Rosewood Hotels & Resorts has been selected by Red Sea Global to manage Rosewood Amaala in the Red Sea Region of Saudi Arabia. An area considered to be at the center of the world’s most ambitious regenerative tourism projects, the Red Sea is situated along the country’s west coast and is home to some of the most diverse and delicate natural environments. Rosewood Amaala will be part of Red Sea Global’s Amaala destination, an integrated wellness haven.  Phase One of Amaala – focused on the Triple Bay masterplan – is well underway, with the first guests set to be welcomed in 2024. It will consist of eight resorts offering upwards of 1,200 hotel keys. Once complete, Amaala will be home to more than 3,000 hotel rooms across 25 hotels, and approximately 900 luxury residential villas, apartments, and estate homes, supporting high-end retail, fine dining, wellness and recreational facilities. Sustainability will be at the cornerstone of the property’s entire design and the larger Amaala development has set meaningful targets toward zero impact. The entire destination will be powered by 100% renewable energy and aims to have zero-carbon footprint—with plans to be both zero waste to landfill. Additionally, the endangered Hawksbill and Green Turtles have many nesting sites around the Rosewood Amaala beaches, meaning all construction and design work has been centered around ensuring the turtles are left uninterrupted. For instance, no construction will take place around the nesting areas, and the lighting strategies has been designed to ensure no bright lights shine in the area to avoid disruption. “We are deeply honored to partner with Red Sea Global on Rosewood Amaala and work together to offer a more regenerative model of …

Jazeera Airways is gearing up for the 2023 summer season by restarting its flights to Prague, Czech Republic and Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. Flight bookings for all these exciting destinations are now open on the airline’s website (www.jazeeraairways.com), or on the Jazeera App. With the new cities added to Jazeera’s network, the airline now serves 62 destinations across Europe, the Middle East, Central & South Asia and Africa. Rohit Ramachandran, Chief Executive Officer, Jazeera Airways said: “At Jazeera we always endeavor to expand our network and offer passengers more affordable choices for direct flights from Kuwait. This summer, we have these great destinations in Europe on offer for the leisure market in Kuwait, as well as connecting passengers from around our network. We expect there will be a strong demand for all of them.” Munich, the Bavarian capital is a very popular leisure and business destination in Germany and offers a variety of activities for different interests – both outdoors or indoors. One of Europe’s oldest cities, Belgrade is centrally located and one of the easiest places to reach in the Balkans. Tirana, the Albanian capital is also the country’s largest city. Known for its colorful architecture, Tirana extends at the Plain of Tirana in the center of Albania between a mountain in the east, hills in the south, and a valley to the north overlooking the Adriatic Sea. “The City of a Hundred Spires”, beautiful Prague lies at the heart of Europe and is full of great places to visit and delicious food to try. Sarajevo, a prominent center of culture in the Balkans, influences entertainment, media, fashion and the arts region-wide. Flights to Sarajevo will restart on 20 …

Chinese exhibitors and travel professionals are making a welcome return to Arabian Travel Market (ATM) 2023 which is being held at the Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC) for its 30th edition from 1-4 May, for the first time in three years. China lifted its covid-related travel restrictions on 8th January 2023, allowing Chinese tourists to travel abroad, without having to quarantine upon their return.  Bookings for overseas travel during Chinese New Year, soared by 540% compared with the same period in 2022, according to data from the Chinese travel site Trip.com. Furthermore, in a CNN report, Steve Saxon, a partner at McKinsey, based in Shenzhen,  predicted the Chinese outbound market would recover to around six million per month by the summer of 2023, driven in part by the pent-up demand especially from young, affluent Chinese. Danielle Curtis, Exhibition Director ME, Arabian Travel Market commented, “China became the world’s top source market in 2019, with 155 million tourists spending more than $250 billion overseas. However, its isolation from the global market over the past three years has set the industry back by an estimated $840 billion, equivalent, to 16% of the $1.7 trillion spent annually on global tourism, according to UNWTO.” Dubai received almost one million Chinese visitors in 2019, which was an increase of over 15% compared with 2018. And while the 154,000 Chinese visitors Dubai welcomed over the first 11 months of 2022 was down 83% compared to the same period prior to 2020, it was up 115% year-on-year, which bodes well not only for Dubai, but also for the wider Middle East tourism sector. Popular destinations such as Dubai, Saudi’s AlUla, Egypt and Jordan, which have consistently marketed …

In anticipation of the surge of foreign tourists coming into the Philippines this summer season following President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr.’s directive for implementation of electronic visa systems, Department of Tourism (DOT), led by Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco, initiated a high-level convergence meeting with the heads and representatives of agencies such as Department of Foreign Affairs, Department of Information and Communications Technology, Department of Justice and Bureau of Immigration to discuss visa reforms to ease entry to the country’s tourist source markets. The event is in continuation of the talks initiated by DOT since September 2022 with the concerned agencies to take up visa concerns for key tourism markets in the hope of finding solutions affecting the flow of entry of international tourists. Addressing tourism bottlenecks While the Secretary has recognized tourism achievements made last year as the Philippines ended 2022 with 2.65 million international tourist arrivals, surpassing the targeted 1.7 million figures, she emphasized there are still bottlenecks, which prevent the Philippines from fully unlocking the global tourism potential.   “For this reason, our President has issued the directive to various government agencies to explore how the bottlenecks to travel into the Philippines may be addressed. He indicated one of the ways by which travel into the Philippines may be fully opened, especially to important markets. We must also explore the provision of electronic visas (e-Visa),” she said, citing the President’s directive that government agencies must explore the provision of e-visas to Chinese and Indian nationals. Indian tourist market’s potential Emphasizing the importance of the Indian tourist market, the DOT stated 58 per cent of the total Indian visitors are repeat travellers. Thus, the need to continue the efforts to …

Saudi Tourism Authority (STA) has successfully concluded its first roadshow in China with 13 partners including DMCs, hoteliers and airline partners in attendance. The roadshow showcased the country’s rich cultural and heritage offerings and why Saudi is the perfect travel destination for Chinese travelers. A series of events, meetings, round table discussions and networking events were hosted, resulting in over twenty strategic partnership announcements. During the multicity roadshow, Saudi Tourism Authority held meetings with over 300 trade partners and travel buyers in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou to promote Saudi as a leisure destination, sharing insights into the emerging trends in MICE tourism. Saudi’s inclusion in the ‘Approved Destination Scheme’, alongside China’s inclusion in Saudi’s e-visa program and 96-hour Stopover Visa – where guests flying onwards on SAUDIA can avail a complimentary one-night hotel stay in Saudi – facilitates seamless group travel. Saudi’s presence in China is an indication of how important the Chinese market is for the Kingdom and its commitment to China as a key source market for Saudi. Saudi has witnessed incredible growth since opening to tourism in 2019 as its post-pandemic tourism recovery outpaced G20 countries with a 121% YoY growth according to UNWTO. As part of Saudi’s ambition to achieve 100 million visits annually by 2030, China represents immense potential as it is expected to be Saudi’s 3rd top source market by then. Fahd Hamidaddin, CEO and Member of the Board at Saudi Tourism Authority said, “Our first roadshow in China has been a tremendous success and a testament to Saudi’s potential to become the region’s tourism hub and a gateway to the cultural and natural riches of Arabia for Chinese travelers. Supporting us in realising …

Travelport and Saudia Airlines announced that they have signed a new multi-year distribution agreement. Arved von zur Muehlen, Chief Commercial Officer at Saudia Airlines, commented, “We are pleased with the recent multi-year extension of our distribution agreement with Travelport. The company’s new  Travelport+ retailing platform will be a valuable asset in helping us expand our reach among the travel agency community while Saudi Arabia continues to develop as a top destination for tourism. Travel distribution is under rapid transformation and we are working to widen our network and product offerings. Travelport is an established partner to support Saudia’s growth and product differentiation and personalization strategy.” As part of the agreement, Travelport will continue to provide travel agencies around the world real-time access to Saudia Airlines’ wide selection of travel content, products and services. Travelport will also continue to collaborate closely with Saudia Airlines to execute Travelport Rich Content and Branding initiatives, streamlining service procedures, and delivering a world-class, modern travel retail experience. David Gomes, Head of Commercial, Air Partners EMEA at Travelport, said, “We are delighted to extend our decades-long partnership with Saudia Airlines. This deal is a testament to the strong relationship between Saudia Airlines and Travelport. With our Travelport+ platform, we are committed to work closely with partners like Saudia Airlines to deliver a superior, modern travel retailing experience with a wider range of choice and richer content for our customers.”    

Emirates’ flagship A380 made a landmark touchdown at Christchurch Airport, marking the resumption of its daily service from Dubai to Christchurch via Sydney after more than three years. The special service was greeted by a crowd of spectators at the Christchurch Airport boundary, who watched as the iconic aircraft taxied through a ceremonial water canon salute, before parking in view of trade, media, and VIP guests at the international terminal. Outbound EK412 left Dubai at 10:15 local time, stopping briefly in Sydney before arriving in Christchurch at 13:55 hours the next day, New Zealand time. On board the first flight back to Christchurch, Barry Brown, Divisional Vice President Australasia, Emirates, said: “Seeing the water cannon salute after we touched down in the first Emirates A380 flight in more than three years is a reminder of how special the aircraft is to Christchurch, since its first arrival in 2016. The significance of the occasion was also clear on the faces of the other passengers on board, who understood what this service means for Christchurch and connecting it to the world.” “Not only has Christchurch again become the smallest city on Emirates’ A380 network, but New Zealand is now the first country on our network to exclusively carry our four cabin A380 and our best product yet. The phenomenal customer response from the moment tickets went on sale, both in and out of Christchurch, speak to a city in high demand.” Phil Mauger Christchurch Mayor said: “The return of the Emirates A380 service is a great boost for Christchurch and the wider South Island. It shows we’re open for business and welcoming travellers after several years of Covid restrictions. I wish the …

United Airlines has launched a new nonstop daily service between its New York/Newark hub and Dubai International (DXB). United is the only U.S. airline to offer non-stop flights between Dubai and the United States, flying to more destinations in the Middle East than any other U.S. airline. The new service marks United’s return to Dubai, which the airline previously served up until 2016. The launch of the new service is part of United’s historic commercial agreement with Emirates, announced in 2022, enhancing each airline’s network and giving customers easier access to hundreds of destinations within the United States and around the world. Customers from the U.S. flying to Dubai can travel onwards with Emirates or its sister airline flydubai to more than 100 different cities, providing more options to connect across the Middle East than ever before, whilst customers flying from Dubai to New York can take advantage of onward connections with United to over 80 destinations across the Americas. The agreement between United and Emirates also provides loyalty programme members of both airlines additional opportunities for more rewards: United MileagePlusSM members flying on United’s Newark/New York to Dubai flight can earn and redeem miles when connecting beyond to select Emirates destinations in Africa, the Middle East, and South Asia, whilst Emirates Skywards members will be able to earn miles when they travel on United operated flights. Customers booked to fly in United PolarisSM can also take advantage of access to Emirates lounges when travelling on, or connecting to and from, United’s new Dubai service. “At United, we’re committed to expanding and enhancing our network to give our customers the best access to destinations around the world – all while …

After most of the multi-billion dollar airport construction projects were put on the back burner or temporarily curtailed over the past three years, operators and investors have been racing down the tarmac as the Middle East and Asia-Pacific regions are expected to account for 58 per cent of the global air passenger demand in 2040. The CAPA – Centre for Aviation, one of the world’s most trusted sources of aviation market intelligence, says there have been 425 major construction projects at existing airports, with US$450.7 billion in total committed expenditure globally, each of which is at various stages, from preparatory to about to conclude, along with 225 new airport projects and airport investor numbers swelling to 1074, including 258 airport operator groups or consortiums. Its database has region-wise listed the total numbers of the airport project and the volume of investment include 155 in Middle East worth US$209.4 billion. The Middle East region, positioned at the strategic crossroads of major economies of Asia, Africa and Europe, has transformed into a major international hub and continues to be an inspirational growth story. With over 110 airports, this is already among the fastest growing in the world, accounting for 170 million of the global traffic. Airports in the Middle East will need to invest US$151 billion in capacity expansion as the global air passenger demand is expected to increase more than two-fold in 2040. “This necessitates an investment totaling US$2.4 trillion for Middle East and Asia-Pacific airports until 2040 to accommodate this growth,” the Airport Council International said.  The ACI forecasts close to 19.7 billion passengers are expected to traverse the world’s airports by 2040 and the Middle East airports will handle …

Etihad Airways touched down in Kolkata as the airline made its much-anticipated return to the city. With a total of seven weekly nonstop services, the airline will once again connect India’s financial capital, Kolkata, with the world through Abu Dhabi. The first flight on the new service, EY256, departed Abu Dhabi with a full load of passengers at 1:50pm local time on 26 March and touched down at Kolkata’s Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Airport last night at 8:10pm local time. Upon arrival in Kolkata, passengers were welcomed with a cake cutting ceremony and a celebration attended by Etihad and Kolkata Airport Executives. The return flight, EY257, departed Kolkata at 9:05pm local time on 26 March, landing in Abu Dhabi shortly after midnight. Arik De, Chief Revenue Officer, said, Etihad Airways, said: “Riding on the resurgence of outbound travel from India, we’re delighted to resume daily flights to Kolkata, a key cultural and commercial hub in the Indian subcontinent. Re-establishing this vital air link with East India will support the growing demand from travelers in and around the region, offering them easy access to Abu Dhabi and connectivity to our global network alongside a world-class flying experience. We have been very impressed with our initial demand, which reaffirms our strategy to return to this key market.” The flights will be operated with an Airbus A320 aircraft, offering Etihad’s award-winning service to guests in 8 seats in Business Class and 150 in Economy, convenient flight timings to the UAE’s capital city and seamless connections to destinations across the airline’s growing global network of 67 destinations. From dune bashing in the desert to relaxing on its pristine beaches, soaking up rich UAE heritage …