Wyndham Hotels & Resorts continues to strengthen its presence across the UAE with the opening of the 102-key Wyndham Residences The Palm. The opening marks Wyndham’s first collaboration with IFA Hotels & Resorts, a leading real estate developer specialised in mixed-use hotel and residential resort projects. Located in the Palm Jumeirah, one of the most popular landmarks in the emirate, Wyndham Residences The Palm boasts a mix of deluxe apartments ranging from modern studios to three-bedroom suites, a private white sand beach and other high-end amenities. With a number of connecting lobbies conveniently located throughout, it can also accommodate groups requiring five-bedroom apartments. The new property is part of Balqis Residences, one of IFA Hotels and Resorts’ mixed-use developments and offers luxurious accommodation to both residents and travellers who can enjoy scenic views of the Arabian Gulf and the dazzling Marina. Wyndham Residences The Palm is located within short distance to upscale restaurants and stylish nightclubs, and within easy reach of Aquaventure Waterpark, Palm Jumeirah Boardwalk, The Pointe and Nakheel Mall. Popular attractions such as the Burj Khalifa, The Dubai Mall and the Dubai Frame are also a short drive away. It has also convenient access to both Dubai and Al Maktoum international airports. The property is the latest addition to Wyndham Hotels & Resorts portfolio in the UAE, reaching 22 hotels, of which 14 are in Dubai alone. Michel Augier, Regional Director Middle East and Africa, Wyndham Hotel & Resorts, said: “Wyndham Residences The Palm offers premium accommodation to both regional and international travellers who wish to explore the impressive Palm Jumeirah location. The opening of this hotel marks an important step in expanding our range of accommodation options …

According to Greek tourism pages, cooperation in tourism topped the agenda at the recent visit between the Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis  and Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani in Doha. Indicative of the positive climate between the two countries, earlier this year the Greek National Tourism Organization (GNTO) and Qatar Airways announced a joint campaign to promote Greece as a tourism destination in the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia. Last week, the GNTO announced that it had partnered with online travel marketplace Wego to attract more travelers to Greece from the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). Meanwhile, Qatar Airways operates three weekly flights from Doha to Santorini, the third destination served in Greece by Qatar Airways together with Athens and Mykonos. The two leaders agreed to further tighten bilateral ties and deepen cooperation in other areas as well, including science, culture and sports. Mitsotakis went on to add that thanks to Greece’s strategic position in the area, it can become a bridge between Qatar and Europe and serve as a point of entry for energy for the European market, both through its station in Revythousa and Alexandroupolis. Lastly, he reiterated that Greece was a reliable partner and a pillar of stability in the region, particularly after the country’s exit from enhanced surveillance status this month, which opens a new chapter for Greece and paves the way for more investment opportunities.

TBO Holidays announced the grand prize winner of BMW x2 car following the final raffle draw of its ‘Book n Win Bonanza’ mega promotional campaign for travel agents in the region. Launched in April earlier this year, the ‘Book n Win Bonanza’ campaign gave away over 1229 prizes across 387 bookers during the first 60 days of the promotion, with a total of over 1,500 winners and 6,000 rewards distributed during the 120 days of the campaign period, with lucky agent Sarah Raouf from Family Tours, Egypt walking away with the BMW x2 grand prize. The campaign saw 1,200 travel agents win TBO+ Reward Points, allowing them to buy any products of their choice on TBO.com platform. Two lucky agents won cruise packages from MSC Cruises, bookers also had the opportunity to Spin the Wheel on TBO Holidays’ online platform winning some of the outstanding prizes including iPhones, iPads, iMacs, large screen television sets, shopping vouchers, cruise packages, and 5-star hotel and resort vouchers from exotic locations in Thailand, Malaysia & UAE. Neeraj Gera, President for International Business of TBO Tek Limited said: “I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate the lucky winners of our mega campaign for travel agents across MEA, which saw significant success. The Book n Win Bonanza was GCC’s biggest promotion designed exclusively for travel agents and partners and is our way of thanking them for all the support they showed us during the tough pandemic years. TBO Holidays will continue on its mission to deliver the best of products while simplifying travel ecosystem for all travel agents.” “Dubai continues to deliver to its residents, tourists and visitors the best of local and global …

As Tourism Malaysia pledges as platinum partner at the fifth edition of the Gulf Travel Show to be held on 28th and 29th September 2022, Rebak Island Resort and Marina from Langkawi joins the tourism board at the show. Tracy Lee – Sales Manager – Rebak Island Resort & Marina, Langkawi shared, “Welcome to your very own private island, surrounded by secluded beaches and vibrant jungles. Accommodation is spread out in chalet blocks with large sea view rooms for couples and spacious suites for families. Honeymooners may enjoy our signature moondeck, private beach front and marina boardwalk thematic dining. Groups or individuals could indulge in our ancient million year old nature trail or take an adventurous hike to our IG ready red rock beach.This property is located 15 minutes by ground transfer from Langkawi Airport to Cenang Terminal followed by a 07 minutes complimentary shared boat ride to Rebak Island. The Middle East market supports 30% of our business, which it is important to us maintain networking with our existing partners and making new ones too.”  

UAE-headquartered hospitality company TIME Hotels co-founder and CEO Mohamed Awadalla in a recent interview with TravelTV shared that as part of company’s expansion plans TIME hotels will be opening two other properties in Egypt, one next year and the other by 2025. Awadalla reiterated that after the successful opening of  TIME Coral Nuweiba Resort in Sinai Egypt in May this year with 201 rooms, a property which lies on the beautiful Red Sea overlooking Gulf of Aqaba, the next in line will be the 117-key Marina Hotel & Convention Centre on the North Coast, which is expected to open  in 2023. The hotel will have three restaurants, including all-day dining, an Italian and O’Learys Sports Restaurant, as well as a rooftop lounge. Guests will have access to a range of spa facilities, a 750 sqm swimming pool and a gym.  The hotel will also cater to the MICE market with a 700-person capacity convention centre. The next property in Egypt is the TIME Nakheel Deluxe Apartments, located in the New Capital with 216-key property  scheduled to open its doors in 2025. “This is an exciting time for the region’s tourism industry and offers a myriad of opportunities for TIME Hotels, not only with these openings but with others that will come further down the line. We have strategically developed a range of brands within our portfolio to offer our guests, whether corporate or leisure, exactly what they want and need from a holiday, business trip or short break,” concluded Awadalla.  

The global aviation industry will be heading to Riyadh in the first week of November to explore the untapped growth potential of the airport industry in the Kingdom, which is in the midst of massive expansion in line with the Saudi 2030 Vision, a unique transformative economic and social reform blueprint unveiled in April 2016. As the largest country on the Arabian Peninsula pushes massively to expand and upgrade airport facilities to serve 330 million air travelers by 2030, the year when 60 per cent of its population will be under the age of 35, Saudi Arabia’s aviation strategy includes the expansion of existing airports and a focus on two large mega hubs in Riyadh and Jeddah, as well as plans to set up a new national carrier. Earlier this year, the Kingdom relaunched the privatization of its airports to support the diversification of its oil-dominated economy and ownership of 29 airports has already been moved to a new entity to prepare them for the process. The Middle East’s largest aviation market will see the fastest passenger traffic growth in the Middle East until 2040 and has unveiled plans for a US$147 billion expansion of its transport sector. In May 2022, Saudi Arabia unveiled a Harmonizing Air Travel policy that will fuel Vision 2030 and help generate around US$100 billion in aviation sector investment by the end of the decade. The National Aviation Sector Strategy aims to increase air connectivity to 250 destinations, reaching 330 million passengers, and double air cargo capacity to 4.5 million tonnes. The Kingdom also has plans to launch a new national airline to complement its existing national carriers, Saudia, Flynas and Flyadeal. It will also …

Over 120 hospitality leaders and tourism experts will address the industry’s hottest topics at the much-anticipated Future Hospitality Summit (FHS), which debuts at Madinat Jumeirah in Dubai by bringing together over 900 hospitality investment decision makers from 19 to 21 September. This year Future Hospitality summit unites the investment communities of the Arabian Hotel Investment Conference (AHIC), Global Restaurant Investment Forum (GRIF) and African Hospitality Investment Forum (AHIF) under one roof for three days of debate, initiatives and exciting industry announcements to highlight – and celebrate – the key role of the region’s hospitality and tourism sectors. Featuring a topflight line up of presentations and insight from government leaders, hotel investors, owners and developers, and industry experts, the FHS programme hones in on sustainability, technology, talent, investment, innovation, the continued post-pandemic recovery and more – all under the main event theme of Lead the Change. There’s also a Franchising Workshop, Startup Den, regional-specific sessions that bring Africa and Asia under the spotlight, and the finals of the 2022 Sustainability Hospitality Challenge, a global competition for students to turn their ideas for innovation and sustainability into a reality. Hosted by Jumeirah Hotels & Resorts and co-organised by The Bench and MEED. “We are delighted to welcome the region’s most respected and experienced hospitality figureheads to the FHS programme, which has been carefully crafted to address key focus areas, challenges and trends for the hospitality industry. The investment communities of AHIC, GRIF and AHIF all feature in our action-packed agenda, bringing a wealth of knowledge, expertise and insight to this prestigious event,” said Jonathan Worsley, Chairman of The Bench. “With a focus on embracing and leading change, FHS brings a wide and …

For the fifth consecutive time Tourism Malaysia joins the Gulf Travel Show 5.0, this time as Platinum partner. The event is set to kick off on 28th and 29th September 2022 under the theme of sustainable tourism. Gulf Travel Show (GTS) is the only event which was built in with a purpose. When it first started out just after the pandemic whilst most borders were still closed, it gave the travel, tourism and hospitality fraternity an opportunity to ensure that confidence is restored in the minds of the people passionate about the industry. It was also a tool which connected online GCC buyers with exhibitors from across the globe. The fifth edition or GTS 5.0 demonstrates its commitment to uphold its social responsibility to ensure less carbon emissions yet bring all players to the table and learn and study the stakes, the many opportunities to make things right after a bout of almost two and a half years of pandemic era. Mirza Ghalib – Deputy Director, Tourism Malaysia – Dubai, “Malaysia is thrilled to welcome back Middle East tourists to visit and experience our country again. It is a timely opportunity for us to network with travel agents and tour operator partners from the Gulf region. As the platinum partner of GTS 5.0, Tourism Malaysia is having its own virtual pavilion with 15 booths of Malaysian delegates consisting of tour operator partners, hotels, and product owners.” Some of the partners from Tourism Malaysia expressed their comments as well. Sam Poh Choo, Director of Business Development & Marketing, The Taaras Beach Resort & Spa and Berjaya Tioman Resort “We look forward to creating awareness in the Middle East market for The …

Etihad will add four weekly flights on the Abu Dhabi – New York route, providing a total of 11 weekly nonstop services to John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK). The new flights will be operated with a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner, while existing daily services will continue on Etihad’s new Airbus A350 aircraft, which has been deployed on the New York route since June. These aircraft types are two of the most efficient in the world, with significantly less fuel burn and CO2 emissions than previous-generation twin aisle aircraft. The frequency increase will provide travellers with more choice and flexibility between Abu Dhabi and New York and is perfectly timed to commence ahead of the Formula 1 Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix taking place on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi between 17 and 20 November 2022. Travelers will also benefit from improved access between New York and Etihad’s global network of 70 destinations, particularly in the Middle East, the Indian Subcontinent and Southeast Asia, as well as connections beyond New York, to and from 46 destinations throughout the Americas, with Etihad’s codeshare partner — and New York’s Hometown Airline® — JetBlue. Alex Featherstone, Vice President Network Planning & Alliances, said: “Etihad is enhancing its schedule this winter to provide even more options for our guests across key business and leisure destinations in our global network. “Our New York service continues to perform strongly, and having already experienced record passenger demand this summer, Etihad is excited to be investing further in this market by building on frequency levels ahead of the peak winter travel period.” Etihad passengers travelling to the US will be able to take advantage of Etihad’s US pre-clearance …

Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts, in partnership with real estate development corporation Talaat Moustafa Group (TMG), announces plans for an extensive portfolio expansion in Egypt with the addition of new hotels, residential offerings and significant property enhancements. Four Seasons Hotel and Private Residences New Cairo Capital at Madinaty and Four Seasons Hotel Luxor will be introduced in Egypt through this upcoming phase of strategic growth, further building upon the latest multi-million dollar property enhancements at Four Seasons Resort and Private Residences Sharm El Sheikh, which doubled the offerings of the existing property with new accommodations, dining outlets, leisure activities, and more. “Egypt is an important destination in Four Seasons history, as it marked our brand’s entry into the Middle East 22 years ago. Our continued expansion illustrates our ongoing commitment to the region, and all that it has to offer for luxury travellers and homeowners,” says Bart Carnahan, President, Global Business Development and Portfolio Management. “TMG has long been an integral development partner for our projects in Cairo at Nile Plaza, Alexandria at San Stefano and Sharm El Sheikh. We are thrilled to continue our exceptional work together, providing guests and residents in Egypt with unmatched luxury experiences through our collection of new hotel and residential offerings.” Introducing Four Seasons Hotel and Private Residences New Cairo Capital at Madinaty Located in the heart of the capital’s new evolution, New Cairo Capital is a global destination that stands entirely on its own. Anticipated to open in 2025 and set within the extraordinary Madinaty development on 185 hectares (460 acres) of verdant parkland, Four Seasons Hotel and Private Residences New Cairo Capital at Madinaty will be a captivating destination for those who …