Radisson Hotel Group, despite the current climate, is on track to open two new hotels in Saudi Arabia, further strengthening their leading position within the region. Both hotel openings will debut the Group’s fast-growing midscale Park Inn by Radisson brand in Jeddah and Riyadh. As one of the fastest growing companies in the Kingdom, Radisson Hotel Group’s portfolio in the region consists of over 45 hotels, resorts and serviced apartments in operation and under development. The group has recently announced 15 new hotel signings across EMEA in Q2 2020, six of which fall within the Middle East and Africa region. The MENA region remains one of the key focus markets for Radisson Hotel Group’s global development strategy.Known as the brand that drives a ‘feel good’ atmosphere, Park Inn by Radisson Jeddah Madinah Road and Park Inn by Radisson Riyadh are fresh and energetic hotels offering good food and vibrant environments, connected through design, technology and social spaces. While Jeddah is known to attract travellers from across the globe due to its gateway to Makkah and canvas for public art, Riyadh is the largest city and capital of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, making both cities an ideal location for business and leisure travellers. “Our teams are working tirelessly to keep these hotel openings on track, despite the challenges the pandemic presents,” said Tim Cordon, Area Senior Vice President, Middle East & Africa. “Radisson Hotel Group aims to supplement the Saudi market with modernised and exceptional hotel experiences across leisure, dining, fitness, wellness and sustainability. Our aim is to become the go-to hotelier for local guests and business travellers whilst empowering the Saudi working population simultaneously. As a strong advocate of …

Ajman Tourism Development Department (ATDD) has conducted comprehensive coronavirus checks for hospitality employees in cooperation with Ajman Medical District and Ajman Crises Management Team, in line with the strengthening of precautionary measures taken by the UAE to ensure a safe environment for residents and visitors. The testing comes as part of the preventive programs of the UAE health authorities to reinforce the precautionary measures to limit the spread of coronavirus and included all employees in Ajman hotel establishments to secure a healthy work environment for all employees. HE Saleh Mohamed Al Geziry, ATDD Director General said, “Ajman Tourism Development Department continues to take all the necessary steps to ensure the wellbeing of the hospitality sector employees, and continues to work closely with the concerned authorities to overcome the pandemic and provide a safe environment in the emirate.” Hamad Tarim Al Shamsi, Director of the Ajman Medical Zone, praised the fruitful cooperation between the medical zone and Ajman public and private entities to perform these checks and stressed on the importance of doing such tests to ensure early detection of coronavirus cases. Coronavirus tests are available in Ajman at various centres including the Preventive Medicine Center, Primary Health Care Centers, Al BaytMitwahid Association, the National Survey Center and others.

Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority (RAKTDA) is pleased to announce the success of its ‘Shortcation’ staycation campaign which ran from 7 June – 31 August. Together with its hospitality partners, RAKTDA created a special summer package inviting UAE residents to take a well-earned break and enjoy the Emirate’s exceptional beaches, outstanding hospitality, thrilling adventure attractions and authentic cultural experiences for the ultimate ‘Shortcation’. Guests staying for three or more nights at any of Ras Al Khaimah’s participating 4 & 5 star hotels enjoyed a series of value-adds for a unique and memorable stay, including the Suwaidi Pearls farm, the iconic ‘Jais Adventure Peak’ with the Jebel Jais Flight, the world’s longest zipline; the Jais Sky Tour featuring seven ziplines and a 15m sky bridge; and the Jais Sky Maze, a suspended obstacle course of rope swings, wobbly bridges and swinging loops. 15,000 room nights were generated during the first 12 weeks of the ‘Shortcation’ campaign.Grand Summer Raffle – all ‘Shortcation’ guests automatically entered a weekly raffle hosted by RAKTDA, to win a number of high value prizes, including the grand prize of a brand-new Mercedes-Benz C-Class 2020 automobile, courtesy of Gargash Enterprises.Despite the regional effects of the pandemic, Ras Al Khaimah leads in RevPAR in the UAE and is second in the GCC, after Riyadh. Ras Al Khaimah became the first city in the world to be certified as safe by Bureau Veritas and the first Emirate to receive the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) Safe Travels Stamp. RAKTDA partners with the National Crisis & Emergency Management Authority and Ras Al Khaimah Preventive Medicine Department provide free COVID-19 PCR testing for all hospitality staff in the Emirate. All …

Seera Group has launched a new data portal for industry partners, which offers comprehensive insights on future searches, bookings and traveller behaviour. The portal has been designed to enable tourism boards and other industry partners to further understand the customer journey at every touchpoint and make projections for strategic campaigns. Louise Blake, VP of Data and Analytics at Seera Group said, “These insights will enable a deeper understanding of the target audience and behaviours, helping our partners deliver further value. Through this portal, traveller preferences and activities can be tracked by VisitBritain, which will help them to foster a deeper experience for the guests by providing an enhanced personalised journey.” Sofia Santos, Country Manager GCC for VisitBritain, said, “Tourism is also an extremely competitive global industry and initiatives such as Seera’s innovative insights portal, supporting us to access real-time data on travellers’ preferences and future booking patterns, will help to position Britain as the destination of choice for visitors from Saudi Arabia when the time comes to promote travel once more working with strategic partners across the region.” Abdullah Aldawood, CEO of Seera Group added, “During these times, where the travel sector has faced an unprecedented level of impact due to COVID-19, it is more important than ever that industry partners come together to support each other and create an enhanced experience for travellers. We’re delighted to strengthen our association with VisitBritain, which will support its goal in positioning Britain as a destination of choice for the region’s travellers. It will be of tremendous value, especially as travel returns to normalcy, and travellers will invariably have new preferences in terms of how and where they travel to, stay and spend …

Etihad Airways is introducing COVID-19 global wellness insurance cover as part of Etihad Wellness, the airlines new health and hygiene programme. Guests who are diagnosed with COVID-19 during their trip won’t have to worry about medical expenses or quarantine costs when they fly with Etihad. Duncan Bureau, Senior Vice President Sales and Distribution, Etihad Airways, said, “The safety, health, and wellbeing of our guests and employees is our top priority, during and beyond the flight. The introduction of global COVID-19 insurance, in partnership with AXA, builds on stringent measures already in place as part of our Etihad Wellness programme, championed by our Wellness Ambassadors. “This additional cover will not only instil confidence to travel but also reassure our guests that we are doing all we can to keep them safe and protected. As more countries start opening their borders, we are making it as easy as possible for our guests to plan their next trip, hassle free.” Adelane Mecellem, Chief Executive Officer Asia, Middle-East, Turkey and Africa, AXA Partners said, “At AXA, we are focused on improving the customer experience and wellness of individuals during these times. As such, we are proud to partner with one of the world’s leading airlines, Etihad Airways, and provide their extensive loyal travellers with new protection solutions when needed most.”

Maiden virtual roadshow ‘Amazing Thailand’ received one of the highest number of buyers from the GCC; UAE, Oman, Kuwait, Qatar and Bahrain. The event kicked off at 10am with over 350 buyers, Pichaya Saisaengchan, Director, Tourism Authority of Thailand Dubai and Middle East welcomed the guests and partners at the Amazing Thailand Virtual Roadshow 2020, which this year was a virtual B2B platform which connected travel professionals across the GCC to hospitality to tourism establishments in Thailand. “It comes as no surprise that our industry has experienced an unprecedented shift in the last six months due to the current pandemic. The tourism industry is adjusting to a set of new norms as travel restrictions start to ease and our collective efforts to adapt and reinvent our offerings have been adamant, taking into consideration new health and safety protocols. Today, we are joined by 48 tourism stakeholders from Thailand, including hotels and resorts, health and wellness, shopping establishments, attractions, tour operators, and DMCs. The Amazing Thailand Virtual Roadshow 2020 provides a great opportunity for our travel partners in the GCC to connect with tourism providers in Thailand to discuss the current measures in place to ensure the health and safety of visitors to the Kingdom, as well as the new offerings travellers can expect to experience during their visit to Thailand once we are ready to welcome them back.” He further reiterated, “Thailand welcomed over 38 million visitors in 2019, of which 550,000 visitors were from the Middle East, and we look forward to welcoming travellers back to our shores as our travel partners in the GCC are enabled with the necessary tools and information to highlight our vibrant destination.”

Singapore Tourism Board (STB) will start accepting applications for organisers to pilot Meetings, Incentives, Conventions and Exhibitions (MICE) events of up to 250 attendees from October 1, 2020. STB and the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI) will review all MICE event proposals, and event organisers may proceed only upon obtaining MTI’s approval. There will be pilot events taking place under this arrangement, such as the Singapore International Energy Week (SIEW) Conference, in October 2020. Keith Tan, Chief Executive, Singapore Tourism Board said, “The MICE sector is a strategic one for the Singapore economy, and its safe and gradual resumption will safeguard jobs and core capabilities. It will also help those in related sectors such as hospitality and aviation. Public health and safety remain our utmost priority, and we have worked closely with the industry to create strict protocols and develop new ways of organising events. These pilot events and solutions will help Singapore lead the way as a safe, trusted and innovative destination for MICE events.”

The Governor of Tabuk, Prince Fahd bin Sultan bin Abdulaziz, inaugurated in the university city of the University of Tabuk the ‘Grand Millennium Tabuk’ Hotel of the Higher Education Fund, in the presence of the Minister of Education and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the University Higher Education Fund, Dr. Hamad Al Sheikh. The hotel is managed by Millennium Hotels and Resorts MEA, one of the fastest-growing hotel management companies in the region, and is conveniently located on the Duba Road close to Prince Sultan Bin Abdul Aziz Airport. Guests can sink into the nostalgic era by choosing from a sprawling list of 218 luxury rooms, suites and a Royal Suite spread across six lavish floors of the hotel, with the fascinating view of Tabuk City. Every room is designed keeping in mind the heritage of the Hejaz Railway station exploding from every inch especially the photographs and wall-art that reflect the trains of the bygone era. The hotel outlets include Al Maksoura (The cabin) All-day dining restaurant, Juzurna Arabesque restaurant, Al Multaqa (The gathering place) Lobby Café and Al Manzar Pool Lounge in addition to a grand ballroom for weddings and events with a total space of 1082 sqm with a total capacity up to 800 people, five meeting rooms with a total meeting space of 283 sqm equipped with state-of-the-art modern technology and a pre-function/welcome area with a total space of 536 sqm. The hotel also includes a large recreation area with outdoor and indoor swimming pools for adults and kids, designated gym and spa facilities for ladies and gents, two tennis courts, multipurpose court and kids’ play area.

Golden Travel and Tourism has signed a multi-year agreement with Sabre to continue use its innovative technology and platform to manage travel. Sabre Corporation, is the leading software and technology provider that powers the global travel industry. Under this agreement, Golden Travel and Tourism will be using Sabre’s intelligent platform Sabre Red 360, allowing it to harness more data, content and flexibility to differentiate its offering, manage its operations and workflow more effectively and grow faster in the region. “We are proud of the trust that Golden Travel and Tourism has put in us for the past decade and excited to extend this agreement, which will continue to its future growth plans,” said Abdul-Razzaq Iyer, vice president, Sabre Travel Network Middle East. “The travel industry is rapidly changing, and fast transformation through technology is key. At Sabre, we are constantly evolving our technology, so that we can offer agencies faster innovation, flexible solutions and data-driven insights that help them achieve their business goals.” “Sabre has shown nothing but persistence, support and commitment to our operations and growth since our partnership started,” said Nehal Shaji, general manager, Golden Travel and Tours. “Travellers today are expecting a high level of customer service and tailormade travel itineraries that meet their preferences and budgets. Sabre’s solutions and tools are putting us at the forefront responding to these market demands and providing travel content and itineraries that are truly personalised for each customer.”

We are just a few hours away from the Biggest ever Virtual Roadshow for the GCC travel trade. You still may have a few hours left to register to meet with 48 Thai Sellers representing a variety of regions and major cities across the Kingdom including Bangkok, Pattaya, Krabi, Koh Samui, Phuket and more. ‘Amazing Thailand Virtual Roadshow’ will take place on 9th September 2020 from 10am to 6pm UAE time with 48 tourism stakeholders from Thailand, including hotels, resorts, health, wellness, shopping establishments, attractions, tour operators and DMCs. Thai sellers with GCC buyers will do one-on-one meetings via Video call. You will be able to visit the stands virtually and connect with the sellers that you will select and spend a good 10 minutes and discuss all concerns pertaining to the destination. As it is now open for medical tourism, it will be a good opportunity to check the new procedures and plans for the particular sector. The Sellers will highlight their new products and services in all major cities in Thailand including nearby cities such as Bangkok & Beyond, Phuket & Beyond, Chiang Mai & Beyond, Pattaya & Beyond, etc… as well as to highlight their SHA Certificate that has been given to all qualified Thai private sector companies.