Dubai’s Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (Dubai Tourism) held a virtual meeting with leading tour operators to discuss a range of new guidelines that are being developed for tourist camps across the city that will positively impact the business of travel companies, further enhance the tourism experience and reinforce Dubai’s position as a must-visit destination. The new features that will be rolled out for tourist camps is based on the latest Executive Council Resolution No. (24) of 2020 that was issued by His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of The Executive Council of Dubai. His Excellency Helal Saeed Almarri, Director General of Dubai Tourism, commented, “As we continue to take a measured and coordinated approach towards a full reopening of the tourism sector, the strategic directive by His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of The Executive Council of Dubai on regulating tourist camp operations is a timely boost to the business of travel companies, and is a reflection of our commitment to work closely with our stakeholders to build a stronger, more sustainable and resilient tourism economy. The Resolution is also testament to the continued support of our visionary leadership to showcase Dubai as the most preferred destination that provides UAE residents and visitors a diversity of experiences. Dubai Tourism will continue to work with its stakeholders and partners to further strengthen Dubai’s destination proposition and ensure that it stays at the forefront of the world’s widely recommended cities for global travellers.”

Heritance Aarah Maldives has re-opened to GCC travellers this month. With the ease of travel restrictions and increasing number of flights from the GCC, Maldives has now become one of the top destinations for a relaxing break where guests can unwind in absolute privacy. Heritance Aarah Maldives is located on the beautiful private island of RaaAtoli just 45-minutes by seaplane from the International Airport in Malé. This exclusive 5-star resort offers the perfect blend of Maldivian culture combined with modern comfort while being surrounded by the island’s pristine white sand. The resort features 26 Intimate Luxury Duplex Ocean Suites, 56 Ocean Villas and 68 Land Villas, ranging from Beach Villas to Pool Beach Villas as well as Family Beach Villas and Family Pool Beach Villas. Heritance Aarah Maldives is known for its all-inclusive premium packages which includes a stay in one of the suites or villas, full board with a choice of five restaurants, spa treatment, island excursions and premium beverages. The island boasts one of the largest collection of beverages in the Maldives and offers a stocked up mini bar based on guest preferences on arrival on the island. Travellers looking for a relaxed and calm vacation can pamper themselves at the Medi Spa, the first of its kind in the Maldives to offer holistic treatments to rejuvenate, soothe and uplift the mind and senses. Medi Spa offers treatments focused on wellness, weight loss and beauty in their stunning overwater therapy rooms. Heritance Aarah also boasts an extraordinary culinary experience with venues that are unrivalled throughout the Maldives including six restaurants, five bars and an Infinity Pool. The destination also offers an extended array of motorised and non-motorised water …

InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) and Emirates Skywards, the award-winning loyalty programme of Emirates and flydubai, have launched a limited time offer allowing IHG Rewards Club and Emirates Skywards members to earn triple Skywards Miles when booking a stay at any IHG Hotels & Resorts worldwide. This exclusive, limited time offer allows guests to earn 6 Skywards Miles per USD 1 spent at Regent Hotels and Resorts, InterContinental Hotels & Resorts, Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants, Hualuxe Hotels and Resorts, Crowne Plaza, Hotel Indigo, EVEN Hotels, Voco, Holiday Inn, Holiday Inn Express, Holiday Inn Club Vacations, and avid Hotels globally; and 3 Skywards Miles per USD 1 spent at Staybridge Suites, Candlewood Suites and The Venetian | The Palazzo Las Vegas. The promotion is valid for registrations and hotel bookings made from September 1, 2020 until December 31st 2020, for hotel stays until March 2021 at any IHG Hotels and Resorts worldwide.

Middle East & North Africa Business Aviation Association (MEBAA) has announced that the region’s leading business aviation platform, the MEBAA Show, will now take place from February 22-24, 2021 at DWC, Airshow Site. The event was due to take place from 08-10 December 2020 but has been postponed due to concerns related to the evolving COVID-19 outbreak. Ali Alnaqbi, Founding and Executive Chairman of MEBAA said, “We have been closely monitoring the COVID-19 spread over the past few weeks as well as developments on travel restrictions from governments around the world. After very careful consideration of the situation and taking into account invaluable feedback from our exhibitors and stakeholders we believe the decision to postpone the event is in the best interests of the health and safety of our exhibitors, visitors, contractors and staff.” “We understand this news will be disappointing to the business aviation industry; however, we believe that in postponing the show to February 2021 we will be better positioned to deliver a quality event for everyone,” added Alnaqbi. By attending The MEBAA Show, organisations will have the chance to meet business aircraft manufacturers, avionics firms, completion centers, charter companies and aircraft resellers who will display their latest products and services. The MEBAA Show’s upcoming edition will host several new and exciting features including access to hours of content through thought-leadership seminars and workshops along with a pre-arranged meetings program to facilitate connection and networking between visitors and exhibitors. In addition, the brand new Luxury Travel Operators Segment will allow attendees to meet and network with regional and global high-end travel operators.

ILTM events has announced a global virtual solution to bring the industry together before the end of the year. ILTM Cannes has been postponed to 2021. Entitled ILTM World Tour – access all areas, this virtual event is set to unite the entire global community of buyers and suppliers of luxury travel. A new one-off digital opportunity with a creative difference, ILTM World Tour – access all areas will compensate for the postponed ILTM events in 2020 and provide an environment for international luxury travel brands and regional buyer communities to virtually meet to connect and build their businesses. “Whilst we know that virtual events will NEVER replace our love to meet and share stories in person, we know right now that what counts the most is getting business lined up for 2021. We cannot predict the timing of when growth will come back, but we can be ready for whenever it happens.” said Alison Gilmore, ILTM Portfolio Director. Describing how ILTM World Tour was created, Alison Gilmore said, “We have created this one-off event to design a truly global business opportunity for all our ILTM suppliers and buyers and planned it so that we respect all time zones. With a 3-week time frame, everyone can create their own strategy and arrange meetings that will work for them.” “We know that the unprecedented events of 2020 have meant the luxury travel industry has had to adapt their business strategies. With target markets shifting as some borders remain closed, we want the objective of the ILTM World Tour to offer a global proposition to open up opportunities for all participants and be a time to bring people together, uniting through shared …

The first webinar on SouthWest Germany concluded yesterday with 235 participants from GCC; UAE, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman and Bahrain. Starting off the webinar Yamina Sofo – Director, Sales & Marketing – German National Tourist Office shared that over 2019, there had been 1.8 million overnight stays from GCC nationals. Sofo gave an overview of the destination and reiterated that Germany is an Arab travellers paradise as it has all the different activities much loved by the clientele. From sightseeing sites, to cultural and historical areas with many castles and shopping areas that include some of the most famous luxury brands, Michelin star restaurants and many areas that offer halal food options. Natalie DietlSales and Marketing Manager from State Tourist Board SouthWest Germany explained the many historical and traditional areas one can visit and explore as well as the more modern areas that are well received. From authentic museums to high end dining restaurants to river boat cruises that are one of a kind are some of the key highlights presented about the destination. Dietl also mentioned the special training programme for travel agents about the destination ‘Time to go cuckoo’ and requested that they have a look at the site. Christian Gross, Head of Incoming/MICE – Hochschwarzwald Tourism (HochschwarzwaldTourismus GmbH- (Black forest highlands) was the next speaker to share about the naturally unique destination that is both picturesque and breath taking for every visitor. He explained about the many activities that can be enjoyed at the Black forest highlands which includes from canoeing to hiking or biking or just gliding from tree tops, taking a boat cruise or a cable car to enjoy the spectacular view. …

Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi) and UFC have announced that Return to UFC Fight Island, the much-celebrated UFC series will be held on Yas Island from September 26 to October 24. Following the undisputed success of July’s inaugural series, which saw the state-of-the-art UFC Fight Island Safe Zone implemented across all event-related areas of Yas Island, the series’ epic return less than three months later marks another historic first for Abu Dhabi and the sport. The capital of the UAE is continuing to take a leading position in safely organising large, high-profile sports events through successful management of health and safety protocols, providing a further boost to the local economy and showcasing the world’s leading athletes. “UFC Fight Island proved to be a tremendous success and its rapid return is testament to the strength of our partnership with UFC, and the global confidence in Abu Dhabi’s ability and preparedness to host major international events with the highest standards of health and safety,” said His Excellency Mohamed Khalifa Al Mubarak, Chairman of DCT Abu Dhabi. “The Return to UFC Fight Island concept underlines both Abu Dhabi’s commitment to global sporting and tourism events as well as the collaborative approach taken by various government departments to ensure the emirate is ready to safely welcome back visitors, business and more major international events across multiple sectors.” Dana White, the UFC President added, “While the rest of the world shut down, we worked with our partners in Abu Dhabi to put on the best live sporting experience, and we did it safely and responsibly. The infrastructure they have in place, from the arena, to the hotels, to the …

Miral announced the latest milestones and construction progress at Yas Island’s Yas Bay. His Highness Sheikh Khalid bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Member of the Executive Council and Chairman of Abu Dhabi Executive Office, visited the development and was briefed on construction progress and milestones achieved to date. Yas Bay represents a USD 1.1 Billion investment, and is an integral part of Miral’s USD 3.26 Billion portfolio of diverse leisure and entertainment developments under construction on Yas Island.As part of the overall masterplan for Yas Island, Yas Bay will play an important role in the continued growth of the island, with Miral investing the USD 1.1 Billion into The project’s Waterfront, infrastructure and public realm. H.E. Mohamed Khalifa Al Mubarak, Chairman of Miral said, “We have made significant progress across Abu Dhabi’s new iconic development, Yas Bay. The latest milestones underscore our vision for Yas Island to position it as a top global destination for entertainment, leisure and business. We remain committed to enriching our portfolio of unique experiences and immersive attractions across Yas Island while further contributing to Abu Dhabi and the UAE’s wider tourism growth.”

flydubai announced the resumption of flights to Malé, Maldives. The service, which the carrier initially operated between 2013 and 2018, will be reinstated from October 27 due to popular demand as the Indian Ocean destination welcomed back tourists of all nationalities earlier this summer. flydubai flights will operate four times a week to Malé on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays. Flight FZ 1569 will depart from Terminal 3, Dubai International (DXB) at 10:35 and the return flight FZ 1570 will depart from Maldives’ Ibrahim Nasir International Airport (MLE) at 23:30 (local time). This brings the number of destinations flydubai operates to 40 across its network in Africa, Central Asia, Europe, Indian Subcontinent and the Middle East. Commenting on the start of flights to Malé, Ghaith Al Ghaith, Chief Executive Officer at flydubai said, “We continue to see signs of recovery as more countries start to lift restrictions on international travel. Working together, all the stakeholders in the travel industry have a role to play to safeguard travel in this new environment enabling more people to travel confidently. We remain agile in our operations and committed to gradually adding more flights to further support the flow of trade and tourism around the region as we look ahead to this new way of travel in the months to come.” Sudhir Sreedharan, Senior Vice President of Commercial Operations (UAE, GCC, Africa and the Indian Subcontinent) at flydubai, said, “We are pleased to restart our operations to the Maldives. This has always been a popular destination for our passengers in the UAE, GCC and the Russian speaking markets who are seeking a beach holiday. With Holidays by flydubai expanding its hotels and ancillary offering, …

We are just a few hours away to discover one of the most loved European destinations by the GCC, German National Tourist Office Gulf Countries will host a special webinar today at 11am UAE time to discover the destination in the comfort of your home. They will highlight the importance of the destination of Germany as one of the preferred travel destinations for the GCC nationals due to its diversity. The Webinar is a perfect platform to reach out to the travel professionals in the region. Germany ticks all the boxes, whether for wellness and recreation, nature and sightseeing or simply for entertainment and shopping – offering high quality services, great value for money, luxury accommodation and facilities as well as environmentally-friendly transportation links throughout the entire country. So join Yamina Sofo – Director, Sales & Marketing – German National Tourist Office, Gulf countries with State Tourist Board SouthWest Germany Natalie Dietl, Sales & Marketing Overseas, from Hochschwarzwald Tourism (HochschwarzwaldTourismus GmbH- (Black forest highlands) Christian Gross, Head of Incoming/MICE and Outletcity Metzingen; Angela Rieger, Sales & Tourism Manager from Europe’s largest outlet brings outlet shopping to a new level.