Travelport announced a new global agreement with Al Tayyar Travel Group. As a result of this multi-year agreement with Travelport, Al Tayyar and its subsidiaries will continue to use Travelport’s open platform and benefit from its Universal API technology. This enables the Group’s agencies to develop and connect their systems to the widest choice of content and provide the integrated, personalized travel experiences that the connected traveller of today demands. Travelport’s industry leading point of sale tool, Travelport Smartpoint, also helps Al Tayyar’s agencies optimize services and develop their business globally. Commenting on the renewed agreement, Mr. Abdullah bin Nasser Al Dawood, Chief Executive Officer & Board Director at Al Tayyar Travel Group, said: “The renewal of our agreement with Travelport demonstrates our commitment to serve the end traveler even better, by providing our agency partners with a rich choice of content.  We are delighted to continue building on the success we have enjoyed already from this fruitful partnership as we continue to develop our business.” Gordon Wilson, President and CEO of Travelport, added: “We are delighted that Al Tayyar Travel Group has chosen our platform once again to drive its agencies’ effectiveness and global expansion. The Group is a great partner and an impressive user of our technology. So, we are proud to play a major role in supporting its goals.”

Ras Al Khaimah is edging closer to its 900,000 visitor target for 2017 after producing record arrivals in the first nine months of this year – the January to September 2017 international arrivals reveal nine per cent growth in the same period in 2016. The latest figures released by Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority (RAKTDA), which develops and regulates the emirate’s tourism infrastructure and initiates its domestic and overseas promotions, show nine-month growth in key categories including arrivals, hotel occupancy, guest nights and length of stay. Visitor arrivals over the period reached 631,617, guest nights grew 12.4 per cent, occupancy rose 1.3 per cent to 69.2 per cent, while length of stay came in at 3.55 days – a growth of nine per cent. “While growth in all KPIs was satisfying, we are particularly pleased with the extended length of stay which we attribute to development of our events calendar and products, such as the highly successful Via Ferrata around Jebel Jais in the Hajar Mountains. As the first regional product of its type, the Jebel Jais Via Ferrata has done much to established the emirate as a credible leisure activity and adventure destination,” explained Haitham Mattar, CEO, RAKTDA.

ITL World signed a new agreement with Sabre Corporation according to which Sabre will enable the TMC to continue fuelling its global expansion strategy. The TMC will also benefit from the new version of the Sabre Red Workspace, which was designed to help agents offer a greater experience and more personalisation to travellers. “We chose Sabre as its innovative technology has proven to better support our objectives, which include delivering the highest level of service to our customers,” said Dr. Siddeek Ahmed, Chairman and Managing Director, Eram Group/ITL World. “Sabre’s understanding of the latest technology trends and traveller behaviours has been essential in our expansion in the Middle East. It has helped us to truly understand the needs of the Middle Eastern traveller, enabling us to deliver an unrivalled service to our large customer base. Sabre’s new platform will help us to meet the growing demands of our travellers globally, who demand and expect increasingly personalised itineraries and a seamless travel experience.” With 39 fully-owned/operated offices across Asia, Middle East & Europe, ITL World, a member of the Eram Group already enjoys a successful relationship with Sabre, will continue to access Sabre’s broad portfolio of technology solutions, including the latest mobile, data analytics, personalisation and automation capabilities. Sabre plays a critical role in enabling ITL World to increase productivity and achieve its growth objectives. Its new Sabre Red workspace was developed to meet the changing needs and expectations of travellers – a modern technology platform built around its core GDS infrastructure that provides a greater choice of services to customers. Sabre has also integrated its Dev Studio APIs – which provide market data, fare trend information, travel seasonality and alternative …

The first edition of the Travel Tech ME Congress concluded at Marriot Al Jaddaf in Dubai, UAE. The event gathered 100 technology experts, travel agents, airline operators and airport officials to provide a forum of exchange on the current technologies in tourism. Organised by Verve Management, the two-day congress started with Diego Lofeudo, Director of Business Unit, Corporate, Yas Marina Circuit, UAE who made the official welcome address. Conference Chairman, Albert Fernando, COO, Travelwings opened day two of Travel Tech ME Congress, where he said, “A great initiative for Verve Management, that has helped tourism stakeholders better understand and share future trends in travel technology. The industry looks forward to the congress next year, bringing in even more experts in travel technology.”Several presentations over two days shed light on the latest innovations happening across the world in terms of travel and tourism. Albert Dias, Co-founder & CTO, Musafir discussed the importance of sub-second search speed and its effect on a travelers’ decision-making process.Juan Iván Martín, Head of Innovation, FDS, from IATA discussed travel blockchain, the introduction of the IATA coin as payment methods and how hackathons such as the IATA-NDC Hackathon-2016 in Dubai have helped the airline industry as well as the hotel and travel industries by introducing innovative ideas, and applications that have been implemented and increased revenue in the travel and tourism industry in the region. From blockchain, IATA coins being implemented, disruption, the importance of sub-second search speed, web technologies challenging today’s relevance and the future existence of mobile apps. The two-day conference was concluded with a panel discussion of the lessons learned and the way forward, on the evolution in the hotel distribution system.

Wyndham Hotel Group announced Riyada International Hotels & Resorts, master franchisor of the Ramada brand in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and Concept Towers Real Estate, have agreed to develop a brand-new Ramada hotel centrally located in Riyadh. The 189-room Ramada Riyadh King Fahd Road will become the 11th Ramada in the country, and the 18th hotel under Wyndham Hotel Group’s portfolio of brands, which includes 12 operational hotels and a further six currently under development within the Kingdom.  The globally-recognised Ramada brand encourages travellers to explore the world with its portfolio of more than 850 hotels spanning 64 countries across all six continents. In 2016 Ramada was named the fastest-growing hotel brand in Europe by PKF hotelexperts, an internationally recognised leader in the field of hotel, tourism and leisure consulting

The Wonderful Indonesia hosted a roadshow at the Pullman City Center in Dubai under the patronage of Consul General of the Republic of Indonesia in Dubai, H. E. Arzal F Firman. The Visit Indonesia Tourist Officer in the Middle East Nour Aridi explained the importance of the destination with a great presentation whilst the Consul General stated that nearly 169 countries can visit for tourism in Indonesia visa free and Pakistan has been given the ease of visa by obtaining the visa in 2 to 3 working days as against the one month wait earlier. The event was attended by the creme-de-la-creme  travel agents in Dubai and officials of Emirates who partnered with special packages along with several sellers and DMC’s from Indonesia.

Ashwin Singh, Managing Director, Plus Point Hospitality organised ‘Travel Tuesday’, an ROI-driven networking event with Singapore Tourism Board and Singapore Airlines for corporates, MICE and travel trade decision makers. It was the first event that took place on October 17, 2017, at the Taj Hotel Dubai Business Bay. The event was divided in two parts- the first one included decision makers from the various Corporates and MICE organisers attended a presentation by the Singapore Tourism Board and Singapore Airlines where they received valuable information about the destination and the airline. The attendees stated that  it was a very good meeting point as they were able to obtain a lot information and it was a very personalised meeting with the two partners and they looked forward to another event in two months.

Louvre Abu Dhabi has signed the first exclusive platinum partnership with Etihad Airways. The ceremony took place under the museum’s dome and its ‘Rain of Light’ effect. Louvre Abu Dhabi will officially open on November 11 as an iconic landmark on the city’s geographical, cultural and tourist landscape. H.E. Saif Saeed Ghobash, Director General, Department of Culture & Tourism–Abu Dhabi, said, “This important partnership comes at an exciting time as we prepare for our grand opening next month. Louvre Abu Dhabi and Etihad Airways not only bring people from around the world to Abu Dhabi, but they are both universal in nature. For the museum, this idea of universal is about understanding human connections from the beginning of time until the present through art. We look forward to celebrating Louvre Abu Dhabi’s opening with the support of our Platinum partner.” As a platinum partner, Etihad will work closely with Louvre Abu Dhabi on areas of brand partnership, marketing, social media, public and media relations, events and exhibitions, cultural exchanges, cargo support, inflight programming, and travel trade support. Etihad Airways’ destination management company, Hala, will collaborate with the museum on bespoke tour packages in Abu Dhabi. Peter Baumgartner, Etihad Airways Chief Executive Officer, said, “Louvre Abu Dhabi is a universal institution showcasing the achievements of mankind in art, in culture, in humanity – a beacon welcoming visitors to these shores for generations to come. Etihad Airways and Louvre Abu Dhabi are two leading characters in the same story and we share a deep bond. As the national airline of the UAE, flying from Abu Dhabi to the world, we are also a universal connector of people. Together with our partners at …

Wyndham Garden Ajman Corniche steps up its preparation for Q4 2017 opening through participation in roadshows organised by Ajman Tourism Development Department (ATDD),  global exhibitions, and travel workshops. The soon-to-open hotel joined the ATDD roadshows in Scandinavia and covered three countries including Denmark, Norway and Sweden. It also joined the ATDD delegation at the CIS roadshow in Armenia, Kazakhstan and Ukraine. Eyeing more markets in Europe, Wyndham Garden Ajman Corniche will similarly be promoted in the ATDD DER Touristik event in Euro Disney in Paris, France. Wyndham Garden Ajman Corniche was also showcased in Natalie Tours’ annual congress and hotelier workshop held in Dubai. More than 200 top agents from Russia and CIS region were in attendance to learn about the latest promotions and updates on Dubai and UAE as a leisure destination. One of the largest travel trade exhibitions, the annual World Travel Market in London will also be a key platform for the new property. It will be marketed alongside the destination at the ATDD stand.  The other events that Wyndham Garden Ajman Corniche will take part in are workshops organised by Tez Tour in Larnaca, Cyprus; Odeon Tours in Antalya, Turkey; and Annex Tours in Moscow, Russia. To boost the hotel’s guest nationality mix, the property will also target the South Asian market by attending the Pakistan Travel Mart (PTM) in Karachi. Wyndham Garden Ajman Corniche, which is scheduled to open doors in the last quarter of 2017, is the first Wyndham Garden to open in the UAE. The four-star hotel will feature rooms and suites, an executive lounge on the top floor with panoramic sea views, a seafood restaurant, an all-day dining venue, an outdoor swimming …

Travel management company, ITL World signed a new agreement with technology provider Sabre Corporation.  Under the new agreement, Sabre will enable the TMC to continue fuelling its global expansion strategy. With 39 fully owned/operated offices across Asia, Middle East & Europe, ITL World, a member of the Eram Group already enjoys a successful relationship with Sabre, will continue to access Sabre’s broad portfolio of technology solutions, including the latest mobile, data analytics, personalisation and automation capabilities.  The TMC will also benefit from the new version of the Sabre Red Workspace, which was designed to help agents offer a greater experience and more personalisation to travellers. “We chose Sabre as its innovative technology has proven to better support our objectives, which include delivering the highest level of service to our customers,” said Dr. Siddeek Ahmed, Chairman and Managing Director, Eram Group/ITL World. “Sabre’s understanding of the latest technology trends and traveller behaviours has been essential in our expansion in the Middle East. It has helped us to truly understand the needs of the Middle Eastern traveller, enabling us to deliver an unrivalled service to our large customer base. Sabre’s new platform will help us to meet the growing demands of our travellers globally, who demand and expect increasingly personalised itineraries and a seamless travel experience.” “ITL World has proven its position as a global player in a very short time,” said Ramzi Al Qassab, Commercial Director for GCC and global partners. “This agreement highlights the confidence ITL World has in Sabre’s expertise and technology to support its objectives and meet its diverse customer needs.”