Dubai International (DXB) has registered a year of strong recovery and consistently robust growth in its customer base that propelled the annual passenger numbers to 66 million in 2022. The airport’s growth outpaced the annual forecast yet again in the final months of the year following an exceptionally strong fourth quarter. DXB welcomed a total of 66,069,981 passengers during 2022, a year-on year-growth of 127%. Traffic volumes were propelled by strong growth in the final quarter of the year during which the airport recorded 19,729,155 passengers, up 67% compared to the fourth quarter of 2021. It was the busiest quarter since 2019. December was the busiest month of the year with 7.1 million passengers, the first time since January 2020 that DXB’s monthly traffic hit the 7 million mark. India retained its position as the top destination country for DXB by passenger volume, with a total traffic of 9.8 million passengers, followed by Saudi Arabia with 4.9 million passengers, and the United Kingdom with 4.6 million passengers. Other destination countries of note include Pakistan (3.7 million passengers) the US (3 million), and Russia (1.9 million), which along with Turkey (1.6 million) has recorded more than 100% recovery in passenger volumes compared to 2019 levels. DXB’s top destination cities during 2022 were London with 3 million passengers, Riyadh (2 million), Mumbai (1.9 million) and Jeddah and New Delhi both with 1.7 million passengers. DXB is currently connected to 229 destinations across 99 countries through more than 88 international carriers. Total flight movements at DXB totalled 96,701 during the fourth quarter bringing the annual flight movements to 343,339, a year-on-year growth of 47%. The average number of passengers per flight reached 204, …

The Sustainable City opens its doors to visitors for the biggest edition of The International Horse show 2023 this week. The event will start on Thursday 23rd February and run until Sunday 26th February, and it is the largest to date with a total of 250 horses and riders from 12 countries jumping in the world-class competition. Witnessing the participation of the best riders from the all over the world including UAE, the GCC, Canada, South Africa and Europe, the event will feature 11 rounds of competitions, including the CSI2 star-ranked event that is recognised by the Fédération Equestre Internationale, the international governing body of equestrian sports. Over the weekend, the event will reach its climax with horses jumping over 1.5 metres and skydivers from Skydive Dubai parachuting into the area from 13,000 feet for the opening of the CS12 Grand Prix. The event will also include a camel polo match and a K9 dog show from Dubai Police. The entire family can get involved with the chance to adopt a dog, visit the local animal sanctuary as well as witness a fashion show for children and dogs in matching outfits. Underlining the core values of The Sustainable City, there will also be a sustainable fashion show and Origin Market, offering home-made sustainable products as well as hand-crafted items. In order to promote social sustainability and happiness, there will be activities for children such as arts and crafts, a magic show, performances and adults can also join in with fitness sessions and laughter yoga, to heal the body and mind. Entry for the event is free and the venue is pet friendly. Maintaining its position as the happiest community in …

It was revealed by Skyscanner that travel searches for the week of Saudi’s Foundation Day 2023 increased up by 83% compared to 2022. In terms of booking windows for flights in February also see increase compared to 2022, suggesting a return to pre-pandemic booking windows as consumer confidence continues to grow and travellers book flights earlier. Travel searches within the GCC – top 3: Saudi Arabia (+98% compared to previous year) UAE (+99 compared to previous year) Qatar (+2094% increase compared to previous year)   International travel searches – top 5 Egypt (+19% increase compared to previous year) Morocco (+41% increase compared to previous year) India (+83% increase compared to previous year) “Everywhere” Search (+497% increase compared to previous year) – this indicates KSA travellers are considering prices and being flexible about their destinations to visit. Pakistan (+57% increase compared to previous year)   Flight bookings made more than 30 days before departure in February 2023 are up 7% compared to 2022, whilst flight bookings made less than 30 days before departure are down 6% from the previous year. Discover the best time to book using Skyscanner’s new Savings Generator Travellers looking for guidance on how to make their money go further can visit Skyscanner’s 2023 Savings Generator, which shows the best time to book for the top 15 most popular departure airports and destinations pairings.   Currently, the overall best time to book flights from Saudi Arabia is on average 21 weeks before departure and the cheapest day of the week to travel from Saudi Arabia is a Sunday. However, the global travel site has data crunched millions of flight bookings over the last year across its most popular …

Global travel marketplace Skyscanner highlights the top searched destinations from the UAE during the week of half term holidays. According to the latest update, searches are up +185% compared to the previous year and booking windows for flights in February also see an increase compared to 2022, suggesting a return to pre-pandemic booking windows as consumer confidence continues to grow and travellers book flights earlier. Travel searches within the GCC – top 3: Saudi Arabia (+494% increase compared to previous year) Qatar (+626% increase compared to previous year) Oman (+231% increase compared to previous year)   International travel searches – top 10 India (+292% increase compared to previous year) Pakistan (+246% increase compared to previous year) United Kingdom (+178% increase compared to previous year) Egypt (+238% increase compared to previous year) Thailand (+522% increase compared to previous year) Philippines (-16% decrease compared to previous year) Maldives (+569% increase compared to previous year) Italy (+103% increase compared to previous year) Germany (+143% increase compared to previous year) United States (+162% increase compared to previous year) Flight bookings made more than 30 days before departure in February 2023 are up 7% compared to 2022, whilst flight bookings made less than 30 days before departure are down 6% from the previous year.

Premier Inn MENA plans to take Britain’s biggest hotel brand to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in 2023 as part of its Middle East expansion, with discussions with several investors and potential business partners under way. Premier Inn, which currently has 11 hotels across the UAE and Qatar, is also planning further expansion in its existing markets and elsewhere in the region as part of its long-term Middle East growth strategy . Simon Leigh, Managing Director, Premier Inn MENA, said: “Premier Inn’s focus for 2023 is to further evolve our brand and footprint in the region – on our existing ‘home grounds’ of the UAE and Qatar, elsewhere in the GCC and in other markets in the wider Middle East. “With its huge investment in tourism under Vision 2030, a bid to host EXPO 2030 and world-class developments in full swing across the country, Saudi Arabia offers excellent opportunities for Premier Inn.  We would be immensely proud to bring our much-loved brand to the Kingdom and be part of its ever-growing tourism and hospitality sector. Fruitful discussions are continuing, and we are confident that Premier Inn will make its KSA debut this year.” Premier Inn also plans to launch a new, higher-grade room category in the Middle East, as well as more enhancements at its existing properties this year, reinforcing its commitment to the region and to maintaining its position as MENA’s hotel brand of choice for high quality, high value accommodation. “2022 was a record year for Premier Inn MENA in terms of trading and growth, fueled by large-scale events such as Expo 2020 and the World Cup, the continued post-pandemic bounce-back, and the opening of our 11th property, …

Emirates will soon build an advanced training facility to accommodate 6 Full Flight Simulator Bays (FFS) for its future Airbus A350 and Boeing 777X aircraft. The brand new, 63,318 sq. ft. facility is slated to open in March 2024. His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman and Chief Executive Emirates Airline and Group, said: “This US$ 135 million investment to build a new pilot training centre will ensure Emirates’ readiness to commence its pilot training ahead of the delivery of its new aircraft fleet starting from 2024. The building will be equipped with the latest, technologically advanced simulators to provide the best training for pilots, while using solar power to reduce energy consumption.” The new building will be adjacent to the existing Emirates Training Facilities in Dubai, which will provide a great integration and close proximity to all the other pilot training centres. Pilot trainees will also benefit from being able to set-up and configure the cockpit environment using bespoke devices as part of the pilot training module and upload the data to the Full Flight Simulator (FFS) prior to commencing their training session. This innovative, first-of-its-kind concept is designed to shorten the trainee’s preparatory time inside the simulator, help them maintain focus and take full advantage of the training duration. With the addition of the new building to Emirates’ existing training colleges in Dubai, the airline will have the potential to expand its pilot training capacity by 54% per year. Across the airline’s training buildings, Emirates’ pilots will have increased flexibility and facilities to hone their flying skills with 17 full flight simulator bays offering a capacity of more than 130,000 training hours a year. In line with …

Qatar Tourism, in collaboration with industry partners, took part in OTM Mumbai Show 2023 in order to attract the Asian market. Qatar Tourism won the ‘Best Design and Decoration’ award for its booth at the event. This year’s booth featured industry partners including Expo 2023 Doha – Ministry of Municipality, NH Collection Oasis Doha Hotel, Park Hyatt Doha, Radisson Blu Hotel, Doha, Tawfeeq Holidays, Mannai Holidays and Inbound Tourism L.L.C., Regency Travel & Tours and Travel Designer. Qatar Tourism’s booth also included a photobooth activation where visitors chose from a variety of iconic destinations in Qatar, capture a photo and keep it as a souvenir from the event in addition to a Arabic calligraphy workshop.

Red Sea Global (RSG) and Amaala, has revealed two new brands, WAMA and Galaxea, set to deliver incredible guest experiences at RSG destinations. Last year the developer rebranded as Red Sea Global, promising the establishment of a series of RSG-owned subsidiary businesses that prioritized stringent sustainability standards while continuing to support the evolution of RSG developments into destinations that will play a critical role in the Saudi tourism sector. WAMA and Galaxea are the first two subsidiary businesses to be announced since then, ahead of The Red Sea welcoming its first guests this year. “Creating experiences is just as important as building hotels, and WAMA and Galaxea are sure to deliver unforgettable adventures for our guests. Whether it’s kayaking, canoeing, stand up paddleboarding, foiling, kite surfing, sailing, or exploring the Red Sea’s incredible submarine world, WAMA and Galaxea will create extraordinary moments and beautiful memories that last a lifetime,” said John Pagano, Group CEO of Red Sea Global. “What’s more, these brands have been created with sustainability at their core and will continue to build on our ambition to deliver a regenerative approach to tourism development and operations. It is our hope that eventually they will become standalone brands operating at destinations around the world.” In line with this approach, Galaxea is working closely with Saudi Water Sports & Diving Federation, alongside PADI International to ensure that all diving facilities operated by Galaxea lead in regenerative tourism standards and set the blueprint for future diving development around the world. WAMA, named from combining the word ‘water’ in English and Arabic, is responsible for creating invigorating water sport adventures, from Stand-up Paddleboarding through the destination’s mangrove forests, to sailing the Red …

SriLankan Airlines made an upbeat comeback to South Asia’s Travel & Tourism Exchange (SATTE), for the first time since 2019 to reconnect with the trade and jump-start Indian outbound travel to Sri Lanka. SriLankan ran a stall at the expo from 9 – 11 February 2023, and successfully galvanized the support of visiting travel agents, tour operators and other industry allies for the airline as well as national efforts to restore tourism in Sri Lanka. Indian travellers flocked to Sri Lanka before the borders closed in 2019, encouraged by the short travel time and unmistakable similarities of culture. SriLankan Airlines was often the preferred conduit of travel between the two countries owing to its broad Indian network and unparalleled flight frequencies and connections to the East and beyond. The airline is well-placed to welcome Indian customers onboard and to the shores of Sri Lanka once again, and this was the core message driven home to agents at SATTE 2023. In supporting its commercial goals, SriLankan seized the platform offered by the SATTE expo to give a boost to SriLankan Holidays’ package, ‘Dil full of Sri Lanka,’ that was introduced in India recently.  The three-day package provides an unbeatable value proposition combining the airline’s warm and convenient service with four-star properties of partner hotel chains. SriLankan remains strongly committed to its Indian customers and currently operates 80 weekly flights between Colombo and nine Indian cities. Travellers from Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Kochi, Madurai, Mumbai, Tiruchirappalli and Thiruvananthapuram can expect a seamless travel experience when flying to Colombo and beyond on SriLankan Airlines. For more details and bookings visit www.srilankan.com    

At a recent interview with Tourism breaking news, JVR Fernando Chief Commercial Officer Satguru shares how they have been actively opening offices across different parts of the world, from the far east to the Middle East, Europe and South America over the past few months. “This year we have opened our offices in Manila & Vietnam in the Far East, Bahrain, Kuwait, Jordan & Israel in the Middle East and Madrid in Europe, Argentina and Mexico in South America.” Venturing into different areas in order to ensure that each touch point is taken care of, Satguru is on a journey perfecting and adding products, services, new platforms and verticals to create a whole suit of services. Highlighting their new B2B venture Fernando reiterates, “we would like to highlight our brand “ITVAR” which is the flagship of our group. We would also like to highlight the new look and feel of B2B business “T3”.Other new ventures include our charter division, Medical tourism, Cargo, Cars in Africa ( Our Rent A Car division) and Visa Done( Our online visa portal).” Their new GSA wing has caught the attention of many B2B partners over the past few weeks as they started venturing out with their new campaigns. Fernando explains, “Itvar is our GSA Wing representing all our air and non-air products. ITVAR is launched to provide a more cohesive and consistent representation service to clients and ensure that clients’ representation needs are met in a timely, efficient and effective manner. Currently, Itvar holds 65+ GSAs around the globe.”