With new flight services operating from Frankfurt, Dusseldorf and Munich to Ras Al Khaimah International Airport, the destination strengthens direct connectivity with a major source market. Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority (RAKTDA) announces a new strategic airline partnership connecting the Emirate with major cities in Germany, including Frankfurt, Dusseldorf and Munich. Starting from 1 November 2022, Corendon Airlines will operate seven direct weekly flights to Ras Al Khaimah International Airport, effectively meeting strong demand from Germany. Marking the latest in a series of strategic airline partnerships forged by the Tourism Authority, the new flights cement an important tourism market, delivering a significant weekly increase in visitors to an Emirate popular for its outstanding natural and cultural attributes, global hotel brands, as well as its unrivalled adventure tourism offering and year-round sunshine. The announcement strengthens the Tourism Authority’s ongoing strategy to enhance accessibility and accelerate connectivity by working closely with leading tour operators. Within a five-hour flying time, Germany is already a top five tourism source market for Ras Al Khaimah; the launch of new direct flights to the Emirate is expected to have a significant impact on tourism in the destination. “We’ve seen first-hand the impact of direct connectivity as one of the main drivers of tourism, especially in a post-pandemic period.  We also know that tourists who arrive directly to the destination, stay longer and really take the time to discover our nature emirate,” commented Raki Phillips, Chief Executive Officer, Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority. “He added: “As Ras Al Khaimah’s tourism vision gains momentum, working with valued trade partners and securing new airline alliances builds on this progress, and delivering additional tourism from three major German …

Ajman tourism is set to launch a number of innovative initiatives and projects to enhance the tourism sector as a part of the department’s efforts to showcase Ajman’s natural touristic destinations, and rich heritage, aiming to increase its visibility and attractiveness for visitors from all over the world, and achieve the emirate’s tourism vision. Ajman Museum Smart App – in conjunction with the renovation of the museum to provide a unique interactive experience enhanced with the latest technologies to stimulate all senses, through exhibits explained in Arabic and English, to promote it by providing a detailed audio-guided tour of all sections of the museum and a map of the site, opening times and how to reach the museum. The Visual Identity of Ajman Museum, Masfout Museum, & Al Manama Museum – Ajman Tourism also launched the new visual identity for Ajman Museum, Masfout Museum, & Al Manama Museum, one of its initiatives aimed at preserving the unique heritage of Ajman and present it in a renovated updated look. Moreover, the department unveiled the “Media Hub” which is a digital media library project, and an integrated platform for displaying promotional images and videos for Ajman that is constantly updated, and displayed on a dedicated page within the ADTD’s official website to serve all stakeholders and community, where images and videos can be downloaded, and to eventually become the largest digital archive documenting the main tourist attractions of Ajman. Ajman’s Heritage Path – Ajman Municipality and Planning Department revealed the latest activities of the Heritage Path project, which is located in the Al-Nakhil neighborhood and stretches over 1,025 km, linking heritage buildings starting from the Ajman Museum and the heritage district to …

The Future Hospitality Summit (FHS) will debut in Dubai this September, bringing together the Middle East and Africa’s industry leaders for discussions, deals and insight on the continued growth of the region’s hospitality and tourism sectors. Hosted by Jumeirah Hotels & Resorts and co-organised by The Bench and MEED, FHS brings together the investment communities of the Arabian Hotel Investment Conference (AHIC), Global Restaurant Investment Forum (GRIF) and AviaDev under one roof. Other conference tracks include Sustainability & Innovation, Startup Den and The Future of Human Capital. The three-day summit takes place at Madinat Jumeirah from 19 to 21 September 2022, uniting government leaders, hotel investors, owners, developers and operators to discuss the industry’s hot topics, set the scene for the future and network with elite players in their field. 50 leaders from some of the world’s most dynamic hospitality brands who have confirmed to speak include José Silva, CEO of Jumeirah Group Hotels & Resorts; Puneet Chhatwal, MD and CEO of Indian Hotels Company Limited; Dillip Rajakarier, Group CEO Minor Hotels; Guy Hutchinson, President and CEO at Rotana; Sandeep Walia, Chief Operations Officer at Marriott International; Khalid Anib, CEO of Abu Dhabi National Hotels; Marloes Knippenberg, CEO of Kerten Hospitality; Haitham Mattar, Managing Director MEA & South West Asia at IHG Hotels and Resorts; Dimitris Manikis, President EMEA at Wyndham Hotels, Jochem-Jan Sleiffer, President Middle East, Africa & Turkey at Hilton as well as Chris Newman Executive Director Hotel Development at Neom; Agnès Roquefort, Chief Development Officer at Accor and Elie Younes, Chief Development Officer at Radisson. Among the names representing the global food & beverage investment community – coming together on the first day of FHS for the …

With the aim of promoting tourism within the country, Kuwait tourism is on its way to develop a mega project in Messilah Beach by 2023. The project aims to develop Messilah Beach into an integrated and contemporary facility covering an area of 70,000 square meters, containing recreational and sports activities to meet the needs of visitors of all age groups throughout the year. As a center of attraction for families, the development of the project includes the provision of water games for all ages, in addition to swimming pools, sports and marine games, restaurants, cafes, shops and much more.

Star gazers, camping enthusiasts, leisure and adventure lovers, culture buffs, and families are all set for a memorable summer 2022 surprise as Sharjah Investment and Development Authority (Shurooq) unveils a wide range of unique world-class experiences at incredible value for residents and visitors in the emirate. From exclusive discount packages, buy-one-get-one-free offers, cash prizes, and more, Shurooq has rolled out diverse activities and experiences at its destinations that give more reasons to have fun in the sun this year. Commenting on the 2022 line-up of summer promotions, Mahmoud Rashid Deemas, Director of Operations and Tourism Development at Shurooq, said: “Shurooq’s commitment to providing quality leisure and learning experiences in a safe environment lies at the heart of our carefully curated summer offers, and gives residents and visitors more reasons to explore and enjoy the diverse attractions in the emirate. Sharjah has plenty to offer visitors in the form of attractive deals and offers across our portfolio to fuel interest in new experiences and enhance the emirate’s status as a must-visit destination any time of the year.” Khalid Al Qaseer, Director of Operations, said: “With an exciting array of unique leisure and recreational summer offers at our destinations, Shurooq enables residents and visitors of all ages to enjoy a variety of unparalleled experiences as it builds on the emirate’s status as a leading family-friendly destination in the region. The expansive range of offerings across Shurooq’s destinations this summer combines the best of leisure, entertainment, and education to offer a holistic experience to our growing community and holidaymakers.” Ladies can enjoy pianist performances, Zumba and Live DJ sessions every Tuesday during Ladies Day Season 2022 until September 13. Weekends, from Thursday to …

dnata announced that it would invest US$ 100 million in green operations in the next two years to further enhance environmental efficiency across its global network. The company’s ongoing investment in infrastructure, equipment and process improvement will support it to achieve its strategic objectives and reduce its carbon footprint by 20% by 2024, and by 50% by 2030. dnata has embedded its environmental framework across its broad-spanning Travel businesses, aiming to empower customers to make better travel choices. Its corporate services include hybrid event solutions, sustainable travel policy guidance as well as carbon emission monitoring and reporting, aligned to global standards. dnata Travel Group in the UK has invested in green technologies and introduced new business practices to improve environmental efficiency. It switched to renewable energy to take all electricity from green sources at all of its offices, cut out single-use plastic (SUP) from its operations, reduced paper consumption by 4 million pages annually through its ‘paperless office’ initiative, and implemented a zero to landfill policy to ensure that all non-recyclable waste is sent to energy recovery facilities for processing. Furthermore, it replaced 80% of its fleet with electric or hybrid cars with a target to operate a fully green fleet by 2024. Steve Allen, CEO of dnata Group, said: “We’ve been making great progress on reducing our carbon footprint, minimising waste and reducing energy and water consumption across our operations. We will further increase our investments and efforts in strong cooperation with our partners to achieve our targets and preserve the environment for current and future generations.” In recent years dnata has significantly invested in advanced technologies to optimise resources and improve operational efficiency across its facilities. It installed …

In implementation of the directives of His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, Chairman of the Executive Council, to proceed with the partnership agreement signed between the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) and Cruise to operate Cruise autonomous vehicles to offer taxi and e-Hail services in Dubai. Cruise will start this month the operation of two Chevrolet Bolt electric vehicles (EVs) to prepare digital maps for Cruise’s self-driving vehicles. The process is a prelude for the launch of the actual service by 2023 rendering Dubai the first city in the world to commercially operate Cruise self-driving vehicles outside America. The two Chevrolet Bolt EVs will be initially deployed on Jumeirah streets and driven by specialist drivers. Cruise’s technology uses a high-resolution map of the physical environment, which is created using specialised mapping vehicles equipped with a suite of sensors including LiDAR, camera, and others, and are driven throughout the city to collect data, which is then used to create and maintain a navigable map for autonomous vehicles (AVs). Cruise, General Motors’ majority-owned autonomous vehicle subsidiary, shares the same vision as GM that AVs can help lead to a safe, less congested future for all, delivering enormous benefits for society in the form of increased safety and access to transportation. These efforts will clearly advance General Motors’ vision of zero crashes, zero emissions and zero congestion. His Excellency Mattar Al Tayer, Director-General, Chairman of the Board of Executive Directors of the Roads and Transport Authority, said: “Preparing digital maps is an essential step in the process of operating self-driving Cruise Origin vehicles, which will be deployed in limited numbers next year to offer taxi …

In line with the directives of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of The Executive Council of Dubai, today launched the Dubai Metaverse Strategy that aims to turn Dubai into one the world’s top 10 metaverse economies as well as a global hub for the metaverse community. His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed underscored the importance of consolidating Dubai’s status as a hub offering the most advanced ecosystem for the metaverse and as a frontrunner in adopting digital solutions globally, which reflects the ambitious vision of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum for transforming the emirate into a global capital of advanced technologies, primarily artificial intelligence (AI) and Web3. The strategy aims to build on Dubai’s achievement of attracting more than 1,000 companies in the fields of blockchain and metaverse. It also promotes Dubai’s ambitions to support more than 40,000 virtual jobs by 2030. This would further boost Dubai’s economy and support the UAE government’s vision of increasing the number of blockchain companies by five times the present number. HH Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed said that Dubai is making great strides in enhancing its position as a global testbed for metaverse technology while investing judiciously in building capabilities and talent in creating the region’s most robust and largest ecosystem for the metaverse community. His Highness added that adopting new technologies will be a stepping stone in Dubai’s vision to use future technologies to create new work models in vital sectors and increase the metaverse’s impact on regional and …

With its world-class infrastructure and state-of-the-art facilities, picturesque coastline, luxury marinas and diverse destination experiences, Dubai has emerged as a leading marine leisure destination, providing residents and visitors the opportunity to enjoy a diverse range of sea-based activities and watersports to keep cool, unwind and explore this summer season. As Dubai’s enduring connection to the sea extends to the travel and tourism sector, Dubai’s Department of Economy and Tourism takes a look at some of the city’s maritime and aquatic leisure offerings that people can experience during the summer months in Dubai. Residents and visitors alike can utilise the services of leisure travel companies which operate yacht tours from beautiful marinas in the city including Dubai Marina Yacht Club, Creek Marina Yacht Club, Dubai Harbour and Jaddaf Waterfront Marina. The high number of quality and safety assured yachting companies offer bespoke itineraries, the latest watersport experiences, along with state-of-the-art nautical equipment, for a safe and refreshing day at sea. Guests can enjoy a tailored yachting experience, with a wide variety of dining options provided and a full day of onboard entertainment, all set to the backdrop of the impressive Dubai skyline. Moreover, when embarking on a trip at sea, guests can be selective in their routes and choose from which port to hop onboard. The vast majority of routes offered by these travel firms will include incredible views of Dubai’s most iconic landmarks, including the Dubai Marina, the Burj Al Arab and Burj Khalifa, whilst extended itineraries include excursions to The World Islands. Alternatively, if guests wish to enjoy a more extensive experience, yachts are available to hire for longer, extended excursions. Amit Patel, Founder and Managing Director of Xclusive …

Ahmed Obaid Al Qaseer, Acting Chief Executive Officer of Sharjah Investment and Development Authority (Shurooq), has revealed details of the authority’s exciting adventure project coming up in the Eastern area of Khorfakkan, overlooking the serene Luluyah Beach. Featuring a host of adventure activities and sports, the upcoming project comprises a zipline, giant swing, a dry-slide track, hiking tracks, mountain bike tracks, and varied amenities for visitors and tourists from the eastern region and across the UAE. The project also includes an observation deck and a restaurant on the mountain top that offers breathtaking views of the landscape and the adventure track routes. The project is set for completion in fourth quarter of 2023, said Ahmed Obaid Al Qaseer, adding that it aligns with the directives of His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah, to redefine the leisure and travel landscape of Khorfakkan and bolster the emirate’s position as one of the most appealing tourist destinations in the region. Al Qaseer remarked that the project enriches the expansive portfolio of integrated projects developed by (Shurooq) and offers comprehensive solutions to the ever-growing demand for tourism and leisure experiences in the East Coast. He pointed out that the project’s unique location, overlooking the serene Luluyah Beach, brings together entertainment, sports, leisure, and adventure at one destination.