The first phase of the Diriyah Gate Development Authority’s (DGDA) master plan has been awarded platinum-level precertification for the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) accreditation by the United States Green Building Council (USGBC). The USGBC’s LEED certification is a globally recognised, prestigious symbol of sustainability achievement and leadership, providing a framework for healthy, efficient and cost-saving green buildings and is the world’s most widely known sustainability certification scheme. Jerry Inzerillo, Group CEO, DGDA, commented: “I am thrilled that our efforts have been recognised by the LEED precertification as climate and nature-related considerations are at the heart of our development. With regenerative tourism and a people first development at the epicenter of our philosophy, we want to ensure that Diriyah is a shining example when it comes to sustainability standards internationally, and will result in a highly liveable, pedestrian city. Diriyah is the ultimate wellspring and source of a civilization, and our sustainable approach, rooted in a reverence of the city’s past and origins, has now been authenticated by this major accolade and proof point.” Mohamed Saad, Acting DevCo President DGDA, stated: “The significance of Diriyah’s preliminary LEED accreditation cannot be overstated and has involved input from every portion of DGDA. Thanks to this large collaborative effort, we are well on our way to demonstrating to the world that our development is comprehensively sustainable at every level.” LEED certification can be achieved at different levels: the building, neighbourhood, community and city levels. The first phase of the Diriyah development has targeted the certification at both the building and city levels. The precertification of LEED for buildings and cities at a platinum level shows that the development has sustainability at …

The Jordan Tourism Board (JTB) announced its entry into a strategic partnership with OMNES Media to host the Arab Influencers Gathering, ‘City Talk’, next October at the King Hussein Bin Talal Convention Centre in the Dead Sea, Jordan. Scheduled to be held from 2nd to 5th of October 2022, City Talk will bring together more than 500 social media influencers and specialists in the influencer marketing industry from different countries of the Arab world to review and discuss the industry’s recent and most important developments. It features 6 panel discussions and 6 workshops, in addition to daily meetings with the most prominent influential Arab personalities in order to come up with recommendations and solutions to many of the issues under discussion. The gathering will also organize a field tour to a number of tourist facilities and destinations in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, during which the JTB will shed light on the historical, natural and cultural heritage of these destinations, which will provide rich material for the participating influencers. Commenting on the agreement, Dr. Abdul Razzaq Arabiyat said: “We are honoured to host City Talk at the Dead Sea, one of the most important tourist destinations at the local and international levels. Organizing this prestigious event is in line with the JTB’s strategy to support conference and exhibition tourism by hosting the most prominent regional and global events and harnessing such events in promoting Jordan and its unique tourist destinations.” The gathering will provide rich content with information and experiences related to the influencer marketing industry through working papers, presentations and panel discussions that will be presented by speakers, exhibitors and participants on many related topics. “The event is an …

dnata Representation Services, part of the dnata Travel Group, is growing its partnership with the Banyan Tree Group across Thailand as the country emerges as one of the most popular international travel destinations from the GCC countries this year. dnata Representation Services has acted as exclusive sales representative in the Middle East for the Banyan Tree Group’s Maldivian properties since 2016. dnata will now provide support for a range of its popular hotels and resorts across Thailand, offering regional travellers exclusive holiday packages and dedicated local support. Its representation will cover ever-popular Banyan Tree Bangkok in the capital, and multiple properties across the country’s largest island, Phuket. This includes Banyan Tree Phuket, which recently launched a new wellbeing resort – Banyan Tree Veya Phuket – as part of its cluster; Angsana Laguna Phuket, opening this year a highly-anticipated new restaurant, ATOLL, set amidst a lagoon; alongside the Homm Bliss South Beach Patong and Cassia Phuket. dnata Travel, based across the GCC, recently announced that Thailand is the most popular holiday destination for UAE travellers for summer 2022, while the brand records a surge in popularity for travel to the country across its wider regional operations including in KSA. Sébastien Doussin, DVP – Global Ground Services & Destination Management at dnata Travel Group, commented: “As one of the Middle East’s longest-standing travel providers, we remain at the forefront of latest traveller trends across the region. Our enhanced partnership with the Banyan Tree Group, owner of some of the world’s most renowned luxury resorts, enables us to support our travellers with excellent hotel packages in some of the most sought-after travel destinations from this part of the world including Thailand and the …

Emirates expects a busy summer and is set to operate as scheduled over the peak travel season, including at its 39 European points with its London Stansted route re-starting from 1 August. With over 24,000 scheduled passenger flights to and from 129 airports around the world for July and August, Emirates has been co-ordinating with its ground handling partners at airports around the world, ensuring they are up-to-date with operational requirements and are prepared to support smooth passenger movement. Emirates has also worked closely with other stakeholders at Dubai Airport to support its flight schedule and services, provisioning additional resources to ensure efficient operations at the hub, including for transiting passengers. Those visiting Dubai or doing a summer stopover can ease through departures and arrivals with speedy biometrics-enabled check-points; and utilise various convenient options for mobile, online, home, and self-check in. The double-decked Emirates A380 aircraft is also being deployed to serve high customer demand at over 30 cities around its network, this includes popular European cities: Amsterdam, Dusseldorf, Hamburg, London Gatwick, London Heathrow, Rome, Paris, Madrid, Manchester, Milan, Vienna, and Zurich. Whether travelling for the holidays or to visit family and friends, customers can look forward to all of Emirates’ signature experiences. On ground, this includes complimentary Chauffeur Drive airport transfers for First and Business Class customers in nearly all cities served by Emirates. Onboard, customers in all cabins can expect freshly prepared meals inspired by the season and region, and an unmatched selection of the latest movies, TV shows, radio, live TV, podcasts and more on the 5,000 channels of on-demand entertainment on Emirates ice. Flight updates and travel advisories: To receive the latest flight updates, customers are …

As part of its ongoing efforts to boost the local tourism, Oman Tourism Development Company (OMRAN Group) has launched the fourth edition of its ‘WithinOman’ tourism promotion campaign, which provides a wide array of special packages for all citizens and residents to enjoy leisure experiences across OMRAN Group’s hotels and resorts. The emphasis of this year’s edition is on inspiring individuals, families, and groups of friends to enjoy and discover new places and things to do, as well as take part in leisure and adventure activities at 21 hotels and resorts throughout the Sultanate. The campaign’s deals are available to visitors till the end of September, and there are four major packages with flexible accommodation options and hospitality services to choose from. Commenting on the campaign launch, Mohammed bin Khamis Al Ghufaili, Chief Operations Officer of OMRAN Group, said, “The ‘WithinOman’ campaign aims to boost domestic tourism and attract tourists to spend the peak summer travel period at the Group’s hotel assets around Oman. The variety of perks and services offered at participating hotels and resorts will make the tourist season enjoyable for both individuals and families.” “The Group provides well-turated and special offers to make the most of Oman’s distinctive accommodations, hospitality services, and facilities in order to promote local tourism. Revive, Enjoy, Relax, and Chill are the four packages offered under the promotion”, he continued. “Revive” package (30 OMR) is part of the campaign and is available at Crowne Plaza Muscat OCEC, City Hotel Duqm, Sohar Beach Resort, Atana Stay Ashkhara, Atana Khasab Hotel, Ras Al Jinz Turtle Reserve, Barcelo Mussanah Resort and Sifawy Boutique Hotel. “Enjoy” package (45 OMR) is available at Atana Musandam Resort, DusitD2 Naseem …

The Red Sea Development Company (TRSDC) entered into a Joint Venture (JV) agreement with Almutlaq Real Estate Investment Co. (AREIC), a subsidiary of the Al Mutlaq Group (AMG). Under the agreement, valued at over SAR 1.5 billion, the two companies will develop Jumeirah The Red Sea, a 159-key luxury resort situated on The Red Sea destination’s hub island, Shura, currently under construction and expected to open in early 2024. Shura Island forms part of the first phase of development, and will comprise 11 luxury, premium and lifestyle hotels and resorts, residential units, a championship golf course, 118 berth marina, and a comprehensive retail, dining, and entertainment offering. The strategic partnership marks the first Joint Venture established by TRSDC and demonstrates the private sectors confidence in the future success of the Red Sea destination and their willingness to be part of it. “We are delighted to partner with Al Mutlaq Group, a prominent global investment family group in Riyadh. The formation of a Joint Venture with their subsidiary, AREIC, demonstrates growing interest from the investment community to participate in our journey and is an encouraging reflection of their belief in not only our project but the wider tourism opportunity in the Kingdom,”said John Pagano, CEO of TRSDC. This Joint Venture investment reinforces the private sector’s alignment with our commitment to regenerative tourism and sustainable development. Our project naturally lends itself to promising business opportunities, with the ability to leverage the Kingdom’s key strategic assets, and drive economic growth and diversification as outlined by Vision 2030,” he added. “We are extremely pleased to partner with TRSDC and its best-in-class management team on this exciting and compelling project. We have been studying the …

Sharjah Airport has announced its readiness to handle the increased frequency of passengers to and from the Emirate of Sharjah during the peak summer season, while ensuring the highest levels of precautionary measures to ensure a safe and convenient travel experience. Sharjah Airport, in coordination with all partners, has prepared to deal with the growing number of passengers, following a prior strategy to streamline travel procedures and ensure passenger safety. This is accomplished by promoting smart services like self-check-in services and smart gates, that make travel procedures easy, and are driven by the latest technologies and innovations. Due to the increased demand for travel during the summer and the Eid al-Adha holidays, Sharjah Airport has advised passengers to arrive at the airport three hours before the departure of their flights to ensure a safe and smooth travel experience. Prior to heavy rush during the summer season, the airport emphasized the importance of using smart services to complete self-check-in, which allow travelers to complete all their travel transactions quickly, reduce their waiting time, and enhance their travel experience at Sharjah Airport. Travelers at Sharjah Airport can take advantage of self-check-in services by printing their boarding passes from self-travel devices, as well as printing and attaching labels to their luggage before delivering it to the self-delivery platform. The airport also provides automated verification of boarding passes through an automated verification system for pre-printed or digital passes. In addition, the smart information desk at Sharjah Airport provides passengers with the opportunity to communicate with the information department at the airport through voice and video calls, which also includes assistance for people with special needs. As part of the service, the desk also offers …

Sabre Corporation has successfully integrated IATA New Distribution Capability (NDC) content from Qatar Airways (QR) to its global distribution system (GDS). After a pilot phase with agency customers in Australia and Sweden, the offers of Qatar’s flag carrier will now be rolled out successively to travel agencies across the globe starting on July 7, 2022. Travel agencies will be able to shop, book, and manage NDC offers from Qatar Airways. Access to Qatar’s content will be available through Sabre Red 360, Sabre’s agency point-of-sale tool, as well as its NDC-enabled Offer and Order Application Programming Interfaces (APIs). “We’ve been actively engaged in Sabre’s Beyond NDC program for several years and we’re proud to be the first carrier based in EMEA to make our products and offers available to the global travel agency community through Sabre’s marketplace,” said Matt Raos, Senior Vice President Global Sales at Qatar Airways. “With NDC as a part of our strategy to evolve our offering and enhance ancillary sales, we believe effective distribution in the indirect channel will become more important in the future.” With Qatar Airways’ extensive network of destinations, access to the carrier’s unique NDC content is expected to be relevant to travel buyers across the globe in the post-COVID-19 recovery period and beyond. “As the corporate travel sector continues to recover, customers are looking for enhanced shopping experiences and improved content in their marketplace,” said John Bukowski, Vice President of Distribution, Content and Sourcing at American Express Global Business Travel. “Our objective is to ensure that our customers and travelers have access to the broadest content and an unrivaled travel experience. We are excited about collaborating with Qatar Airways and Sabre to continue …

The Ascott Limited (Ascott) announced it is acquiring Oakwood Worldwide (Oakwood) from Mapletree Investments Pte Ltd. The acquisition increases Ascott’s global portfolio by 81 properties and about 15,000 units. Oakwood’s approximately 8,500 operational units are expected to immediately contribute to Ascott’s recurring fee income streams upon completion of the transaction slated in 3Q 2022. Ascott’s acquisition of Oakwood will leapfrog Ascott’s global presence to more than 150,000 units in about 900 properties across over 200 cities in 39 countries. It will add new markets which include Cheongju in South Korea; Zhangjiakou and Qingdao in China; Dhaka in Bangladesh as well as Washington D.C. in the United States of America (USA). Recently named the ‘Best Serviced Residence Brand’ in DestinAsian Readers’ Choice Awards 2022, Oakwood’s award-winning portfolio includes flagship properties Oakwood Premier Tokyo and Oakwood Premier Coex Center Seoul which were ranked top 10 properties in their respective countries in the DestinAsian awards. New properties such as Oakwood Premier Melbourne and Oakwood Hotel Oike Kyoto, will also add to the group’s destination highlights. Kevin Goh, CLI’s Chief Executive Officer for Lodging, said: “This acquisition of Oakwood is part of Ascott’s roadmap to playing a bigger role in the lodging market. There are significant synergies between Ascott and Oakwood, given our complementary footprint and product offerings. We intend to build on the strong reputation and heritage of the Oakwood brand, especially in markets across Southeast Asia, North Asia and North America. Oakwood will continue to grow alongside Ascott’s current portfolio of global brands as we continue to build growth momentum for our lodging business. We will be able to leverage Ascott’s extensive expertise as a global lodging player to deliver greater value …

Cozmo Travel has continued expanding their reach on a global level with its strong and consistent presence in various markets despite the hardships faced by the travel industry due to the spread of Covid-19 and its resulting restrictions. On the 5th of July, Cozmo Travel celebrated the inauguration of its latest addition to their outlet chains with a branch in Naif, Dubai. The ceremony was led by Mr Jamal Abdulnazar – CEO at Cozmo Travel and as Chief Guest, Ms Huda Dawood – Country Manager UAE ,Caucasus, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan at Qatar Airways. The newly opened outlet in Naif is the 5th Outlet in Dubai and the 20th in the UAE network. “Opening an outlet in Naif is in-line with our vision of accessibility & is a crucial step in targeting and delivering travel services to customers in an impressive trading and cultural hub” – Said Mr Jamal Abdulnazar, CEO, Cozmo Travel. Cozmo Travel branches are strategically located across the 7 emirates in order to be accessible to all customers. visit us in one of our 5 branches in Sharjah, 5 in Dubai, 3 in Ajman, 1 in Fujairah, 1 in RAK, 2 in Abu Dhabi, 2 in Al Ain & 1 in UAQ.