Umm Qais, a village in northern Jordan, has been named among the ‘Best Tourism Villages 2022’ by the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), as a recognition of its commitment to innovation and sustainability. Minister of Tourism and Antiquities, Nayef Fayez, said that putting the village of Umm Qais on the list is a push factor for tourism in Jordan, and will contribute to empowering local communities, and increasing job opportunities. “This achievement comes within the ministry’s vision, and in compliance with its tourism development plan through the Jordan National Tourism Strategy 2021-2025, which places the tourism sector at the heart of Jordan’s economy and society,” he added. To celebrate the achievement, festivals, art exhibitions, forums, and showcases of industries and handicrafts, will be held in the village. Umm Qais and 135 villages were put forward for consideration by UNWTO Member States based on a set of criteria covering cultural and natural resources, promotion and conservation of cultural resources, economic sustainability, social sustainability, environmental sustainability, tourism development, governance and prioritization of tourism, infrastructure and connectivity, and health, safety, and security. The Best Tourism Villages initiative is the flagship project of the UNWTO Tourism for Rural Development Program. It aims to ensure tourism contributes to reducing regional inequalities in income and development, fighting depopulation, progressing gender equality and women’s and youth empowerment, and advancing innovation and digitalization. It also focuses on improving connectivity, infrastructure, access to finance and investment, innovating in product development and value chain integration, promoting sustainable practices for more efficient use of resources and a reduction of emissions and waste, and enhancing education and skills. The village of Umm Qais lays in the north western corner of Jordan, on the …

A new interactive #DubaiDestinations guide issued  by Brand Dubai, the creative arm of the Government of Dubai Media Office (GDMO), invites residents and travellers to explore the city’s beautiful outdoors with its extensive Picnic and Camping Guide. The Ultimate Picnic and Camping Guide lists a range of Dubai’s outdoor destinations and sites, offering tips for barbecuing, camping, and making the most of the beautiful winter weather. It includes a checklist of the essential items and equipment to carry when camping on your own. The guide lists online platforms for buying or renting camp gear and picnic kits and a list of Dubai’s best homegrown businesses offering ready-to-use picnic and camping F&B kits. The camping destinations in the guide include Hatta, Dubai Desert Conservation Reserve, and deserts across the city, such as Al Qudra, Al Awir, Al Ruwayaah, and the Half Desert Road. The guide’s picnic spots include beach and pond parks, lakes, natural escapes, scenic rest areas, mountaintop picnic spots and beach and desert locations. The public and private destinations listed in the guide represent Dubai’s vast diversity of outdoor offerings that define its unique destination experience and make it the best city for living. The areas featured in the guide include Dubai Creek Park, Al Barari Nature Escape, Wadi Hatta Park, Al Marmoom Lakes, Safa Park, Leem Rest Area, Jumeirah Beach, Al Khazzan Park and many more. The guide also lists companies organising picnics. In addition, it lists businesses that help set up camping tents, camper vans, and even outdoor cinemas for groups of all sizes and budgets. Fatma Al Mulla, City Branding Executive at Brand Dubai, said: “Our interactive winter guide, ‘Dubai: The Ultimate Picnic and Camping Guide’, …

A unique pop-up event organised as part of the Dubai Shopping Festival (DSF) is inviting people to experience a nostalgic recreation of Dubai in the 80s. A new addition to the DSF, organised by the Dubai Festivals and Retail Establishment (DFRE), the 10-day event, held at the Last Exit Al Khawaneej, transports visitors into a visual representation of Dubai in the 80’s and early 90s. The event is one of a series of attractions and experiences featured in the #DubaiDestinations winter campaign. The Dubai 80s event aims to capture the moment in time when Dubai was on the cusp of pivotal change. Apart from being a defining era globally, the 80s were a decade that raised Dubai and the UAE’s profile on the international map. It was a time when the country embarked on a transformative journey that made it a leading global city. Dubai 80s will explore the defining era of the city’s past, with vintage photo galleries showing pictures of Dubai before its transformation into a global metropolis, photo booths, shows, anime and live performances, old-school gaming arcades, and classic cars, all offering a blast from the past. “The event is an attempt to create a heartwarming experience of life in the decade that was a turning point in Dubai’s history. Dubai 80s invites visitors to look back and reflect on a decade in which the seeds of our current prosperity and growth were sown. Looking back, especially at the 80s and early 90s, is fascinating as this was such a transformational era for Dubai,” said Ahmed Al Khaja, CEO of Dubai Festivals and Retail Establishment. “Dubai developed rapidly within the span of just a few years. The …

Musafir.com predicts that the “International Travel” segment will enjoy a faster growth path in 2023 versus the previous year. “Travel sector constitutes nearly 10%1 of global GDP and authorities across countries have been collaborating synergistically to put in place the levels of safety, hygiene, and comfort required for the sector to regain its lost ground. Consequently, FY’ 2022 witnessed a steady recovery for leisure as well as business travel, on the back of a significant reduction in pandemic-related risk, eased travel regulations worldwide, enhanced travelers’ confidence and the desire at corporate levels to resume productive in-person engagements. The trend would only strengthen in 2023”, said Sachin Gadoya, Co-founder & CEO of Musafir.com & Musafir Business. The data and trends, gathered through queries and bookings on Musafir Business platform, forecast business travelers to continue choosing First & Business class, despite a rise of ~10-15% in airfare. Premium Economy mode of travel augments further the choice repertoire of such travelers. All put together, the average corporate travel budget in 2023 would rise by 15-20%, bringing it to a level comparable to pre-pandemic days. Explaining further on the same, Mr. Gadoya added, “Insights obtained from Musafir Business platform establish very clearly that the organizations in the UAE prefer face-to-face interaction for building trust & longevity in their business relationship. With considerably eased travel regulations these days, the average annual business travel spend of SMEs in the UAE is expected to grow by 15-20% in 2023 – from AED 185K (2022) to AED 220K(2023), which is indeed very close to the pre-pandemic figure of 2019 i.e. AED 250K.” The GCC, India, UK, EU countries, and USA will continue to remain the key inbound and outbound …

VisitBritain is set to launch a new GREAT Britain marketing campaign across Europe, the Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC) countries and the USA in early 2023 to drive bookings, inspiring visitors to ‘See Things Differently,’ promoting messages of warm welcome and highlighting Britain as a dynamic, adventurous and inclusive destination. The campaign will also capture major events in 2023 including the Coronation of King Charles III in May, with an additional Bank Holiday announced, and Liverpool hosting the Eurovision Song Contest, on behalf of Ukraine, also in May, timely and valuable opportunities to promote Britain’s welcome and creativity and ability to host events of the highest calibre. VisitBritain has published its inbound tourism forecast for 2023 with continued strong recovery predicted in overseas visitor spending. It shows spending by inbound visitors is predicted to grow faster than visitor volume, with higher spending also per trip. Its overall forecast is for spending by international visitors in the UK of £29.5 billion in 2023, up 4% on the all-time spending high of £28.4 billion in 2019. Looking at the number of visits to the UK, 35.1 million visits are forecast, 86% of the 40.9 million in 2019. UK Tourism Minister Stuart Andrew said: “It is fantastic to see that tourism is continuing to bounce back strongly after the sector received substantial government support during the pandemic. “This predicted rise in visitor spending will give a further boost to the industry, helping to create new jobs and drive economic growth across the country.” VisitBritain CEO Patricia Yates reiterated, “Our priority has been to rebuild international visitor value so it is very encouraging to see the continued strong recovery forecast in spend, supporting jobs, small …

Oman Air Holidays has announced a strategic partnership with the Jordan Tourism Board to undertake joint promotional activities in Oman and Jordan. The partnership will include a series of co-branded tactical campaigns that aim to position Oman Air Holidays as a preferred provider of international travel packages and encourage those in Oman to visit Jordan during peak season. Oman Air currently operates seven flights a week from Muscat to the Jordanian capital, Amman, which is popular amongst travelers for its spectacular landscape and ancient treasures. Mundher Al Shaikhani, Senior Manager Holidays and Loyalty Programme at Oman Air, said, “Oman and Jordan already enjoy a warm relationship and this partnership seeks to increase value creation for both countries and contribute to our respective tourism agendas. We look forward to working with the Jordan Tourism Board as we continue strengthening our presence across the region, while creating amazing itineraries that offer something completely different to our guests.” Dr. Abed Al-Razzaq Arabiyat Managing Director of Jordan Tourism Board, added, “As we strive to increase Jordan’s competitiveness as a global tourism destination, we are expanding our reach to new and more targeted markets. Our growing touristic relationship with Oman offers many mutual opportunities, and our partnership with Oman Air Holidays is sure to add considerable momentum to our goals.” Oman Air Holidays excels in creating extraordinary travel experiences to some of the world’s most exciting destinations. With a string of recent partnerships, it is strengthening its growing portfolio of packages, which provide excellent value and choice, complemented with the award-winning service and hospitality of Oman Air. Whether a family break, a romantic getaway, or an adventure-packed escape, guests will find a package to suit …

Saudi Arabian Airlines (SAUDIA), the Kingdom’s national flag carrier, inaugurated its new SAUDIA Operations building at King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah. The building, which boasts state-of-the-art infrastructure and technology, was inaugurated in a ceremony by His Royal Highness Prince Badr bin Sultan bin Abdulaziz, the Deputy Governor of Makkah, and His Highness Prince Saud bin Abdullah bin Jalawi, Governor of Jeddah. The ceremony was attended by His Excellency Eng. Saleh bin Nasser Al Jasser, the Minister of Transport and Logistic Services and Chairman of Saudi Arabian Airlines Corporation and His Excellency Eng. Ibrahim Al-Omar, Director General of SAUDIA Group; along with members of SAUDIA’s Board of Directors, various KAIA officials, and members of the media. Using a mock-up of an aircraft engine throttle, HRH Prince Badr signaled the inauguration of the highly equipped building which is set to serve as a key enabler of the Saudi Aviation Strategy, under the Kingdom’s broader National Transport and Logistics Strategy. The new building will also support SAUDIA in its efforts to make KAIA a global hub.  Built entirely by Saudi Airlines Real Estate Development Company (SARED) over an area of 50,000 square meters, the two-story building can accommodate more than 1,100 employees. Throughout the building’s design, construction, and deployment stages, SARED prioritized the incorporation of and compliance with the highest safety and security standards. The environmentally friendly structure adheres to the highest international sustainability standards as well. It also aims to provide an ideal working environment that fosters productivity and innovation amongst its employees. The building is situated near the far side of the airport, providing both pilots and cabin crew members with easy aircraft access. It is a proper mini terminal, …

Wizz Air celebrates the launch of a new ultra-low-fare route from its base at London Luton Airport to Jordan’s capital city, Amman. Tickets are available now on wizzair.com or via the airline’s mobile app, with fares starting from £36*. Wizz Air will operate flights between Luton and Amman three times a week. Amman offers visitors the chance to enjoy impressive ancient architecture and desert landscapes as well as experience the incredible hospitality that Jordan has to offer. Whether it be a day trip to visit Petra, one of the seven wonders of the world, a visit to the ancient ruins in Jerash, or a climb to the top of Mount Nebo to soak up the panoramic views, there is something for every kind of traveller. The announcement follows the recent launch of four new routes from London Luton to Prague, Sharm El Sheikh, Tallinn, and Hurghada. Wizz Air now offers over 80 routes from London Luton, where it is the largest operator. Marion Geoffroy, Managing Director of Wizz Air UK said: “We are very excited to announce the launch of our new route to Amman, a capital city bursting with life and the gateway to the historic country of Jordan. We are constantly striving to both diversify and expand our network and are pleased to be able to offer our passengers even more exciting and affordable travel opportunities beyond Europe, following the launch of our flights from Luton to Sharm-El Sheik. We look forward to welcoming customers onboard our young, efficient, and sustainable aircraft.” Nayef Al-Fayez, Minister of Tourism and Antiquities, and Chairman of the Jordan Tourism Board, said “The launch of this route sits within the framework of the …

Majid Al Futtaim  opened Snow Oman on 24 December, the largest snow park in the MENA region. Set in the heart of the Mall of Oman, Snow Oman covers a sprawling area of 14,830 square metres with a “Desert Blizzard” theme – a reimagined world where Oman’s cityscapes and sand dunes are covered in real snow. The coolest must-visit destination will feature family-friendly rides such as the Mountain Thriller, Snow Bullet, Slide Winder, Cloud Climber, and Zorb Ball, unique attractions such as Cold Town Muscat, Frozen Shipwreck and Lighthouse, and a 475-square metre ice rink. Like its sister brands Ski Dubai and Ski Egypt, Snow Oman is now home to a colony of king and gentoo penguins who are provided with the best possible care in a custom-built penguinarium. In 2005, Majid Al Futtaim pioneered a one-of-a-kind, sub-zero leisure offering in the Mall of the Emirates: Ski Dubai. The award-winning experience has been recognised as the World’s Best Indoor Ski Resort by the prestigious World Ski Awards for seven consecutive years. In 2017, Ski Egypt opened in the Mall of Egypt and set an all-new record for being the first of its kind in the African continent. Be the first to experience Oman’s first and only indoor snow destination, Snow Oman. Book your tickets now at snowoman.com.

Malaysia Airlines and SAUDIA have entered into a codeshare agreement, to expand destinations and travel options, offering passengers with seamless connections and airlines’ signature hospitality services in both the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Malaysia through on the flights of the two carriers, beginning 15 December 2022 subject to regulatory approval. With the partnership, Malaysia Airlines’ “MH” flight code will be added to several SAUDIA’ s flights with departures from Kuala Lumpur to Jeddah and Riyadh, as well as flights between the cities to Madinah and Cairo. Meanwhile, SAUDIA’ “SV” flight code will be added to Malaysia Airlines’ flights from Kuala Lumpur to several destinations including Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide and Penang. Travellers from the Far East and the Australian region will enjoy easy access via SAUDIA to the most prominent destinations in the Kingdom, such as Madinah and Al-Ula, to learn about the wonderful natural heritage sites in them, in addition to providing many trips to the Egyptian capital, Cairo. Passengers on board Malaysia Airlines will enjoy smooth connections to the most prominent tourist destinations in Penang which is famous for its location on the UNESCO World Heritage List and its picturesque beaches, in addition to Australian cities, namely Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide. Commenting on this topic, Group Chief Executive Officer of Malaysia Airlines, Captain Izham Ismail, “We are delighted to welcome SAUDIA as our new codeshare partner to leverage each other’s network, allowing two full-service carriers to expand their operations to South East Asia and Australia as well as the Middle East respectively. This partnership will strengthen Malaysia Airlines’ presence in Saudi Arabia and build upon a strong relationship between the two carriers. It will also complement our double daily …