospective travellers from the Middle East about the safety measures that are imposed in the Maldives and ensure them that Maldives is a safe haven. With the reopening of major Middle Eastern borders, tourists are able to visit Maldives more frequently now. Thus, marketing efforts in the Middle Eastern market have increased in order to regain the market share, and increase tourist arrivals from the GCC and the KSA region. This is carried forward by utilizing campaigns such as the joint campaign with DNATA Travel and promotions with Emirates Woman, targeting potential segments. Under the Rediscover Maldives campaign, a series of webinars were also conducted for the travel trade of the Middle East market and other key markets. The airlines operating from the Middle Eastern region include Emirate Airlines, Qatar Airways and Etihad Airways. In addition to this, FlyDubai has started its operations to the Maldives on October 27, 2020. While tourist arrivals from the Middle East to the Maldives showed a 15.1% increase, with a record of 60,003 arrivals in 2019, current arrival trends since the reopening positions the UAE market 3rd in terms of arrival from the date of border opening. Visit Maldives is currently conducting major marketing activities in key markets such as Global campaign with CNN, integrated webinar sessions in china, and the recent participation in World Travel Mart (WTM) Virtual 2020 in the UK. Furthermore, Visit Maldives has successfully concluded the Rediscover Maldives …

Latest joint campaign for two of the most robust markets in the world GCC and India will take place on Monday December 7, 2020 at 3pm UAE time and 4.30pm India time, the joint webinar will be conducted by Siobhan Naughton Marketing and Trade Executive for Middle East and Asia Tourism Ireland with key partners from the destination. Siobhan Naughton, Marketing and Trade Executive, Tourism Ireland stated, “In this special webinar for travel trade from the GCC & India you will learn about a lot of the amazing things that you can do on the island of Ireland when the time is right to travel again. We would like to showcase come of the fantastic accommodation offering, amazing landscapes, uncongested open spaces and activities that are waiting to be enjoyed on the island of Ireland. We would like to target all travel trade who are interested in learning all about what the island of Ireland has to offer as a world class tourist destination. These webinar sessions are extremely important in order to keep the Island of Ireland front of mind with travel trade as an amazing destination for their clients to travel to when the time is right. Travel trade will learn about the COVID safety measures that have been put in place by Irish industry to ensure that visitors can enjoy their visit to the island of Ireland in a safe and secure manner. We mainly focus on luxury accommodation, attractions and experiences for the GCC market as we feel that this type of offerings resonate the best with the market. We will be conducting a quiz where the audience can win some lovely prizes from the island …

Sabre Corporation announced that Gulf Air, the national carrier of the Kingdom of Bahrain, has recently implemented Sabre’s branded fares technology – enhanced merchandising capabilities that allow travel agents using the Sabre global distribution system (GDS) to access the full breadth of airlines’ branded fares. With this implementation, agents can now easily view, compare and sell Gulf Air’s ‘Boutique’ fare family across the network, offering their customers greater choice and personalisation at better value. “With Sabre’s branded fares, airlines can go beyond the basic fare rules,” said Dino Gelmetti, Vice President EMEA, Sabre Travel Solutions.  “They can package additional benefits and features, such as additional air miles, seat selection, checked baggage and other services, with the goal of providing their customers better flexibility and greater value.  The ability to cater to and personalise these demands will enhance travellers’ experiences and drive revenue for airlines.” Gulf Air has introduced a new price concept for all destinations effective 20 October 2020, which travel agents can book through Sabre’s GDS.  With three economy class and two Falcon Gold class fare options, customers will be able to enjoy more choice when booking their flights. By marketing its “Boutique” fares through Sabre, Gulf Air will be giving its customers more control over their travel experiences, paying for the services that best meet their needs. “We recognise that many travellers today consider the overall value of a ticket, rather than just the price alone – and this means different things to different people,” said Vincent Costa, Chief Commercial Officer, Gulf Air.  “While we continue to offer increased benefits across our fares, we also need to be able to cater to specific traveller demands. With Sabre, we …

Orit Farkash-Hacohen, Israeli Minister of Tourism welcomed the first Gulf Air flight from Bahrain to Israel, along with a delegation of key stakeholders in the tourism industry led by Minister of Economy and Tourism Zayed bin Rashid Al Zayani. Following the reception, Minister Farkash-Hacohen said, “The opening of direct flights, and the travel of people between the countries, is an essential step towards building peace between our nations. I look forward to hosting the Minister and his delegation, showing them a taste of Israel’s scenes and heritage, and introducing them to Israel’s private tourism sector.” The Bahraini delegation includes, in addition to the Minister, the Director of the Bahrain Tourism & Exhibitions Authority, the CEO and CCO of Gulf Air, and the Chairman of the Association of Bahrain Travel & Tour Agents. During the visit, which will last until Thursday, Israel’s Ministry of Education will hold a series of working meetings between the visitors and key players in the local tourism industry, including President of the Israel Hotel Association, Amir Hayak, CEO of The Israel Association of Travel Agencies & Consultants, Tali Laufer, and CEO of the Incoming Tour Operators Association, Yossi Fatael. Additionally, the Bahraini delegation will tour Jerusalem and visit Tel Aviv. “For the past two months we have worked hard to turn peace from an idea to a reality, and the tourism MOU between the countries is an important step in that direction,” Farkash-Hacohen said. “The tens of thousands of tourists who will arrive from Bahrain and the UAE when the skies reopen will experience Israel in the best way possible. Such visits contribute not only to building peace between the countries and people, but also towards …