Emirates and Visa are making paying for your next holiday or trip to visit loved ones much more rewarding with tremendous savings potential for future travel plans. Customers booking their travel on emirates.com who use their Visa credit or Visa debit card from today until 18 September 2021* in any class of travel using the promotional code EKVISA1 to any destination from Dubai on the Emirates network, will have a chance to win an AED 1,000 discount to redeem on their next Emirates ticket. Emirates and Visa will randomly choose over 400 lucky winners from the eligible entries to benefit from the generous discount. Customers who don’t want to miss this offer should visit emirates.com to check the airline’s latest featured fares to their next destinations here Commenting on the partnership, Kalika Tripathi, Visa’s Head of Marketing for MENA, said: “With tourism slowly returning to normal, people are eagerly looking for deals and offers to make their long-awaited trip worth it. We are delighted to join our longstanding partner Emirates in this campaign to enhance our valued cardholders’ experience by making their travel journey more rewarding. The launch of this promotion is a great opportunity for us to give our Visa cardholders exclusive benefits and also help motivate repeat travel.” As always, Emirates customers can rest assured while travelling that their health and safety continued to be a top priority with the latest health and safety measures in place. If they change their mind at any time, they will always have peace of mind in knowing that Emirates’ priority is to make travel planning stress free with even more generous and flexible booking policies, multi-risk insurance cover, and helping loyal …

YouGov’s latest study among 1028 respondents in the UAE reveals half (51%) of the respondents are likely to hop on a suborbital flight if price wasn’t a constraint, the rest remain indecisive (25%) or are unlikely to buy a ticket even if they could afford it (24%). Once regarded as a topic reserved for science fiction, space tourism may very well soon be offered by private companies such as SpaceX, Blue Origin and Virgin Galactic. Interest in being a space tourist is higher (54%) among younger adults (18-44 years), whereas older adults (45 years & above) are comparatively less likely to be interested (41%). Similarly, men when compared to women are more likely to get themselves a ticket for a suborbital flight, provided money wasn’t a concern (55% vs 43%). Billionaires like Richard Branson and Jeff Bezos have marked a major milestone in space tourism, with their recent space tours and plans of flying passengers to space in suborbital flights by early next year. But it’s not an excursion that appeals to everyone. The survey also shows that residents from high-income groups (earning AED 25,000+) are more inclined towards space travel compared to the other income groups. Among those interested in traveling into space, the most common reason given to do so was to experience something unique (53%). Many claimed their reason to go to space would be to see the view of earth from space, view other planets or to experience weightlessness in zero gravity conditions (43% each). For some it seems to be a lifetime dream or goal (34%). Out of those who were undecided or unlikely to board a space flight even if money wasn’t a constraint, …

Air India is scaling up its services to Dubai International ( DXB ) with additional route resumption on Dubai-Indore-Dubai sector effective 01st September 2021.This is in response to the easing of international entry protocols and upsurge in passenger demand. Indore becomes the 14th destination of Air India on UAE-INDIA-UAE network and shall operate on every Wednesday of the week. AI 955 will depart Indore at 12:35 p.m. and arrive in Dubai at 3:05 p.m. Similarly, AI 956 will depart Dubai at 4:05 p.m. and arrive in Indore at 8:55 p.m. Further, Indore is one of the premier educational hubs of India and is the only city to host Indian Institute of Management and Indian Institute of Technology. It is also the commercial capital of Madhya Pradesh and is well connected by road to the nearby border states of Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh. Overall Air India has achieved an impressive load factor of over 90% on the UAE-India sectors during the last quarter. We are thankful to our esteemed clients, especially the Indian diaspora in UAE who have helped us in achieving high seat occupancy. With clear signals that passenger confidence for international travel is returning, the airline is advancing its plans to increase its capacity and services on the UAE-India-UAE network. Air India takes this opportunity to express its sincere gratitude to Dubai Civil Aviation Authority and Dubai Airports for their unstinting support and cooperation in this endeavour. Air India looks forward for the continued support of all agencies at Dubai International (D

Mantis ‘brand to debut on Bahrain’s Hawar Island, merging luxury with eco-tourism, while redefining adventure. Mantis was founded in 2000 by global entrepreneur and conservationist Adrian Gardiner, and features a diverse collection of extraordinary destinations around the globe. Since joining forces in 2018, Accor and Mantis have worked together to take on new opportunities to welcome guests in authentic curated Hotels, Eco-Lodges and Waterways while prioritizing the cause of sustainability and to promote further appreciation of the natural environment across every unique destination. The group is partnering with Edamah (Bahrain Real Estate Investment Company), the real – estate arm of Mumtalakat Holding Company, the sovereign wealth fund of the Kingdom of Bahrain. Incorporated in 2006, Edamah manages a dynamic portfolio of real estate projects within the Kingdom, ranging from commercial and retail, to leisure and hospitality. The Mantis project will be based on Hawar Island, which is a 45-minute boat ride from the Bahrain mainland and enjoys recognition from UNESCO for its natural history. Guests will have the chance to stay in overwater villas offering direct access to the sea while experiencing superior service, quality, and the beautiful island nature. “We are looking forward to partnering with Accor to open the first Mantis brand in Bahrain on Hawar Island and welcoming visitors from across the region with the traditional warm hospitality that Bahrain is known for”, said Edamah CEO Amin Alarrayed. “The island’s pristine environment has been virtually undisturbed, resulting in a vibrant ecosystem which will appeal to nature lovers. Our aim is to showcase this natural beauty while focusing on sustainability to preserve it for future generations.”   Situated on the West coast of the Hawar Island, the property will …

The Al Kharj Chamber of Commerce has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with VFS Global for the latter to provide visa services for its members on its premises. Leveraging its doorstep visa service, VFS Global will visit the Chamber’s headquarters in Al Kharj upon request to provide end-to-end visa services to members, bringing the process to them so they do not have to visit a Visa Application Centre. VFS Global’s range of optional services such as form filling assistance, travel insurance, document scanning and uploading (for UK visa applications), among others, will also be available to members. “This partnership with VFS Global is an accelerant to positioning Al Kharj as an epicentre for trade, industry and businesses by bringing visa services closer and at further convenience to our members. We look forward to working closely with VFS Global in the coming months,” said Mr. Amash bin Al-Dafin, President, Al Kharj Chamber of Commerce. Vinay Malhotra, Regional Group Chief Operating Officer – South Asia, Middle East & North Africa and Americas, VFS Global said, “Al Kharj is the fourth Chamber of Commerce VFS Global has partnered with in the past one year, and we are proud to be supporting the Kingdom’s 2030 vision through our services. We are excited about this new association and look forward to providing the Chamber members our best-in-class services.” VFS Global provides visa services for 30 countries for the citizens and residents of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia since 2005 through a network of 85 Visa Application Centres.

Hospitality brand Stella Stays has launched operations in Bahrain ahead of a major expansion in the region. The firm’s expansion plans seek to take advantage of Bahrain’s booming real estate sector, with $12 billion worth of real estate projects in the pipeline. Stella Stays operates a portfolio of managed properties scattered around UAE, Bahrain and Canada. Positioned to rival traditional hotel chains, the company is targeting tourists and residents who want short, medium, and long-term stays in well designed, furnished, regulated apartments, townhouses, and villas. Each of Stella Stays’ units is designed by its in-house interior design team and features stylish modern furniture, pre-loaded Netflix accounts, PlayStations, espresso machines and 100+ on demand services in addition to standard hotel like facilities. The start-up launched in late 2019, and has grown to manage nearly 300 properties as of August 2021. “We have an aggressive growth plan and the new properties being built in Bahrain will play a crucial role in our strategy.” said Mohannad Zikra, CEO and Co-founder at Stella Stays. “Our expansion into Bahrain coincides with the Kingdom’s major real estate developments. Our model is the perfect fit for the Bahrain market and will be an excellent stepping stone in rolling the concept out to key locations in the region and eventually expanding to Europe and North America.” Despite the onset of the pandemic, Stella Stays was able to pivot from targeting tourists to offering residents and inbound travellers places to work remotely and undergo quarantine. The company has already secured one round of initial funding. Now the business aims to achieve a comparable level of success to a similar firm in the US; Sonder, which announced earlier this year …

At such an important time for the reactivation of post-pandemic tourism, Panama is reinforcing its image as a destination for leisure and business travel. Part of this task is carried out together with the main actors in the commercialization chain, such as tourism service providers, tour operators, wholesalers and travel agencies. With this objective in mind, PROMTUR Panama will hold a virtual fair called Explore Panama, in order to generate a commercial space where buyers and sellers can interact. The event will be held on October 20 and 21, 2021, and will have 20 virtual stands for local exhibitors, including the Tourism Promotion Fund (Promtur Panama), and is expected to attract around 350 travel agencies and wholesale operators from markets such as the USA, Argentina, Brazil, Costa Rica, Colombia and the United Arab Emirates, who, through a commercial agenda, will be able to interact with key suppliers of the Panamanian tourism industry. Panama will present the tourism activities that will lead this year and in the future, under the Master Plan for Sustainable Tourism 2020-2025 (PMTS). The plan revives the “Tourism – Conservation – Research (TCI)” strategy by highlighting the country’s extraordinary natural, cultural and historical wealth with a strong focus on destination sustainability through research and conservation actions.  The updated strategy focuses on three fundamental pillars: Cultural Heritage (multifaceted culture), Green Heritage (extraordinary biodiversity) and Blue Heritage (ocean wonders). The event will allow real interaction between exhibitors and buyers in a 360-degree environment with customizable virtual landscape, virtual private meeting rooms, chat, browser-based chats, presentations and live keynotes. Buyers, once registered, will be able to view the profile of participating exhibitors to schedule their meetings and once at the …

Sabre Corporation and Qatar Airways are now finalizing a new distribution deal that will provide long-term access to the airline’s content through the Sabre travel marketplace. Qatar Airways intends to strengthen its partnership with Sabre to take advantage of Sabre’s global reach and leading position in corporate travel for the distribution of Qatar Airways’ products to travelers worldwide. Implementation work is starting to enable unique NDC offers created by Qatar Airways to be distributed through Sabre’s new distribution capability (NDC), which provides a consistent end-to-end workflow that integrates within well-established agency operations. “A new approach to retailing is required in order to respond to the personalized service and enhanced flexibility that travelers expect,” said Roshan Mendis, Chief Commercial Officer, Sabre Travel Solutions. “Sabre is committed to supporting Qatar Airways in enhancing its retailing capabilities by enabling the airline to distribute personalized offers through our marketplace to corporations and travel agencies around the world.  Collaboration will be crucial in travel’s recovery, so I’m proud that we are now finalizing a long-term, sustainable agreement with Qatar Airways that is beneficial for all parties in the travel ecosystem.” Sabre’s technology enables Qatar Airways to effectively market and sell its expansive roster of fares globally through the Sabre marketplace. Reaching a network of more than 425,000 travel agents, it is one of the world’s largest marketplaces, processing over US $120 billion in estimated travel spend. Thierry Antinori, Chief Commercial Officer, Qatar Airways, said: “Working collaboratively is pivotal to our reputation as a trusted and reliable business partner for both customers flying Qatar Airways, and the travel agencies that serve them. As international travel recovers, the landscape has become extremely complex, and we don’t want …

The Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi) issued the updated ‘Green List’ of countries. All travellers arriving from these destinations will be exempt from mandatory quarantine measures after landing in Abu Dhabi. Travellers will be required to present a negative PCR COVID-19 test valid for a maximum of 48 hours before departure and undergo a PCR test upon arrival at Abu Dhabi International Airport. Vaccinated passengers from the updated Green List will take another PCR test on day 6 (day of arrival counts as day 1). Unvaccinated travellers arriving from these Green List countries will also take a PCR test on days 6 and 9. Countries, regions, and territories included on the ‘Green List’ will be regularly updated based on international developments. Inclusion on the list is subject to strict criteria of health and safety to ensure the well-being of the UAE community. The list also only applies to countries that travellers are arriving from, rather than citizenship. Please note below the updated ‘Green List’ as of 1 September 2021 at 12:01am:               Albania, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Bahrain, Belgium, Bhutan, Brunei, Bulgaria, Canada, China, Comoros, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong (SAR), Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Luxembourg, Maldives, Malta, Mauritius, Moldova, Monaco, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Oman, Poland, Portugal,              Qatar, Romania, San Marino, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, Seychelles, Singapore, Slovakia,           Slovenia, South Korea, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Province of China, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Ukraine. More information on the ‘Green List’ can be found on www.visitabudhabi.com.

The leading Swiss hospitality school in Dubai, Hotel and Tourism Management Institute, HTMi Switzerland Dubai is set to move to a new purpose-built hotel where students can engage with real life experiences to better prepare them in achieving their management career goals. This new realistic hotel learning environment will be the first and only hospitality campus in the region that offers exemplary practical classes situated at an ideal hospitality destination in Al Jaddaf, Dubai. This multicultural student environment is allowing the students to be fully equipped in becoming the future leaders in the hospitality industry through the implementation of innovative classes, programs, and workshops uniquely rooted from Switzerland. They will be supplied with the essential skills and competencies within the various departments such as Food and Beverage service, Culinary Arts, Front office and Housekeeping through an interactive experience and student- centered approach as they live in the campus boutique hotel. This new destination offers a true hotelier experience with the best campus environment and close proximity to some well-known hotels like Palazzo Versace and spans across other key locations such as Jameel Arts Center and Al Jaddaf waterfront walkway. “The UAE has been the top destination across the globe, and this is apparent with the upcoming World Expo that will be held in Dubai and will surely create an upswing in the tourism sector. With the growing opportunities for the hospitality industry, we ensure that our students receive the best education and are bounded by a solid expertise in this sector that reflects HTMi’s mission of preparing them to be future hospitality leaders”, says Judit Toth, Business Director of HTMi Switzerland Dubai. “Every level of teaching and support is provided …