Jumeirah Group acquires legendary Le Richemond hotel on the banks of Lake Geneva, Switzerland; the luxury hospitality company is focused on international expansion as it targets strategic gateway cities. Jumeirah Group, the global luxury hospitality company and member of Dubai Holding, today announced the acquisition of its first property in Switzerland as it continues its growth trajectory and international expansion. The flagship property – Le Richemond – was founded in 1875 and is located on the banks of Lake Geneva in a prime location at the heart of the city’s business district and a short walk from the city’s luxury designer boutiques. The acquisition forms part of the Group’s strategy to build its brand profile in gateway destinations across the world. The move signals Jumeirah’s appetite for investment in key cities that support the diversification of its portfolio and build brand equity as a globally recognised luxury hotel operator. Geneva, as a thriving city, synonymous with luxury living, with a strong international business community and a robust high-end tourism sector, will support Jumeirah’s vision to become one of the world’s top five luxury hotel brands. The art deco property with its charm and grandeur has been a popular destination for well-known personalities throughout the years. The hotel features 109 keys with 87 rooms and 22 suites, boasting stunning views across Lac Léman and the mountain peaks of Mont Blanc. The property will undergo extensive renovations, which will commence as soon as possible, to reposition and elevate the guest experience to a level consistent with Jumeirah’s brand expectations. Jumeirah plans to introduce its signature wellness and fitness concepts and will also focus on bringing its culinary expertise to the banks of …

Hyatt announced that a Hyatt affiliate has entered into management agreements with Rua Al Madinah Holding Company to manage three new Hyatt-branded hotels, including Grand Hyatt Madinah, Hyatt Regency Madinah and Hyatt Place Madinah. Upon opening, these properties will participate in the World of Hyatt loyalty program and will add a combined 1,729 room keys to Hyatt’s portfolio in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, significantly expanding Hyatt’s brand presence in the country and demonstrating its commitment to strategic growth of its portfolio in key markets that matter to its guests, World of Hyatt members, customers and owners. The three properties will be part of the Rua Al Madinah project and are set to be the first Hyatt-branded hotels in Madinah, a city that aims to attract 30 million tourists by 2030. The Rua Al Madinah project is one of the most important initiatives of the Public Investment Fund to achieve the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030, which aims to raise the readiness of the eastern region of the Prophet’s Mosque to accommodate the rising demand in tourism. Set within a distinguished urban environment, the milestone project will aim to enrich the visitor’s experience through the development of integrated systems for hotels, commercial projects and urban centres that highlight the religious and cultural characteristics of Al Madinah Al Munawwarah; all, in an atmosphere full of tranquillity and harmony. “The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia continues to play a pivotal role in Hyatt’s growth strategy in the Middle East and we are excited to work with Rua Al Madinah Holding Company on the plans for these fantastic properties in Madinah,” commented Javier Águila, Group President, Europe, Middle East and Africa, Hyatt. “We …

flynas announced that its passengers can apply for an electronic Stopover Visa through its website. The “Stopover Visa” is issued after purchasing the airline ticket, and the validity of the visa extends to three months and the stay in the Kingdom up to 4 days. The visa application will be passed automatically to the unified national visa platform at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to process and issue the digital visa immediately and send it to the beneficiary via e-mail. Expecting that the new service will contribute to increasing the visitors to the Kingdom, including Umrah and Pilgrim visitors, tourists, and businessmen, Bandar Almohanna, CEO and Managing Director of flynas, said, “the Saudi Vision 2030 has laid the foundations for cooperation among the regulatory and executive sectors on one hand, and with the private sector on the other hand, to serve the Kingdom’s goals in all sectors. Today, we see a practical application of this integration and cooperation by enabling the national carriers to facilitate a request for issuing a Stopover visa, which facilitates procedures of obtaining a Stopover visa for whoever wishes to visit the Kingdom”. Almohanna stressed that this service will contribute to strengthening the Kingdom’s position as a global hub for travel and business by facilitating quick business visits, making the Kingdom a point of contact between countries and continents. He indicated that the new service comes in line with the civil aviation strategy to reach 330 million passengers and link the Kingdom’s cities with 250 global destinations and 100 million tourists annually. Thousands of tourists are expected to benefit from the Stopover visa to attend the various cultural and entertainment events in the Kingdom throughout the …

Jazeera Airways partnered with the Georgian National Tourism Administration and Convention Bureau of Georgia to organize a roadshow promoting travel and tourism to Georgia. The event was attended by His Excellency Konstantin Zhgenti, Ambassador of Georgia to Kuwait, local travel agents and Jazeera Airways business partners from Kuwait. Speaking at the event, Ambassador Zhgenti said: “We welcome further development of all kinds of friendly relations between Kuwait and Georgia. Mostly important are people to people relations and economic and business cooperation. Direct flights between Kuwait and Georgia helped to develop our relations in this. Jazeera is the leader in this sphere. Tourism is also very important field in our cooperation and this event shows how aviation and tourism can cooperate successfully in this. I am pleased that Georgia is very popular touristic destination in Kuwait and hope that more and more Kuwaitis with support of Georgian tourist authorities visit Georgia in future.” A visa free destination for Kuwaiti citizens, Georgia offers a rich culture, dense history and diverse landscapes making it an ideal for both history and culture lovers. It also offers adventure sports for thrill seekers and green valleys for those that enjoy relaxing scenic views making it the perfect place for individuals and families, both in summer as well as winter. Jazeera Airways operates direct flights from Kuwait to Tiblisi, Georgia. While Tiblisi boasts great culture and food, there are also several other cities in Georgia that are a must visit such as Kakheti, Kudaisi and Gadauri. The flight duration is just under two and half hours, making it a convenient destination to plan a quick getaway from Kuwait. Bharathan Ravindran, VP – Sales for Jazeera Airways added: …

His Excellency the Minister of Tourism, Mr Ahmed Al-Khateeb, inaugurated the first phase of the expansion and renovation of the Four Seasons Hotel in Riyadh. With an investment of over 255m SAR, the renovation will enhance the quality and services the Four Seasons Hotel and ensure the property is keeping pace with the acceleration of growth in Saudi’s tourism sector. The opening ceremony was attended by a number of officials and dignitaries. Led by His Royal Highness Prince Al-Waleed Bin Talal, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Kingdom Holding Company, Engineer Talal Ibrahim Al-Maiman, CEO of the Kingdom Holding Company, and Mr. Guenter Gebhard, Regional Vice President and General Manager of the Four Seasons Hotel Riyadh. The opening ceremony was followed by a tour of the new pavilions, modern architecture and offerings. The new design is a reflection of Saudi identity. The new architecture and design features beautiful Saudi architecture and will take hotel guests and visitors on a journey to the depth of authentic culture, combined with the luxury and elegance which Four Seasons has been known for since its opening in 2003.

Kicking off the year ensuring the agents keep Switzerland at the top of their mind, as they recorded a surplus of tourists from the region last year, Switzerland Tourism Board in the GCC conducted its Race to Switzerland where 80 of the leading travel trade agents learn and specialise about the latest offerings and new destinations in Switzerland for a period of 24 hours. The event kicked off this year in Abu Dhabi’s Yas island, Matthias Albrecht Director Switzerland Tourism GCC shared the importance of the event to learn about the many new areas, attractions, hotels and the Swisstainable approach that they have been promoting with their efficient Swiss travel system. Last year Switzerland recorded a surplus of visitors from the GCC and this is yet another important initiative to ensure that the GCC will continue to explore the many new offerings in the destination. Speaking with TravelTV Matthias Albrecht Director Switzerland Tourism GCC reiterated, “It’s a fantastic event and we are very happy to be back as it’s the Race to Switzerland. It’s where the best travel agents from the UAE compete with each other in groups and they are somehow in a virtual trip through Switzerland and this year on the grand train tour of Switzerland where they visit different destinations, and then they participate in games and quizzes and get some points and at the end of their journey through Switzerland they have the chance to win a trip to Switzerland. We have 19 partners from Switzerland and Swiss International Airlines, they all have different break out sessions and they brought together some wonderful games, it’s a corporation between not just the Swiss partners but also the …

Dubai received 14.36 million international overnight visitors in 2022, growing 97 per cent YoY from the 7.28 million tourist arrivals in 2021, according to the latest data published by Dubai’s Department of Economy and Tourism (DET). The growth, which enabled the emirate to surpass global and regional tourism recovery levels, contributes to the goal of the Dubai Economic Agenda D33 launched by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, to consolidate Dubai’s status as one of the world’s top three cities for travel and business. His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of The Executive Council of Dubai said: “Dubai’s ability to rapidly accelerate tourism growth, which has marked it out as a clear frontrunner in the international industry,  demonstrates the far-reaching vision of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum to transform the emirate into an important global player in shaping the future of vital sectors. The remarkable rise in international visitation in 2022 supports the ambitious goal of the Dubai Economic Agenda D33 to double the size of the emirate’s economy by 2033. The tourism and travel sector contributes significantly to the leadership’s aim of making the emirate a model for excellence in the global economy. “The exceptional growth in the inflow of visitors reflects Dubai’s continued rise as one of the world’s most connected cities and its determination to lead the world in hospitality infrastructure and service levels. The high growth shows the world that we never rest on our achievements and constantly work to raise our benchmarks. I am confident that Dubai will …

Prince Sultan Aviation Academy (PSAA), a subsidiary of SAUDIA Group, has signed an MoU with the Colleges of Excellence Company in order to establish a general framework aimed at exchanging experiences, information, and launching numerous initiatives in the field of training and development. The agreement outlines the best ways to share information and experiences in the training and education sectors, in addition to organizing many workshops and joint training courses to help achieve common goals. His Excellency Eng. Ibrahim Al-Omar said: “This partnership highlights one of our main objectives, which is enhancing our employee experiences by providing them with training and qualifications which also extends to various government and private sector employees in order to contribute to the localization of jobs. The trainings will be available to industries and services related to aviation or by providing qualitative training programs for other parties to serve their development and localization plans.” His Excellency Dr. Ahmed bin Fahad Al-Fahaid said: “The Technical and Vocational Training Corporation is committed to foster the partnerships between public and private sectors due to their positive impact in providing qualified national cadres armed with the highest levels of advanced training. These partnerships also contribute to supporting the Kingdom’s localization plan by providing training solutions to Saudis. We appreciate The Colleges of Excellence Company’s efforts in qualifying national competencies and its role in providing job opportunities for graduates across all fields.” Prince Sultan Aviation Academy is one of the leading entities specialized in technical and administrative training within the aviation industry. PSAA is equipped with all the qualities required for success including training facilities, equipment, and qualified employees which allows the academy to hold a variety of intensive training …

Kuwait Airways announced the launch of its destinations that will be operated for the 2023 season, following the success that was achieved by introducing various new destinations in the previous year, to meet the requirements of its valued customers with greater travel options to various countries of the world. The launch of the new destinations is also based on the directives of the Board of Directors to expand KAC’s network of routes to destinations witnessing a high demand from customers. The Director of Distribution and Network Planning at Kuwait Airways, Mrs Shorouk Al-Awadhi stated, “Kuwait Airways is steadily progressing towards diversifying its network of routes around the world and launching new destinations that meet the preferences of customers. The company is preparing accurate studies on the feasibility of these markets and destinations, as well as the extent of customer demand for them. At the same time, various destinations in the past year have received widespread popularity from customers and were successful, among them Madrid, Casablanca, Tbilisi and so on.” Al-Awadhi added, “The year 2023 will witness the launch of 20 destinations around the world, as Kuwait Airways will operate its flights, starting in June to Budapest in Hungary with two flights per week on Tuesdays and Saturdays, to Malaga in Spain with three flights per week on Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays, to Sarajevo in Bosnia with two flights per week on Thursdays and Sundays, and to Mykonos in Greece with two flights per week on Sundays and Wednesdays. This is in addition to its flights to Athens in Greece with one flight per week on Fridays, to Vienna in Austria with three flights per week on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Sundays …

Shiji ReviewPro Guest Communications connects with Amadeus’ iHotelier® and HotSOS solutions to increase web conversions and improve hotel staff efficiency. Clients of both Shiji ReviewPro Guest Communications solution and Amadeus’ iHotelier® Booking Engine or HotSOS Service Optimization solution will benefit from a newly integrated AI-driven chatbot to better serve their guests. Travelers who interact with the Shiji ReviewPro chatbot while researching their next stay are seamlessly routed into the booking flow. Once the guest has filled in their details and is ready to book, they are redirected to the iHotelier Booking Engine page to finish their transaction. Thanks to the integration, all results shown on the Amadeus booking page are filtered by guest details previously collected in the chat. Booking is now only a matter of pick-and-pay, making the experience easy and frictionless for the guest. While messaging automation helps travelers find the information they need, the booking engine integration bridges the gap between information and reservation. “This new partnership with Shiji reinforces our strategic objective to provide seamless solutions that meet the growing demand for technology-driven guest personalization. By incorporating guest messaging into the booking process, guests can easily and efficiently receive more personalized offers and shopping experiences, while hoteliers can add additional value to their direct booking channel,” stated Peter Waters, Executive Vice President of Hotel IT Solutions, Hospitality, Amadeus. Shiji ReviewPro also integrates with Amadeus’ industry leading Service Optimization solution, HotSOS. The two-way connection offers common clients full visibility of guest feedback management updated in real-time on both platforms. Tasks coming in from reviews, surveys, messaging conversations or other updates appear directly in the HotSOS solution as well as the Shiji ReviewPro platform, enabling prompt resolution for …