Emirates announced that it will reintroduce its flagship A380 to Casablanca as part of the airline’s ramp up of operations to Morocco. Starting from 15 April, the airline will replace the Boeing 777-300ER aircraft currently used between Dubai and Casablanca with its flagship A380 to meet growing demand on the route. The A380 service, operating as EK751 departs from Dubai at 0730hrs, arriving in Casablanca at 1255hrs. EK 752 departs from Casablanca at 1445hrs, arriving in Dubai at 0115hrs the following day. The enhancement of capacity between Casablanca and Dubai will offer leisure and business travellers more opportunities to connect to Dubai and beyond to cities across the Middle East and GCC, Europe, the Americas and West Asia. The flagship A380’s deployment to Morocco is also a testament of the airline’s commitment to support inbound visitor arrivals as the country double downs its efforts to reinvigorate its tourism industry. Last year, Emirates enhanced its partnership with Royal Air Maroc to a codeshare, providing more travel options and connection choices for customers of both airlines between Dubai and Casablanca, and beyond. Casablanca is a popular leisure destination on Emirates’ global network, and demand on the route has seen steady growth since being launched in March 2002. The airline has been operating to Morocco for over 20 years, and has carried more than 3.5 million passengers on the route. The Emirates A380 experience remains highly sought after by travellers, with the spacious double-decked aircraft offering 14 First Class suites and 76 lie-flat seats in Business Class, as well as 401 generously pitched seats in Economy Class. Customers travelling to and from Casablanca can look forward to enjoying Emirates’ spacious and comfortable cabins, …

Dubai has been crowned the No.1 global destination in the TripadvisorⓇ Travellers’ Choice Awards for a second successive year, consolidating its position as the world’s favourite tourist destination. The recognition supports the goal of the recently launched Dubai Economic Agenda D33 to consolidate Dubai’s status as one of the world’s top three destinations for tourism and business. Dubai’s top international ranking was announced by TripadvisorⓇ, the world’s largest travel guidance platform, at its annual Travellers’ ChoiceⓇ Best of the Best Destination Awards 2023. The back-to-back global seals of approval underscore the significant efforts to bolster the city’s vibrant economy and tourism ecosystem as it seeks to deliver the vision of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, to make Dubai the world’s most visited and liveable city. Tripadvisor Travellers’ Choice Award winners are uniquely chosen by millions of travellers from around the world, who provide their real and unbiased reviews or opinions on destinations, activities and experiences.  The quality and quantity of independent destination reviews and ratings from travellers covered a period of 12 months from 1 November 2021 to 31 October 2022. His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Dubai Crown Prince and Chairman of The Executive Council of Dubai commented: “The top ranking by global travellers reflects the vision of the leadership to transform Dubai into the world’s top destination for tourism and business, as embodied by a key goal of the Dubai Economic Agenda D33. The Agenda’s objective of consolidating Dubai’s status as one of world’s top three cities for tourism and business signifies the leadership’s determination to mark Dubai out …

Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts and Atlantic Coast Hospitality, a subsidiary of Abu Dhabi-based real estate development firm Q Holding, announce plans for the upcoming Four Seasons Hotel Rabat at Kasr Al Bahr, anticipated to open in 2023. Kasr Al Bahr, meaning “castle of the sea,” was built as a sprawling royal summer palace in the 19th century, later becoming a military hospital prior to closing in 1999. Following extensive renovations of the five-hectare (12-acre) cliffside retreat, Four Seasons Hotel Rabat at Kasr Al Bahr will usher in a new era for the historic property with 204 luxuriously appointed rooms and suites overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. “As Four Seasons continues to grow its presence in Morocco, we are proud to build upon the success of our existing properties in Marrakech and Casablanca while introducing a complementary experience, this time in the nation’s capital city,” says Bart Carnahan, President, Global Business Development and Portfolio Management, Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts. “We are honoured that our partners at Atlantic Coast Hospitality have chosen Four Seasons as the stewards of Kasr Al Bahr, and we look forward to introducing guests to this dynamic destination through a new luxury hospitality experience marked by our renowned personalized service and quality excellence.” Rabat, Morocco’s capital city, is located on the shores of the Atlantic Ocean and effortlessly blends the treasures of its past with dynamic offerings for the modern luxury traveller. The city holds a UNESCO World Heritage Site designation and is often known for its historic landmarks reflecting its past French and longstanding Islamic influences such as the Hassan Tower and the Kasbah of the Oudayas. Visitors will also enjoy the city’s coastal setting with …

During the Monaco Boat Show, Dubai’s Department of Economy and Tourism (DET) announced upgrades to marina facilities, new legislation, cruising permit extensions, the expansion of professional yachting and maritime academies for new industry talent, and more seamless processes for obtaining charter permits, alongside the streamlining of immigration and customs clearance services, further amplifying Dubai’s appeal as a global superyacht hub. Yousuf Lootah, Acting CEO of Corporate Strategy and Performance sector, Dubai’s Department of Economy and Tourism, commented: “Dubai continues to grow in stature as a leading marine tourism destination and a global superyacht capital through the combined efforts and support of our valued stakeholders. Inspired by our visionary leadership to position the UAE as the best destination in the world to live in, work and visit, we remain committed to investing in facilities and infrastructure, whilst ensuring that the process for docking in Dubai’s marinas is smooth and seamless. We also strive to inspire people by creating new experiences and will continue to play a pivotal role in showcasing the city to the globe as an international superyacht hub and a magnet for marine leisure tourists.” With its world-class infrastructure, advanced facilities, year-round sunshine, luxury marinas, award-winning tourism offerings, rich maritime history and picturesque coastline, Dubai has emerged as the quintessential yachting destination. Following Dubai’s participation recently at the Monaco Yacht Show, and the recent Gulf Superyacht Summit 2022 hosted in Dubai under the patronage of P&O Marinas with participation from government and private sectors, industry professionals, thought-leaders, experts, and yacht owners the future is looking brighter for Dubai’s yachting industry, with increased investment in marine infrastructure and facilities, streamlined industry legislation, and a proliferation of nautical events set to …

Emirates has announced it will scale up its A380 operations with the iconic double-decker returning to Glasgow (26 March 2023), Nice (1 June 2023) and Birmingham (1 July 2023). The airline has also announced it will resume its second daily service to Stansted starting from 1 May 2023, utilising its wide-body Boeing 777-300ER aircraft fitted with its renowned ‘Game Changer’ First Class product. With the return of the second daily flight to Stansted, Emirates will ramp up its operations to London with 11 daily flights, including six times daily to London Heathrow and three times daily to Gatwick. The airline continues to expand its global network and increase capacity in line with growing travel demand. Emirates currently deploys its flagship A380 to 40 destinations worldwide. By the end of this summer, the popular aircraft will be serving almost 50 destinations, restoring close to 90% of the airline’s pre-pandemic A380 network. Emirates is the largest operator of Airbus A380, with more than 80 aircraft currently in active service. The airline first launched A380 operations to Birmingham in 2016; Nice in 2017; and Glasgow in 2019.

With NEOM having moved to the building phase of the project and the first destination – Sindalah – due to open its doors in 2024, a progress film has been released. It shows real-world footage of the large-scale construction across NEOM regions including THE LINE, Trojena, Sindalah and Oxagon. We want to show the world that NEOM is really happening. As our CEO Nadhmi Al-Nasr puts it: “If we are to solve the challenges of tomorrow, we must face up to them today, no matter how difficult they may seem. At NEOM, we are addressing some of the most pressing challenges facing humanity by bringing together a community of the brightest minds committed to reimagining what a sustainable future will look like in 20 to 30 years, and building it today. We are redefining the future now. NEOM is open for business.” This video is ready to be shared with the world. It is the first film in what will be an ongoing series showing progress at NEOM. Stay tuned for further updates coming soon.

Continuing to enrich the travel experience, Oman Air’s frequent flyer programme, Sindbad, has been added to Ooredoo’s list of Nojoom partners. Nojoom members with Shahry postpaid or Home Internet plans can now convert their loyalty points to Sindbad Miles, which can be spent on a host of Oman Air’s products and services including flight tickets, upgrades, and much more. Whether going for a business trip or jetting away on a holiday, travel just got even more rewarding! Mundher Al Shaikhani, Senior Manager Holidays and Loyalty Programme at Oman Air, said, “As part of our ongoing transformation strategy, we continue to expand and diversify our partners, offering our members more ways to enhance their everyday lives, whether its earning Miles or spending them. Ooredoo is a great addition to our portfolio, and we look forward to a long and fruitful partnership that is mutually beneficial for our customers on both sides.” Feras Al Shaikh, Director of Marketing at Ooredoo, said: “Customer experience is at the heart of what we do and providing awesome rewards and value is something we know our customers love. We’re proud to be partnering with the country’s national airline to give subscribers even more ways to enjoy life to the max. We look forward to a long-standing and collaborative relationship.” Sindbad, the national airline’s award-winning frequent flyer programme, allows members to spend Miles both in the air and on the ground, including free flights, flight upgrades, raffles and promotions. Membership has three tiers, each offering a wide range of benefits, with the higher tiers bringing exclusive lounge access, extra baggage allowance, priority check-in and other exciting privileges. Meanwhile, Ooredoo’s loyalty programme, Nojoom, offers amazing deals on a …

According to new data UNWTO, more than 900 million tourists travelled internationally in 2022 – double the number recorded in 2021 though still 63% of pre-pandemic levels. Every global region recorded notable increases in international tourist numbers. The Middle East enjoyed the strongest relative increase as arrivals climbed to 83% of pre-pandemic numbers. Europe reached nearly 80% of pre-pandemic levels as it welcomed 585 million arrivals in 2022. Africa and the Americas both recovered about 65% of their pre-pandemic visitors, while Asia and the Pacific reached only 23%, due to stronger pandemic-related restrictions which have started to be removed only in recent months. The first UNWTO World Tourism Barometer of 2023 also analyses performance by region and looks at top performers in 2022, including several destinations which have already recovered 2019 levels. After stronger than expected recovery in 2022, this year could see international tourism arrivals return to pre-pandemic levels in the Middle East and Europe. Tourists are nonetheless expected to increasingly seek value for money and travel closer to home in response to the challenging economic climate. Based on UNWTO’s forward-looking scenarios for 2023, global international tourist arrivals could reach 80% to 95% of pre-pandemic levels this year, depending on the extent of the economic slowdown, the ongoing recovery of travel in Asia and the Pacific and the evolution of the Russian offensive in Ukraine, among other factors. UNWTO anticipates a strong year for the sector even in the face of diverse challenges including the economic situation and continued geopolitical uncertainty. UNWTO Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili said: “A new year brings more reason for optimism for global tourism. UNWTO anticipates a strong year for the sector even in the face …

According to bookings on Skyscanner by UAE travellers for travel this year are up +35% compared to the corresponding week in January 2019 (*comparing redirect volumes for all economy, return flights from UAE 31/12/18 – 6/1/19 versus 2/1/23 to 8/1/23). India, UK, Pakistan, and the Philippines are among top 5 searches from UAE travellers so far. Interestingly in the UAE, Skyscanner’s ‘Everywhere’ search function (which orders destinations by price, highlighting the cheapest destinations for your specific travel dates) also ranks in the top destinations – indicating travellers are considering prices and being flexible about their destinations. Their latest consumer polling (2000 UAE consumers, November 2022) found 69% of people are planning on taking more trips this year, with 24% planning the same number of holidays abroad in 2023 as 2022.  Ayoub El Mamoun, Skyscanner Travel Expert shares, “We’re seeing demand for holidays is extremely high going into 2023, and bookings in the first week in January exceeded the volume during the corresponding week in 2019, pre-pandemic, by over a third (35%). This large wave of interest shows that travellers are eager to make plans, as well as continuing to make up for lost time. Skyscanner surveyed over 2000 UAE consumers in November 2022 and the responses show that people are making experiences a top priority in 2023. In the same survey it was clear that most UAE respondents are planning to travel more than they did in 2022. There are great deals for those who know how to shop around – and remaining flexible on times and destinations will ultimately bag travellers the best prices. Skyscanner’s travel hacks including calendar view, ‘Everywhere’ search, nearby airports, mix and match airlines, as well as …

SAUDIA has signed an agreement with Saudi Arabia Railways (SAR) to improve the quality of their shared services and provide more initiatives that improve the travel experience. Signed by the SAUDIA Chief Hajj & Umrah Officer, Mr. Amer AlKhushail, and the Executive Vice President of the Haramain High-Speed Railway (HHR) and Al Mashaeer, Engr. Rayan Al-Harbi, the agreement provides special prices for SAUDIA guests who are traveling to and from Makkah and Al Madinah via HHR. Later this year, SAUDIA and HHR booking systems will be linked, and Makkah will be added in the list of stations in the booking process. SAUDIA’s customers will be able to issue boarding passes for both the flight and train at the same time, whether through the website, digital application, or sales offices. Mr. AlKhushail said: “This agreement falls in line with SAUDIA’s commitment to improve the travel experience for guests through implementing digital solutions that address the needs of SAUDIA and HHR’s guests. These solutions remove time-consuming steps in finalizing travel procedures and help facilitate trips between Makkah and Al Madinah. This reflects the government’s commitment to make Hajj and Umrah pilgrim’s journey as smooth as possible through providing best-in-class services.” He added, “This is an additional service added to the long list of integrated services provided by SAUDIA to facilitate the journey for Hajj & Umrah pilgrims through providing world-class air transport and logistical services such as self-check-in services, on-board entertainment packages, and more.” Engr. Rayan Al-Harbi said: “The collaboration between SAR and SAUDIA will contribute effectively to enriching and upgrading the pilgrims’ experience, the integration of travel services is one of the many different efforts done to elevate and diversify the …