The Ajman Department of Tourism Development (ADTD) and its partners in the travel, tourism, and hospitality sectors are set to present pioneering and secure tourism projects focused on sustainability at the upcoming Arabian Travel Market (ATM) held from May 1 to 4, 2023 at Dubai World Trade Center. These projects align with the sustainable tourism guidelines envisioned in Ajman Tourism Vision 2030 – which will see the emirate emerge as a major international tourist destination in the world with a focus on sustainable and eco-tourism projects. The recently issued regulations by ADTD on Holiday Homes, which come into effect this May, are set to boost the tourism industry and enable individual homeowners and corporates alike to register their properties for short-term leases to tourists. Ajman has been named the fourth safest city in the world for 2023, bypassing several regional peer cities by Numbeo.com, a global research portal, that will add to its tourism attractions, especially to international tourists who prefers to visit safest destinations for leisure travel. Tourism in Ajman has been growing steadily due to the emirate’s growing number of attractions that includes pristine natural beaches, mangroves, a growing number of hotels, resorts, restaurants, traditional markets, entertainment facilities and new tourism developments that cater to both domestic and international  tourists. The emirate of Ajman, hosts 44 hotel establishments ranging from 1-star to 5-star hotels, resorts and luxury hotel apartments with 3,997 hotel rooms and 250 tourism establishments that serve a growing number of regional and international tourists. Following a stellar growth in 2022, Ajman hotels and serviced apartments recorded a 3 percent growth in hotel revenues in the first quarter of 2023 compared to the corresponding period in 2022 …

Wego revealed its regular “Middle East Traveller Destination Leaderboard” that showcases the relative popularity of global destinations with Middle East travellers. Wego users search for tens of millions of trips each quarter and it’s this flight and hotel data that has been analysed to determine the relative destination rankings. The leaderboard announced today covers the first quarter of 2023. Global Destination Trends Egypt retains its #1 position as the top destination for international travel for MENA travellers in Q1 2023. “We are excited to share our MENA destination report for this quarter. Our data shows that Egypt remains the top destination of choice for MENA travelers for what the country offers from a mix of history, culture, and adventure for every type of traveler. We also observe that the UK continues to rank as the top European destination out of the Middle East. At Wego, we are proud to connect travelers with the best of the countries, and we look forward to continuing to work with leading partners to promote their unique tourism offerings”, said Mamoun Hmedan, CCO and MD, MENA, and India, Wego. Rounding up the top three is India. The country is a major source market for foreign talent and labor for the Gulf region and has consistently held the top spots for international air travel. Going as far back as 2014, Egypt has consistently been either #1 or #2 and India has invariably taken the #3 spot since 2016. As is usually the case, we saw more movements in the bottom half of the top 10 with Kuwait overtaking Turkey for the 5th spot and Jordan moving up two spots to rank 8th overall. The lone rank …

Turkish Airlines, flying to more countries than any other airline, is bringing the UEFA Champions League vibe to their stand at the Arabian Travel Market 2023, complete with a display relating to the tournament. The centerpiece of the stand will be a life-size replica of the Champions League trophy, gleaming under the bright lights and drawing the visitors for photo opportunities with the trophy exhibit. Visitors to the Turkish Airlines stand also can enter a competition on the airlines Instagram page on @TurkishAirlinesArabia.  Two winners will get tickets to the semifinals of the tournament together with airline tickets to enjoy the excitement and energy of a packed stadium watching professional players dribble, pass, and score. At this year’s ATM, the airline is reinforcing connectivity in response to growing customer demand for a stopover in Istanbul on their way to different parts of the world. The airline has won multiple awards for their product and service offering recently including accolades such as the Apex Best Seat Comfort in Europe, Apex Best Food & Beverage in Europe, Skytrax Worlds Best in Business Class Catering, Skytrax Best Airline in Europe as well as Skytrax Best Airline in Southern Europe. Turkish Airlines connects travellers to over 340 destinations worldwide (289 international and 53 domestic) while maintaining the utmost care for a safe and healthy travel experience.

Dubai’s Department of Economy and Tourism (DET) will showcase the diversity of Dubai’s destination offering, shine a light on the city’s sustainability platforms and highlight new initiatives designed to further strengthen the tourism industry during the milestone 30th edition of Arabian Travel Market. This year’s ATM, from 1 – 4 May 2023 at the Dubai World Trade Centre, will focus on responsible tourism during the UAE’s Year of Sustainability with the event hosted under the theme ‘Working towards Net Zero’. During the event, DET will highlight how the city’s tourism industry is supporting the journey towards achieving the UAE’s Net Zero 2050, a strategic initiative with the ultimate goal of achieving net zero emissions by 2050, whilst further stimulating the positive tourism growth trajectory. More than 122 partners and representatives from government entities, hotels, destination management companies and tour operators will join DET at an expanded Dubai stand at ATM 2023 to welcome and interact with visitors to the region’s leading travel event. The Dubai stand will also be home to key government bodies and representatives of major industry stakeholders including Dubai Culture, General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs (DGRFA), Dubai Health Authority, in addition to Museum of the Future, Expo City Dubai and Majid al Futtaim. His Excellency, Issam Kazim, CEO, Dubai Corporation for Tourism and Commerce Marketing, commented: “This year’s ATM marks a turning point in terms of bringing sustainability to the forefront of the global tourism industry. Since the inception of ATM, Dubai has made extraordinary progress under the guidance of our visionary leadership in building the city’s global reputation as a leading tourism destination, offering an authentic, diverse and sustainable tourism proposition.  During the event …

In our journey towards net zero carbon emissions, TravTalk Middle East launches its first Carbon Neutral Edition while pledging to make its operations carbon neutral. This venture was carried out in partnership with Climate and Conservation Consortium. The travel industry has long been associated with glamour and adventure, but it is also responsible for a significant amount of carbon emissions. With global travel on the rise, it is more important than ever for the industry to address its carbon footprint. According to a report by IATA, the aviation industry accounted for 2.4% of global CO2 emissions in 2018. While this may seem like a small percentage, it is important to remember that emissions from aviation are increasing at a much faster rate than other sectors, with a projected 300% increase by 2050. The travel industry as a whole, including aviation, cruise ships, and ground transportation, accounts for roughly 8% of global carbon emissions. This is a significant amount, especially when considering the impact of climate change on our planet. Thankfully, there are steps being taken to address this issue. The aviation industry has made significant progress in developing more fuel-efficient planes, with some airlines even experimenting with sustainable biofuels. Additionally, carbon offset programs allow travellers to voluntarily contribute to reducing their carbon footprint. However, there is still much more that needs to be done. TravTalk, a leading B2B travel, tourism and hospitality magazine and the industry’s leading voice, becomes the first magazine in the industry to become carbon neutral with the help of South Asia’s leading sustainability consulting company , The Climate & Conservation Consortium. To achieve this, CCC worked with the Magazine’s publishers to calculate the carbon emissions that …

Rayna Tours announced its plans for expansion into new destinations, along with the appointment of a CEO to lead the company’s tourism businesses sector. The company’s expansion plans include establishing new destinations in the main European, Asian, and Middle Eastern countries, to create a comprehensive fully fledge products for the travel and tourism industry and communities. Since its inception in 2009, Rayna Tours has established itself as a leading player in the tourism and hospitality industry in UAE. With a major focus on adopting technology across all facets of its businesses and a commitment to excellence, Rayna Tours has been at the forefront of creating innovative travel solutions for its partners across the globe. To accelerate its growth strategy, Rayna Tours is pleased to welcome Mr. Senthil Velan, an accomplished leader in the tourism industry, as its new CEO. With over two decades of a proven track record of success in driving business growth in some of the leading DMCs in the region. Velan is ideally positioned to lead the company’s expansion into new markets and to build upon the company’s strong reputation. Mr. Velan will take over the CEO duties from the company owner and founder Mr. Manoj Tulsani who will continue to oversee the whole group of companies with a major focus on initiatives such as driving overseas expansions in addition to leading the innovation and technology developments across the group. In his new role, Mr. Velan will be responsible for accelerating the growth of Rayna Tours and its various tourism ventures, assets, and brands across the Middle East. He will oversee the company’s operations, strategic planning, and business development initiatives. “We are thrilled to welcome Senthil to …

An overall 106 plus partners from the four European destinations with 13 partners from Tourism Ireland, 27 from Germany, 45 from Switzerland and 21 from Austria attended the event to meet with over 110 plus travel trade from the GCC countries. The summit is the most important year on year as GCC’s most preferred summer escapes would be the European destinations and these four nations have equally enjoyed the best summers post covid and expect for this summer to be a record season. Speaking with tourismbreakingnews, Yamina Sofo Director German National Tourist Office GCC shared, “We had nearly 250 participants this year for the Discover Europe Summit, 27 from partners from Germany, we have more than 100 buyers from all six GCC countries. We are so happy that they all came together to Dubai to discuss business, get updates and support each other. Europe is an all year around destination but especially from this region summer is very popular we have a strong nature and culture focus, so that’s where all of us Switzerland, Germany, Ireland and Austria are very strong.” Aisling Mc Dermott, Manager Middle East and Asia, Tourism Ireland reiterated, “this is Tourism Ireland’s second time participating in Discover Europe Travel Summit and this is a fantastic showcase of Europe and this is why Tourism Ireland participates in it. We host 100 buyers from the Middle East for two days, with 13 partners from the island of Ireland along with our suppliers and partners from Germany, Switzerland and Austria. This is a very exciting event for us because we really draw on the attraction of Europe and Ireland as a beautiful destination in Europe.” Matthias Albrecht Director GCC …

The kingdom is poised for a major expansion in its hospitality sector by creating 315,000 hotel units by 2030, according to global real estate consultancy Knight Frank. Knight Frank stated that this growth will highlight the increase in hotel room inventory in Saudi Arabia to become larger than Dubai’s current 140,000 hotel units. The development of the hospitality sector is a cornerstone of Saudi Arabia’s economic diversification plans. Faisal Durrani, Partner and Head of Research in the Middle East, explained, “The size of the hotel room units planned to be delivered in the Kingdom is unbelievable, with the total number of rooms likely to reach nearly 450,000 hotel rooms. To illustrate, the UAE today has a total of approximately 200,000 hotel rooms, including Dubai’s 140,000 hotel units, meaning Saudi Arabia is poised to grow by up to 58% greater than the UAE. The bulk of the success of Saudi Arabia’s future tourism and hospitality market will be its local tourism sector. The sector is already thriving, with 65% of Saudis already traveling within the Kingdom one to three times a month. But what is surprising is the fact that 58% of Saudis we spoke to as part of the 2023 Saudi report choose not to stay in hotels.” Speaking about the need for diversity in accommodation options, Durrani explains, “The prevalence of large families travelling together may be a factor, as can cost, quality and location. Our Saudi Report 2023. Only 17% of planned hotel fittings are for 3-star or lower-class hotels, and with 56% of KSA residents under the age of 35, the demand for different hotel accommodation types will continue to emerge as an important consideration for the …

CzechTourism in cooperation with the Embassy of the Czech Republic in the UAE will be participating at the Arabian Travel Market (ATM) for its 30th edition that is taking place from 1st – 4th May 2023 bringing a delegation of eight Czech partners. Travel from UAE to the Czech Republic has seen a surge in 2022 with a year on year increase of 330.61% in average number of nights over 2022 and 2021. In 2022, Czech Republic welcomed over 84,000 number of overnight stays from travellers of Saudi Arabia for an average length of stay of 6 days. CzechTourism will be meeting and networking with representatives from top tour operators, airlines, media and key stakeholders from the travel industry to discuss cooperation and collaboration opportunities to promote Czechia in the Middle East region. Marek Kroutil – international markets manager, CzechTourism added “We are very excited and looking forward to being back at the global prestigious event – ATM 2023 after three years post the Covid-19 recession and be a part of the travel fair. We are very flattered to see the numbers growing back to the Czechia from this region. Travellers from the Middle East visit the destination for spa, summer holidays with family, MICE groups as well as with our efforts to promote other products like Christmas markets, we have noticed that winter activities are slowly gaining popularity too. I am proud that our spa towns were awarded with the UNESCO as the great spa towns of Europe and gulf travellers consider Czechia as a preferred spa and wellness destination.” CzechTourism in the Middle East is targeting the country in the region as a premium destination targeting families, experiential …

Munich Tourism is gearing up for its 25th year of participating at the Arabian Travel Market, to raise awareness of the region with travel partners and agents from Gulf countries and further develop existing relationships. The GCC features in the top five most important foreign markets for Munich, underlining its importance as one of the most popular sources of travellers. Munich Tourism’s partners at the show include hotels, destination management companies (DMC), and medical tourism. The city’s three five-star hospitality partners, Bayerischer Hof Munich, Sofitel Munich Bayerpost, and Louis Hotel Munich, along with apartment hotel Central Hotel Apart will be present. DMCs include Studiosus Incoming, and Emissa Travel along with Breuninger – a recently launched luxury department store in Munich – representing the luxury shopping experience, will evidence the plethora of things to do in the German city. In addition, Munich has also been an important destination for medical tourists from the GCC, and to cater to this audience there will be two suppliers from this segment which are Oberberg Clinics and Seralux. Clemens Baumgärtner Head of the Department of Labor and Economic Development and as such responsible for tourism in Munich, said: “We have been loyal participants of the Arabian Travel Market for over 25 years, and the event is a lynchpin in our annual international plan, particularly as we witness the growing interest of GCC-based travellers to Munich. We aim to strengthen our existing relationship with the region’s travel partners and build new ones at this year’s legacy show.” Baumgärtner added: “We welcome GCC travellers to Munich and explore the city’s wonders and experience its incredible tourism offerings; be it for leisure, business or medical visits, Munich caters …