PIF-owned Cruise Saudi has welcomed MS Amadea to Saudi waters for the first time. More than 400 international passengers experienced Saudi’s unique history, natural wonders and warm and welcoming hospitality. MS Amadea is operated by German-based travel agency Phoenix Reisen. The stop in Jeddah is part of a 150-day worldwide itinerary, with the ship concluding its voyage in Nice on 22nd May 2023. During its maiden call to Jeddah, a plaque and key exchange ceremony was held with the Cruise Saudi team and the captain of MS Amadea. After Jeddah, the ship travelled further along the Red Sea to Hurghada, Egypt, and continued to Nice for the end of the trip. Commenting on MS Amadea’s visit, Cruise Saudi Director, Port, Terminal & Asset Operations, Serafin Blazquez, said: “Relationships with global cruise liners, travel agents and tour operators are hugely important to our strategy in growing Saudi as a tourism destination, and we’re thrilled to have partnered with MS Amadea in welcoming new travellers to experience all that Saudi has to offer.” MS Amadea Captain Martin Rittig said: “It was a pleasure to visit Saudi for the first time. We received excellent feedback from our passengers and were particularly impressed by the enthusiasm shown by all parties. ” “During the traditional plaque exchange ceremony, you could really feel the passion and motivation from the team. Based on this first experience, we are really looking forward to coming back and to watch Saudi grow as a cruise destination.” Launched in 2021, Cruise Saudi was created to develop the infrastructure and services required to scale a full-suite cruise market in Saudi Arabia. The company is responsible for the development and operation of cruise berths and …

SAUDIA has signed an agreement with global professional services firm Accenture paving the way for a digital transformation program that will make the airline’s guest experience seamless and highly personalized while improving operational efficiency. His Excellency the Director General of SAUDIA Group, Eng. Ibrahim bin Abdul Rahman Al-Omar and the Chief Executive Officer of Accenture, Julie Sweet, during a meeting to announce the new collaboration. Through this agreement, SAUDIA will use artificial intelligence technologies to significantly enhance its digital infrastructure and build more than 260 new digital and electronic services in two years. SAUDIA’s guests will be able to enjoy more personalized services and a smooth travel experience possible across the entire travel cycle, from ticket search and booking to check-in, and from in-flight services to post-sale support. All the digital systems developed by Accenture will be designed specifically for SAUDIA, increasing operational efficiency and reducing operational costs, thanks to a new enterprise-wide cloud-based data foundation. This agreement will include several tracks to enhance SAUDIA’s guest value and help deliver the company’s strategic objectives. Specific initiatives will include a digital experience studio, digital infrastructure decoupling that accelerates and de-risks digital transformation processes, modernization of technical systems, creation of a cloud data lake, and development of a smart guest care center. “SAUDIA is looking to reimagine how our guests can choose, buy and enjoy leisure, business, and religious experiences,” said Dr. Khaled Alhazmi, Chief Information Officer, SAUDIA. “With Accenture’s support, we will create seamless and curated journeys with hyper-relevant experiences across digital and human-driven interactions. Guests will be able to modify flights, purchase transit eVisas, and enjoy new self-service features across all digital channels.” “Through this strategic collaboration, our primary aim …

Leading multi-service app in the region, Careem, has announced signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Saudi Tourism Authority (STA) to explore opportunities for collaboration and introduce exceptional offerings, exclusive packages, and special discounts that boost the overall tourism experience. General Manager of Individual Transportation Services at Careem in Saudi Arabia, “We are delighted to establish this valuable partnership with STA, with the goal of utilizing Careem’s advanced technologies, extensive audience, and wide customer base to offer effortless services and attractive deals that improve the general experience of visitors coming from the GCC and the Middle East,” said Ahmed Orabi, adding, “We have rolled out our first batch of offerings under the MoU targeting visitors to Saudi Arabia, featuring exclusive deals of flights from international airports in the Middle East.” “This MoU with Careem proves once again STA’s commitment to partnering with leading companies in the region and offering outstanding services and packages, as well as its aim of collaborating closely with its partners to improve the tourism experience by sharing insights and jointly working towards mutual benefits.” said Abdulkarim Aldarwish, President of Middle East & Africa Markets at STA. The MoU was announced during the 30th Arabian Travel Market, held in Dubai on May 1 to 4, 2023, signed in the Saudi Arabia pavilion’s central area by Ahmed Orabi, General Manager of Individual Transportation Services at Careem in Saudi Arabia, and Munirah Abanomy Head of marketing partnership for middle east and Africa in STA.

Qatar Tourism is leading a Qatari delegation of ten partners from the hospitality sector at the thirteenth edition of the Riyadh Travel Fair, which will be held from May 22 to 24 at the Riyadh International Convention and Exhibition Centre in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. This participation follows the great success of Qatar’s tourism sector during the first quarter of this year by attracting more than one million international visitors. Visitors from Saudi Arabia topped the rankings, reaching The total number of visitors to the Kingdom was 892,000 in the first quarter of the year, most of whom came to Qatar through the Abu Samra land crossing. The 96 square metre Qatar Tourism Pavilion will highlight the tremendous development of the destination’s infrastructure and the latest developments in the hospitality sector, offering visitors to Qatar a unique blend of authentic cultural heritage, modernity and sophistication. Qatar Tourism’s participation in the exhibition reflects its interest in the travel market in Saudi Arabia, and is its second participation in tourism exhibitions held in the Kingdom this year. Mr. Omar Al Jaber, Director of Shared Services at Qatar Tourism, said: “We are delighted to participate in Riyadh Travel and promote Qatar as a world-class tourist destination located next to our Saudi brothers. The Saudi market is one of our key priority markets according to our long-term tourism strategy. We continue to receive large numbers of visitors from the Kingdom, especially on national occasions and holidays. “During our participation in the next edition of the exhibition, we aim to inform experts and leaders of the tourism industry on the magnitude of the tremendous developments taking place in the tourism sector in Qatar, in addition to …

13th edition of Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s biggest travel trade fair begins this afternoon at 3.30pm in Riyadh with TravTalkME, TravelTVMiddleEast and Tourismbreakingnews.ae as the media partners. This event is the key with an objective to allow the opportunity for the different tourist and travel organizations introduce their activities and services, offer investment opportunities in tourism sector within the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Gulf Cooperation Council Countries (GCC) to the Arab and International tourist investment leading companies and exchanging experiences in the field of tourist products and services promotion and marketing. Sheikh Imran Hafeez of ASAS Exhibitions and Conference Organising shared, “the event gather the entire effective and essential regional organizations in the field of tourism under one roof, displaying specialized tourist presentations and provide special programs for the travel agents and purchasers from the different regions in the world. Once again, we are pleased to receive our partners – exhibitors from the different regions in the world, visitors and media.”

A recent enhancement to Emirates’ inflight connectivity means that all Emirates passengers in every class of travel can enjoy some form of free connectivity once they sign up to Emirates Skywards. The development has resulted in an additional 30,000 Economy Class passengers connecting to complimentary onboard Wi-Fi every week. Emirates has constantly been at the forefront of inflight Wi-Fi developments and has to date invested more than US$ 300 million dollars into onboard connectivity. All Emirates Skywards members in every class of travel can now enjoy some form of free connectivity. Skywards members, whether Blue, Silver, Gold, or Platinum tier, travelling in any class, whether Economy, Premium Economy, Business or First Class will enjoy free app messaging. Additionally, First Class passengers will have unlimited free internet if they are Skywards members, enabling them to shop or work online while inflight, as will Silver, Gold and Platinum Skywards members travelling in Business Class. Platinum Skywards members have complimentary internet access in all classes. The increase in free connectivity has been very well received by Emirates’ passengers following changes in January 2023 and the airline today sees an average of 450,000 users per month. This represents a 30% increase of passenger use in 2023 versus the same period last year. Currently almost 10% of all passengers are utilising the complimentary onboard Wi-Fi. On routes through the Americas, almost 20% of passengers connect to Wi-Fi onboard, and on European and Africa routes the usage is over 11% of all passengers. Patrick Brannelly, SVP Retail, IFE & Connectivity commented: “Emirates has persistently worked with our service providers to optimise and improve the connectivity experience. In March we delivered about 55% more data per customer …

flydubai announced a new partnership with Air Canada to give customers flying between Canada, the Middle East, East Africa, Indian Subcontinent and Southern Asia more convenient travel options. Pending final regulatory approval, Air Canada’s marketing code will be placed on nine routes operated from Dubai by flydubai, giving customers the ability to travel to these markets with the issuance of a single ticket. The nine routes include Bahrain, Dammam, Jeddah, Madinah and Muscat in the GCC as well as to Colombo and Karachi in the Indian Subcontinent. Additionally, through an interline arrangement, customers will be able to seamlessly connect in Dubai to more than 60 destinations that flydubai flies to in the Middle East, East Africa and Southern Asia – including Djibouti, Kathmandu and the Maldives. Of these destinations, more than 30 are unique to flydubai and not flown by other partners of Air Canada. Commenting on the codeshare announcement, Hamad Obaidalla, Chief Commercial Officer at flydubai, said: “we are very pleased to be adding Air Canada to our list of partners and to offer their passengers a seamless travel experience on the flydubai network. We look forward to growing this partnership that offers passengers the benefits and the convenience of connecting via the Dubai aviation hub and we look forward to welcoming them on board soon.” Mark Galardo, Executive Vice President, Revenue and Network Planning at Air Canada, said: “Air Canada is very pleased to partner with flydubai, further expanding our connectivity to the Middle East and the Indian subcontinent, a growing source of immigration and travel to Canada. This new partnership is a perfect complement to Air Canada’s nonstop service to Dubai from Toronto and Vancouver, and growing …

The Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi) hosted a series of events in major cities across the GCC including Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain and Oman to launch the highly anticipated SeaWorld, Yas island, Abu Dhabi, and Experience Abu Dhabi’s ‘One Summer Isn’t Enough’ offering, in partnership with 20 key stakeholders including hotels, city attractions, and agencies. The roadshow provided GCC travel trade professionals with the opportunity to learn more about the various attractions and experiences that Abu Dhabi has to offer as well as the emirate’s new promotions and travel products. Highlights included SeaWorld Yas Island, Abu Dhabi, the latest addition to Abu Dhabi’s tourism landscape, which promises to offer an unparalleled experience to visitors when it opens on 23 May. Abdulla Yousef, Director of Travel Trade and Market Development at DCT Abu Dhabi, said: “This GCC roadshow will be an effective tool for promoting the new, highly anticipated SeaWorld Abu Dhabi, as well as Abu Dhabi’s exciting summer season offers, providing an ideal opportunity to showcase our family-friendly offerings and luxury experiences to families and visitors from across the GCC. With the Kids Go Free and Stay More, Pay Less offers, and with our location just a short flight away, we are confident that the emirate will be recognised as a top destination for families and friends looking to create memorable summer vacation experiences. We look forward to welcoming visitors to Abu Dhabi and showcasing all that our vibrant city has to offer.” Located on the emirate’s entertainment hub Yas Island, alongside popular attractions Ferrari World Abu Dhabi, Yas Waterworld Abu Dhabi, and Warner Bros. World Abu Dhabi, this state-of-the-art theme …

Red Sea Global (RSG), The Red Sea and Amaala, has pledged that its destinations and experiences will be fully inclusive for guests with disabilities, specific needs and access requirements, by implementing an accessibility agenda that is aspirational, alive and responsive, making a real difference to guest experience. The developer has pledged to ensure all guests will enjoy luxury hospitality and unique experiences – from sailing, kayaking and diving among shipwrecks and coral reefs, to exploring the inland environment and stargazing in the desert. The objective is to ensure guests enjoy RSG destinations with equity and dignity through the delivery of spaces, products and services irrespective of physical or cognitive ability. “If we are truly going to do better by people and planet, we can’t leave anyone behind. There are approximately 1.3 billion disabled people globally. It is not only totally inexcusable for our industry to exclude so many people, but commercially short-sighted,” said John Pagano, Group CEO of Red Sea Global. “We pledge to pursue a total commitment to accessible tourism from day one. As a visionary developer, we have the chance to build in accessibility from the ground up, creating exceptional experiences for every visitor to treasure, regardless of their physical or cognitive ability.” To drive this leading commitment to accessible tourism, the developer will now require all its employees, consultants and partners to follow the UN-backed standard, ISO 21902 – Accessible Tourism for All, throughout their work. The standard means every contractor at RSG’s destinations must ensure guest experiences take a universally inclusive approach. This commitment includes using new technologies – such as smart mobility and logistics – to radically enhance luxury tourism experiences for people with disabilities …

Minor Hotels announced the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Saudi Arabia’s Tourism Development Fund to jointly develop and operate high-quality hospitality and lifestyle projects focused on mountain resorts, wellness resorts and urban hotels within the Kingdom. The first project under this partnership is expected to be announced in H2 this year. The establishment of a strategic partnership between the two parties in exclusive regions in Saudi Arabia, will see the development of multiple hospitality projects over the next couple of years. Minor Hotels will act as an operator and partner in each of the projects, which are expected to become distinct destinations in their respective locations. The group’s flagship brands include Anantara, Avani, Tivoli and Oaks and hospitality projects under these brands will be established in locations across Saudi Arabia mutually agreed by both parties. The development of these hotels and resorts is consistent with the Kingdom’s National Tourism Strategy (NTS) and in line with the Saudi Vision 2030. The projects will be developed in the targeted tourism destinations specified in the National Tourism Strategy and will be announced soon. Saudi Arabia’s Tourism Development Fund supports tourism investment in the Kingdom, linking private sector investors with public funding opportunities. It was set up in 2020 to harness opportunities and fund development in the tourism ecosystem and tourism destinations across Saudi Arabia. The luxury brand Anantara will constitute at least one of the agreed projects. Anantara is known for its experience-led and heartfelt hospitality in some of the world’s most exciting destinations. With Thai roots, Anantara Hotels, Resorts & Spas is already well known in the GCC region and has more than 10 properties in the United Arab …