Emirates will be bringing new travel opportunities, choice and convenience for customers traveling to and from South Africa with additional services to Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban. The ramp up of flights are part of the airline’s ongoing commitment to support South Africa’s economic and tourism recovery through enhanced connectivity across all of its gateways. The airline’s latest move also reaffirms South Africa’s strategic importance on its network, as it prioritises service expansion and rebuilding its capacity to unlock further growth potential. The airline will be expanding its schedule to and from Johannesburg with three daily flights from 1 March 2023. Cape Town will be served with double daily services starting from 1 February 2023. Emirates will also be adding two more flights to Durban, making it a daily operation from 1 December 2022.  The reintroduction of the new flights between Dubai and the airline’s three gateways in South Africa will enhance Emirates’ schedule to 42 weekly services. Emirates’ flight EK 767 from Dubai to Johannesburg will operate with a Boeing 777 aircraft, complementing its double daily A380 operation. The flight will depart at 2325hrs, arriving at 0535hrs the next day to Johannesburg.  The return flight will depart Johannesburg at 2220hrs and arrives in Dubai at 0820hrs the next morning. The third daily flight from Johannesburg will help meet high demand with more than 300 available seats each way, and will offer additional flexibility for South African travellers with a new evening departure* for easier connectivity to Europe, the Americas, West Asia and Far East via Dubai. Emirates’ second daily service to Cape Town will depart Dubai at 0910hrs, landing at 1645hrs. It will then depart Cape Town at 1325hrs, …

After a successful close of 500 plus B2B meetings on day one of the fifth edition of Gulf Travel Show with Tourism Malaysia as platinum partner and German National tourist office as silver partner opens today to the travel trade of the Middle East to network with the partners from various tourism boards, hotels and resorts, attractions, travel agents and DMCs. Dato’ HJ Zainuddin Abdul Wahab Director General Tourism Malaysia opened the show welcoming all the exhibitors and buyers to the fifth edition of the Gulf Travel Show. “First and foremost I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for inviting me to attend the Gulf Travel Show 5.0 virtually. As a platinum partner of GTS 2022, Malaysia is thrilled to welcome back Middle East tourists to visit and experience our country again. It is a timely opportunity for us to network with travel agents and tour operator partners from the Gulf region. Today, Malaysia is more than ready to welcome more travellers worldwide and in almost two years of stringent border controls to contain the covid 19 outbreak, Malaysia’s international border have reopened since 1st April 2022. Ladies and gentlemen, I’m also pleased to share with you that Malaysia is one of the most hassle free countries to visit in post pandemic. Travellers are no longer required to oblige the travellers guide, pre-departure test, on arrival test as well as civilians’ order, travel insurance is no longer a pre requisite for foreigners to enter the country. Malaysia is known for our natural wonders, a melting pot of cultures with various ethnics and friendly faces who need no introduction as we are known for our warm hospitality. We …

The fifth edition of the Gulf Travel Show kicked off with a special press conference with Mohamed Amirul Rizal, Senior Deputy Director, International Promotion (Asia Africa) Division Tourism Malaysia chairing the press conference. In his opening remarks he welcomed the media for attending the event sharing that this is the fifth consecutive time that Tourism Malaysia participated as Platinum partner with the Gulf Travel Show to network with the travel agents and tour operator partners in the Middle East, especially in the GCC. He also thanked everyone for their dedication and commitment to make Malaysia top of mind destination in the region. He reiterated that entry requirements to Malaysia are now eased, and you can travel hassle free to explore the destination. It is no longer necessary to have pre-departure nor on arrival PCR tests nor have a special covid insurance etc. Instead, he stated that Malaysia is hassle free and everyone is welcome to travel without any quarantine or testing as their vaccination drive including children and retirees hit over 86% hence after two years of stringent border controls now it is time to explore the destination which has a lot more to offer to guests especially from the Middle East/ GCC countries. Connectivity is of utmost importance for all destinations, sharing his thoughts on this, “we work with our airline partners such as, Emirates, Etihad, Qatar Airways etc, at present we are looking at further strengthening our network with SAUDIA, Egypt Air and Air Arabia to have more connectivity to our destination from the Middle East. After the pandemic and the borders opened we received about 23,000 visitors from the Middle East from 1st April 2022, however, we …

Saudi is the fastest growing tourism destination in the G20. Saudi Arabia’s exponential sector growth has seen an extraordinary +121% increase from pre-pandemic international tourism levels as recognized by the newly published UNWTO Tourism Barometer. The substantial tourism recovery recognizes not only Saudi’s considerable investment in tourism, but also the country’s pioneering leadership in future-proofing its tourism sector. Saudi was swift in its response to the pandemic and rolled out vaccines to ensure high immunization rates quickly which accelerated the easing of restrictions and the reopening of the country to tourists. The government also implemented several measures aimed at supporting companies and employees working in the tourism sector thereby mitigating the effects of the pandemic. Tourism is a key pillar of Saudi’s transformative Vision 2030 and the country has ambitious goals to ensure that tourism contributes 10% of the country’s GDP by 2030, with one million jobs created along the way. According to the UNWTO Tourism Barometer, the global tourism sector saw international tourist arrivals almost triple from January to July 2022 (+172%) compared to the same period of 2021. This means the sector recovered to almost 60% of pre-pandemic levels. His Excellency Ahmed Al Khateeb, Minister of Tourism of Saudi Arabia, and Chairman of the Board of Saudi Tourism Authority said: “Recognition of Saudi’s achievements in the UNWTO Tourism Barometer is a key milestone in our extraordinary recovery and much of the success lies in our leadership’s multipronged approach to managing the pandemic and accelerating the sector’s pace of recovery. Saudi opened to the world in September 2019 and through continued leadership and commitment, we have made incomparable progress toward realizing our ambitious Vision 2030 tourism goals. We are …

As we celebrate world tourism day under the theme “Rethinking tourism” Sammy Musa, Chief Executive Officer at Gulf Reps, “Post Covid the tourism landscape and the consumer mindset has inevitably changed, as has the approach to tourism of governments, airlines, hotels and the tourism industry.  Whilst the world adapts, it has begun to feel like pent up tourism bubbles are being satisfied and governments are making tourism to their destinations easier, particularly when you consider the Electronic Visa Waiver that the UK introduced for Saudi Arabia and Bahrain. One thing covid has taught us is the power of our environment is stronger than anything we could’ve imagined, and sustainable tourism needs to be at the forefront of our industry’s thinking. Offsetting carbon footprint should become a standard for all airlines and sustainable hotels and electric vehicles should be the norm meaning that even the least environmentally conscious traveler is by default not harming the environment in their quest to see the world. ” Julie Wagner,  Chief Executive Officer at Beverly Hills Conference and Visitors Bureau (BHCVB) reiterated, “Our organization’s culture is based on innovation and staying current with the latest trends and technology.  What happened during the Covid shutdown played on some of our greatest strengths – being nimble and innovative.  Moving forward, we are certainly plugged into some of the shifts in how people book their travel and are aware of a renewed reliance on travel agents, etc., as well as some of the nuances that are required to travel. However, we have always been a destination about service. In Beverly Hills, the hotels, restaurants and retailers are trained to anticipate the client’s every need, maybe even before a client …

Celebrating World Tourism Day, Issam Kazim, CEO, Dubai Corporation for Tourism and Commerce Marketing, commented, shared about Dubai’s continued commitment to sustainable and accessible tourism. “With tourism being one of the key pillars of Dubai’s economy and central to the city’s DNA, World Tourism Day is a day of great importance to Dubai as it provides a time for reflection on Dubai’s remarkable turnaround and its pioneering role in providing a blueprint for the recovery of global tourism.  Inspired by the vision of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of UAE and Ruler of Dubai, to make Dubai the most visited and liveable city in the world, we can also look ahead to the new era of tourism development for Dubai, particularly the massive expansion of the tourism landscape, infrastructure and offering under the Dubai 2040 Urban Master Plan, that lays the groundwork for Dubai’s sustainable development for the next two decades, further reinforcing its position as a global destination for business, investment and tourism. As we look to the future of travel, we will continue to collaborate and work alongside our valued city stakeholders and partners to rethink how we do tourism and to become more sustainable, accessible and responsible as we evolve our offering and remain at the forefront of the world’s widely recommended travel destinations.”

On World Tourism Day, Google is launching two free tools to help the travel industry in the Middle East and North Africa identify timely travel demand and make better-informed decisions. The tools are launched under the ‘Travel Insights with Google’ website which includes two new tools available in both English and in Arabic; Destination Insights and Hotel Insights. According to Google Trends, people in Saudi Arabia searched for many countries in the past 8 months including Azerbaijan, Egypt, Georgia, Thailand the UAE and the UK (London in particular). Additionally, searches from Saudi Arabia for “booking tickets” this year have increased 153% compared to previous year. In the UAE, according to Google Trends, people searched for local entertainment destinations in the past 8 months including the Dubai Fountain and Dubai Butterfly Garden, as well as hotels located locally in the UAE and in Saudi Arabia. Additionally, searches from UAE for “ticket prices” this year have increased 122% compared to previous year. These and similar insights can be helpful for businesses to connect with people searching to travel and plan their campaigns. By leveraging the tools, businesses in the travel and tourism industry can discover insights to reach global travelers, whether they are departing or arriving in MENA, at every stage of their journey, from dreaming about their next travel destination, to booking flights and hotels. Destination Insights The Destination Insights tool will give travel businesses, governments and tourism boards a clear picture of the top sources of demand for a destination, and the destinations within their countries that travelers are most interested in visiting. It also allows businesses to explore how tourism demand is changing, compared to previous months’ or years’ demand and adjust marketing …

It is finally here, the fifth edition of Gulf Travel Show (GTS) which will kick off at 11am today until 4pm (UAE time) and tomorrow under the theme of sustainable tourism. One of the key areas post covid is sustainability, it is not a mere CSR project anymore but a wholesome deal which ensures responsible tourism. Participation in GTS assures you of the great responsibility held by the travel and tourism fraternity about their intent to reduce its carbon footprint. Gulf Travel Show (GTS) is the only event which was built in with a purpose. When it first started out just after the pandemic whilst most borders were still closed, it gave the travel, tourism and hospitality fraternity an opportunity to ensure that confidence is restored in the minds of the people passionate about the industry. It was also a tool which connected online GCC buyers with exhibitors from across the globe. The fifth edition or GTS 5.0 demonstrates its commitment to uphold its social responsibility to ensure less carbon emissions, yet bring all players to the table and learn and study the stakes, the many opportunities to make things right after a bout of almost two and a half years of pandemic era. Sustainability has many layers to be addressed, it is no longer a word to be utilized and passed on as a mere CSR activity, hence it is a commitment to ensure that everyone has a part to play on mother earth. Starting off with airlines and their biofuel capabilities, hotels and their sustainable strategies, tourism boards which provide and maintain sustainable goals to ensure that the country or destination promoted will not be perturbed, undisturbed, instead …

The German National Tourist Board (GNTB) has revealed the country recorded a 318 per cent increase on overnight stays from Gulf nationals in the first six months of 2022 when compared to the same period last year*. GCC nationals were responsible for more than 335,000 stays in H1 2022, compared with a little less than 81,000 in 2021. Such figures confirm the region’s position as representing the biggest growth from an Asian source market. While tourism numbers may not have returned to pre-pandemic levels yet, the promising growth demonstrates the countries strong recovery as it continues to attract tourists. “The GCC is the top Asian source market, therefore it’s unsurprising with our recent campaigns that there has been such a strong increase,” said Yamina Sofo, director of sales and marketing at the German National Tourist Office, the regional office of GNTB. “Pandemic recovery has long been top of mind and it’s encouraging to see that both longstanding and first-time travellers are increasingly keen to explore everything that Germany has to offer.” Overall, the Asian source markets have recorded a 252.3 per cent increase in overnight visitors, a jump from just over 217,000 to just under 800,000 in 6 months. The surging increase demonstrates a dedication and determination to travel internationally, despite some countries continuing to implement travel restrictions during the first half of the year. To further drive interest in travel to Germany in the remainder of 2022, GNTB has announced the launch of its ‘Feel Good’ campaign, which encompasses a plethora of guiding tips highlighting the country’s eco initiatives that provide conscious tourists with adequate tools and information to reduce their carbon footprint during their travels. A recent survey by D/A, …

Air Arabia Egypt has announced the launch of its new direct flights from Alexandria to the city of Medinah in Saudi Arabia. The new direct flights, commencing on October 31, 2022, will connect Borg Al Arab Airport and Prince Mohammad Bin Abdulaziz International Airport. Schedule to Medinah, effective October 31, 2022 (all times local): Flight     Departure           Time      Arrival   Time      Aircraft Frequency E5 432   Alexandria          04:15     Medinah              07:10     Airbus A320        Mon, Wed E5 433 Medinah              08:00     Alexandria          09:20     Airbus A320        Mon, Wed   Adel Al Ali, Group Chief Executive Officer, Air Arabia: “We are glad to add Medinah to our growing network from Egypt, offering our travelers with direct connectivity between both cities. We are confident that the new service will further contribute to the overall travel and tourism sector of Egypt and Saudi Arabia through providing an affordable and value-driven travel option to passengers traveling between the two countries”. The latest route to Medinah marks the tenth city that Air Arabia Egypt flies to in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, after Riyadh, Jeddah, Dammam, Tabuk, Taif, Al Jouf, Hail, Abha and Gassim. Air Arabia operates a modern fleet of Airbus A320 and A321 neo-LR aircraft, providing added comfort with one of the most generous seat-pitch of any economy cabin. Air Arabia also offers an innovative and generous loyalty program “Air Rewards” through which passengers can earn, transfer, and spend points. Besides, passengers can enjoy a variety of snacks and meals at affordable prices from Air Arabia onboard “SkyCafe”. Customers can now book their direct flights between Alexandria and Medinah by visiting Air Arabia’s website, calling the call centre or through travel agencies.