Jordan Tourism Board (JTB) and The Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities announced that the partnership with Ryanair, is already expanding its operations with the addition of four new routes to Jordan to and from Malta, Memmingen, Thessaloniki and Milan Bergamo, as part of its Jordan Winter 2019 schedule. With a total of 18 routes connecting between 12 countries, the new routes will serve over 500,000 customers annually at Amman and Aqaba airports. Majd Shweikeh, HE Minister of Tourism and Antiquities, elaborated, “Launching the world-renowned low-cost Ryanair operations has had a cascading positive effect on the sector’s dynamics, which resulted in an increase in numbers as a new segment of tourists — from Eastern Europe in particular — who have never been to Jordan before, are now exploring Jordan and its unique and diverse natural, cultural and archaeological heritage in a comprehensive touristic experience. ” Dr. Abed Al Razzaq Arabiyat, Managing Director of the Jordan Tourism Board, said, “We are very happy to see tangible results in Jordan from our partnership with Ryanair. Less than a year into its operation, this collaboration has proved its power in making Jordan an accessible and affordable destination for many with its ever-growing number of routes.” Michael O’Leary, CEO of Ryanair,  said, “Ryanair is pleased to launch its Jordan Winter 2019 schedule, with 4 new routes (18 routes in total), delivering over 500,000 customers through our two Jordanian airports. We are pleased to strengthen our cooperation with the Jordanian Tourist Board with these 18 winter routes that will further promote Jordanian tourism and will deliver visitors from 12 European countries to one of the world’s most attractive winter tourism destinations.” The new routes will operate …

Millennium Hotels and Resorts, Middle East and Africa unveiled its new hotel development pipeline with 14 hotels due to open in 2019 at the Arabian Travel Market 2019. By the end of 2019, Millennium Hotels and Resorts will be operating over 50 hotels in the Middle East and Africa, growing from 26 properties in 2016, which makes it the fastest growing hotel operator in the region. The additional 14 new hotels along with the existing portfolio of 40 hotels in the Middle East and Africa region will help grow tourism demand in the GCC including UAE, who will be hosting the World Expo 2020 and is expected to receive 25 million visitors in six months. “Our fast-developing hotel portfolio is geared to support the vision of the UAE government. This year, we will add 14 hotels, in addition to the 35 new hotels that are in the pipeline. In order to bring variety to the market and to offer customised hospitality offerings, we have introduced two contemporary products (Millennium Place and Studio M) to suit the varied budgets of our valued customers. The new brands will be showcased at the stand along with other existing properties in the Middle East & Africa region,” said Kevork Deldelian, Chief Operating Officer of Millennium Hotels and Resorts, Middle East and Africa. Millennium Place will be known as the happier hotel brand in the Middle East introducing “Find Your Happy Place” as a tagline and will consistently strive to deliver a smile to its guests through different touch points in the guest’s and associates’ journey. It aims to create a unique and more personalised guest experience through focusing on various elements that make a …

Building on the success of its current daily service between the capitals of the UAE and Russia, Etihad Airways announced a new second daily flight between Abu Dhabi and Moscow’s Domodedovo airport, which will operate seasonally between October 27 and May 10, 2020. The additional flight, operated by an Airbus A320, will provide more convenient travel options between the two capital cities as passengers can now choose between a daytime and evening departure from both Abu Dhabi and Moscow. Together with the existing service, operated by an Airbus A321, travellers will also benefit from improved connectivity through Etihad’s Abu Dhabi hub to Australia, India, Sri Lanka, Seychelles, Maldives, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore and the Philippines. Robin Kamark,  Aviation Group Chief Commercial Officer, Etihad, said, “Since launching our first scheduled flights to Moscow in 2008, the route has proved very popular, enjoying strong point-to-point business and leisure demand. The addition of the second flight underscores the importance we place on the Russian market, by providing our customers greater flexibility, convenience and easy transit through Abu Dhabi to key points across Asia and Australia.” Russia is the second largest source market for inbound tourism to the UAE with 820,000 Russian tourists visiting the country in 2018. The trade exchange between the UAE and Russia reached US$ 3 billion last year. Etihad Airways, together with its partners, continues to promote the increase of tourism, and trade and investment opportunities between both countries. Etihad’s Airbus A321 and A320 two-class aircraft feature modern Business and Economy cabins and the airline’s award-winning service and hospitality. Abu Dhabi – Moscow (effective October 27, 2019 –  May 10, 2020) – From Abu Dhabi at 02:40 to Moscow (DME) 07:20 …

The trade and promotion arm of Yas Island Abu Dhabi ‘Experience Hub’ announced a strategic agreement with Hotelbeds, the world’s leading business-to-business bedbank, which will result in a new and wider distribution of leisure and entertainment experiences to the international travel trade. The agreement was officiated during the Arabian Travel Market (ATM) in Dubai, with representatives at the Yas Island stand were Experience Hub’s General Manager Marina Cipriano, and Vice President, Sales, Bruno Wiley. Hotelbeds was represented by Michael Lynden-Bell, Beyond The Bed Sales & Sourcing Director – MEAPAC at Hotelbeds,  and Mahesh Ammanath, Regional Sourcing Manager at Hotelbeds. Speaking about the signed agreement, Marina Cipriano, General Manager, Experience Hub, said, “Yas Island is now firmly established as a unique tourism destination which offers visitors to the UAE a diverse mix of leisure and entertainment, including three award-winning theme parks. Partnering with Hotelbeds will allow us to showcase Yas Island’s offerings to an even wider audience abroad and support our efforts to connect international markets to our one-of-a-kind destination.” Michael Lynden-Bell said, “We are very excited and pleased to confirm that a strategic agreement has been forged with Yas Island, one of the world’s fastest growing leisure and entertainment destinations. This news reflects our commitment to Abu Dhabi and the UAE as a whole, and demonstrates the confidence that partners, such as Experience Hub, place in our business-to-business bed and ancillary bank to access incremental and high-value clients”. Experience Hub will broaden its product distribution network and reach, driving increased awareness of Yas Island as a leisure and entertainment destination, while Hotelbeds – along with its Beyond The Bed division – will expand its offering beyond accommodation to include packaged …

The latest partnership between Emirates and Latam Airlines will connect 17 cities increasing choice, flexibility and ease of connection for Emirates passengers travelling to/from Brazil. Passengers will now be able to connect with 17 cities in Latam’s domestic network covered by the codeshare agreement including Belo Horizonte, Brasília and Foz do Iguaçu. Passengers travelling to/from these cities will now be able to connect seamlessly in São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro with Emirates’ flights to its Dubai hub, which serves over 150 destinations worldwide. The agreement will offer Emirates passengers more choice to travel to/from Brazil with minimum connection times to destinations in Emirates’ global network such as Japan, Australia and India amongst others. Codeshare routes are from/to Sao Paulo (GRU) to Belem (BEL), Belo Horizonte (CNF), Brasilia (BSB),   Campo Grande (CGR), Curitiba (CWB), Florianópolis (FLN), Fortaleza (FOR), Goiânia (GYN), Foz do Iguaçu Falls (IGU), Londrina (LDB), Manaus (MAO), Porto Alegre (POA), Recife (REC), Salvador (SSA), São Luiz (SLZ), Vitória (VIX) and from/to Rio de Janeiro (GIG):  Belém (BEL), Brasília (BSB), Curitiba (CWB),  Fortaleza (FOR), Goiânia (GYN), Iguassu Falls (IGU), Manaus (MAO), Natal (NAT) and Vitoria (VIX). “We’re pleased to establish a partnership with Latam Airlines Brazil providing our passengers with increased choice, flexibility and ease of connection to different cities within Brazil. We continuously invest in providing more benefits to our customers. With our award-winning product and strong partners in Brazil, we look forward to continue supporting the country’s growing inbound tourist numbers and business trade opportunities,” said Adnan Kazim, Divisional Senior Vice President, Strategic Planning, Revenue Optimisation and Aeropolitical Affairs, Emirates. Emirates currently serves two Brazil gateways with daily services to Dubai from Sao Paulo, operated by the …

Participating for the third time at the Arabian Travel Market 2019, the St. Petersburg, Russia pavilion highlighted all aspects of leisure, MICE, luxury, recreational and health and wellness tourism. As a special focus this year, St. Petersburg showcased their foray into its new ‘Luxury Russia’ offerings that centered around the symbolic, historical and cultural aspects of Russia. ‘Luxury Russia’ had a range of specially curated tours and activities. These included a bespoke museum premium hour tours with a personalised guide, gala receptions at the legendary Cruise Aurora shipyard; now converted into a museum and the Catharine Palace. Also included is the exciting experience to set off a cannon while touring the historic Peter and Paul Fortress and getting a helicopter tour of the presidential palace also known as the Konstastinosky Palace. “The Middle East is soon becoming an important part of our tourism business and we understand the need to be present at Arabian Travel Market. More so, this year we are targeting high profile travellers from the luxury segment as our research indicates that they contribute quite heavily to the frequency as well as the spending habits while visiting St. Petersburg,” said, Olga Redino, Deputy General Director & Vice Head of Saint Petersburg Convention Bureau. “Our Luxury Tourism Association is a unique project in Russia which creates the platform for premium and luxury customers to avail of exclusive experiences and truly customised service of an exceptional quality while travelling in Russia,” said, Marina Morozova – Head of National Tourism of Russian Federation in the Middle East Dubai UAE / CEO Luxury Travel Association. “Arabian Travel Market provides a perfect platform to reach out to the B2B and B2C sector …

In collaboration with premium partner Lufthansa Group, more than 200 regional and international key decision makers from the travel trade industry attended the travel trade networking event, to celebrate the conclusion of the ‘Heart of Europe’ Travel Summit; a joint networking-event hosted by the national tourist boards of Germany, Switzerland and Austria prior to the Arabian Travel Market exhibition (ATM) for the very first time.  Entitled “Reach for the Stars”, the lavish evening event took place on the rooftop of the Five Palm Jumeirah Hotel, offering its high-level guests  an outstanding view of the Dubai skyline. Heinrich Lange, Senior Director Sales, Gulf, Afghanistan and Pakistan, Lufthansa Group, said, “We are delighted to have concluded the Heart of Europe Travel Summit with a tremendously successful networking evening. The GCC is a key focus market for us at Lufthansa Group in view of the strong growth prospects for travel from the GCC to Europe, Switzerland, Austria and Germany in particular, and the event offered us an excellent platform to strengthen our relationships with our customers and partners to reinforce our commitment to this region.” Highlighting the thrills the European neighbouring countries have to offer, guests were welcomed to experience an authentic culinary journey at the dedicated German, Swiss and Austrian food corners, while being entertained by a live band who traditionally performs at the world famous Oktoberfest in Munich, ‘Die Kirchdorfer’ who played famous tunes from the three countries aiming at inspiring guests to make Germany, Switzerland and Austria their summer holiday destination of choice. Emphasising the importance of flights connectivity between Europe and the GCC countries, the premium partner Lufthansa Group is proud to be one of the first aviation companies …

Air Arabia, the first and largest low-cost carrier (LCC) in the Middle East and North Africa, announced the launch of its new complimentary in-flight entertainment system ‘SkyTime’ that allows passengers to live stream digital content on smartphones, tablets or laptops while travelling with the carrier. The new innovative entertainment system is now available across Air Arabia’s fleet. Customers can access ‘SkyTime’ network right after takeoff, and enjoy a wide selection of Hollywood, Bollywood, Arabic and Russian movies, television shows, music, destination tips and games as well as a special offering for younger ones. The system is app-less which makes its usage and access almost effortless. Commenting on the launch, Adel Al Ali, Group Chief Executive Officer of Air Arabia, said, “We always seek to make the best use of technology to provide added value to our customers. We are proud to launch ‘SkyTime’, our all new free in-flight entertainment system solely designed to provide customers with added value while onboard Air Arabia flights. This new launch reflects Air Arabia’s commitment to continuously apply innovative solutions aimed at providing real value and convenience to customers”. Air Arabia customers can access the new system after takeoff by enabling the Wi-Fi connection and selecting the ‘SkyTime’ network. By logging in, they can browse a wide selection of entertainment content in addition to an exclusive feature that provides customers with valuable tips about the city they are travelling to. Air Arabia is renowned for using cutting-edge technology to provide simple and efficient solutions to its customers. The carrier was also the first to introduce an online loyalty system “Airewards” providing customers with the option to earn points based on money spent rather than distance …

His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, President of Dubai Civil Aviation Authority, Chairman of Dubai Airports and Chairman and Chief Executive of Emirates Airline and Group officially opened the 19th edition of Dubai Airport Show, the world’s largest airport exhibition. The three-day show took off with a grand opening with an impressive participation of 375 exhibitors from 60 countries. The exhibitors are showcasing more than 50 new technologies and innovative products over three days at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre (DICEC). His Highness Sheikh Ahmed remarked, “With passenger numbers expected to continue their growth trajectory and drive airport expansion projects to accommodate the demand, the UAE’s aviation sector remains a key driver of our economic growth. The Airport Show, with all the co-located events, offers an ideal platform to the Middle East, Africa and South Asia’s aviation authorities, companies and individuals to come together and collaborate with international experts and leaders to improve global aviation.” The co-located events are Air Traffic Control (ATC) Forum, Airport Security Middle East, Global Airport Leaders Forum (GALF), Women in Aviation (WIA) General Assembly and CAPA Middle East & Africa Aviation Summit. Daniyal Qureshi, Group Exhibition Director at Reed Exhibitions Middle East, organisers of the Airport Show, said the show has been a clear sell-out, indicating the industry’s continuing vibrancy and investment potential for expanding facilities and new technologies at airports and the aviation industry in general. Delivering the Airport Keynote address at CAPA Aviation Summit, Paul Griffiths, CEO of Dubai Airports Corporation, said DWC is set to handle 240 million passengers with personalised experience in the future. “The hub model is the right and sustainable model, which is benefiting Dubai,” …

The Chief Operating Officer for Central Hotels, Abdulla Al Abdulla, stated that the Arabian Travel Market is the most important exhibition for them as a home-grown brand and it is a privilege to present their expansion plans. Central Hotels showcased for the first time the launch of a new 5-star hotel featuring 206 luxe studios and suites overlooking the Arabian Gulf. The C Central Beach Hotel The Palm is all set to welcome guests early this summer and will be the fourth hotel to open under the Central Hotels banner. The contemporary resort will offer a rich array of facilities including five exceptional restaurants and bars, a fully-equipped fitness centre, spa and swimming pool as well as fabulous conference and banqueting facilities. Abdulla Al Abdulla said, “It is great to expand our footprint in Dubai and enhance our portfolio of hotels at this historic time when the emirate is preparing to host Expo 2020. C Central Beach Hotel The Palm enjoys an iconic location and will give travellers the opportunity to revel in unique experiences with its state-of-the-art facilities and distinctive service. We are committed to develop hotels that meet the diverse needs of residents and visitors to our destination and support the remarkable vision of Dubai.” The beach-front resort is ideal for leisure seekers, honeymooners and families.  Ammar Kanaan, Group General Manager of Central Hotels, said, “C Central Beach Hotel The Palm is a stunning property equipped with premium lifestyle amenities. We look forward to opening our doors and welcoming guests to experience our heart-warming hospitality. Looking ahead, we are confident in the strong outlook for tourism in the UAE and glad to contribute to its success as a …