Opened just over one and half years, TRYP by Wyndham Dubai, a 650-room hotel in Barsha Heights, revolutionized the industry by introducing one of the most sophisticated green initiatives of any hotel in the Middle East. A market leader in sustainability, the hotel has fully operationalised the region’s first ever glass water bottle refilling system, completely eliminating the use of plastic bottles. The water filtration system removes chlorine and contaminants from mains water. The glass bottles, once used, are cleaned, refilled and labeled in-house – often plastic bottle free initiatives still see much waste going in to landfill. Another policy central to the hotel’s green initiatives is that it will be the first hotel in the Middle East to use sustainable paper toweling manufactured from 100% locally recycled cardboard. From toilet paper, to tissues and hand towels, all will be manufactured in the UAE, an initiative exclusively created for TRYP by Wyndham Dubai. The hotel’s investment in the project is part of its LUVE (Love Your Vibrant Earth) initiative, which was introduced in 2018 to reduce waste, re-use materials, and give back to its community and guests. Upon becoming 100% plastic bottle free, Jo-Ella Moore, GM, TRYP by Wyndham Dubai said, “We are acutely aware of our responsibility to the UAE to reduce plastic waste and are delighted to partner with No More Bottles in this ground-breaking initiative; we will be PET bottle free. By phasing out plastic bottled water along with our in-house refilling process and other green initiatives, we aim to raise the bar in terms of environmental best practices in the hospitality industry.”    

His Highness Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, launched ‘Sharjah Sustainable City’, the first urban mixed-use project in the emirate, which meets the highest standards of green economy and environmental sustainability. It is the outcome of a strategic partnership between Sharjah Investment and Development Authority (Shurooq) and Diamond Developers.  The AED 2 billion project is spread across 7.2 million sq ft, and is strategically located in Sharjah near Al Rahmaniya area, easily accessible from the Sharjah International Airport and Sharjah University City. Upon completion, it will feature 1,120 eco-friendly and energy-efficient villas with a modern-meets-oriental design in harmony with the unique architectural aesthetic Sharjah is known for. During the official launch ceremony, His Highness the Ruler of Sharjah learnt about the features of the residential units and other facilities through a 3D city model displayed at the event. He also received details about the eco-friendly technologies the city will be built on, and the key environmental and health benefits they will offer to the city’s future residents. The project will include a sustainable school, which will promote the concepts of sustainability through school curricula. It will also feature a ‘Sustainability Experience Centre’ – a platform to host meetings and forums by government and academic entities, NGOs, as well as school and university students, centered around promoting awareness about environmental issues and sustainable living. Sharjah Sustainability City is poised to be a landmark contribution by Sharjah to the global movement towards reducing carbon footprint, slowing global warming and decreasing the harsh impacts of climate change.

Emirates anticipates high passenger traffic this spring break weekend with visitors travelling to and from Dubai. The busiest time for departures in Terminal 3 will be on  March 29 with more than 42,000 passengers travelling abroad. Customers are reminded to arrive at the airport at least three hours before their flight departure to avoid any delays. Peak travel is expected to continue until April 2, 2019 with more than 205,000 Emirates passengers travelling from Dubai to destinations beyond. During this time, Emirates will also be welcoming more than 160,000 passengers to and through Dubai. With road works continuing to cause delays around main airport highways and roads during this time, Emirates urges customers to build in extra time for their journeys to avoid potential delays. Passengers can physically check in at the airport as early as 24 hours before flight departure, and are requested to check in no later than two hours prior to departure, regardless of class of travel. Customers who check in less than 60 minutes prior to their scheduled flight departure will not be accepted for travel. Customers can also check in online on both their desktops and mobile devices from 48 hours to 90 minutes before flight departure. After checking in, passengers are also advised to make sure they get to their boarding gate on time. Gates open 90 minutes before departure, boarding starts 45 minutes before each flight and gates close 20 minutes before departure. If passengers report late Emirates will not be able to accept them for travel.

In an aim to cement the longstanding relationship between the two companies, Travelport has renewed a multi-year contract with its Kuwait operator, Travel Technology Services (TTS). TTS will continue to distribute Travelport’s industry-leading products and services in Kuwait as well as content from over 400 airlines, 650,000 hotel properties, 37,000 car rental locations and 14 rail networks worldwide. Raj Krishnan, General Manager, TTS, said, “We are pleased to extend our agreement with Travelport as distributors of its exceptional and innovative technology solutions. We have a highly successful 10-year collaboration with the company and look forward to reaching new heights in the future, which not only benefit both our businesses but the local travel industry in Kuwait.” Kerry Koutsikos, Managing Director, Middle East and Africa at Travelport, said, “We are delighted to extend our highly successful, long-term agreement with TTS. We look forward to continuing to work closely together over the coming years to ensure we not only meet but exceed the expectations of the travel industry in Kuwait, as well as travellers in the country.”

With a rapidly growing interest within both the advanced and the casual segment, China is expected to become a driving force within the adventure travel sector internationally, according to recent findings by ITB China Travel Trends Report. According to the market survey result from 300 Chinese outbound travel agents, over 52 per cent of the interviewees think Chinese travellers are willing to spend more than CNY 10,000 on each adventure trip. A survey has also been conducted among members of the ITB China’s Buyers’ Circle. 80 per cent of these surveyed businesses agree that adventure travel is a travel category that appeals most strongly to young Chinese born in the 1980s and 1990s. The trends report was created in collaboration with the international consulting and research company Kairos Future and will be presented at ITB China, set to take place from the May 15 to 17,  2019 in Shanghai. The most important three aspects that Chinese travellers care for in adventure travel are safety (30 per cent), local activities (26 per cent) and scenery (17 per cent). Safety concerns are more common in China than internationally, as travellers are far less experienced in adventure travel. Topics include safety risks of activities such as bungee jumping as well as the risk of getting lost in the wilderness, and the dangers stemming from not carrying the right equipment. Providers of adventure travel products targeting the outbound Chinese market need to tailor products to traveller segments with different expectations on difficulty, safety and comfort.

Sheikha Bodour bint Sultan Al Qasimi, Vice President of International Publishers Association (IPA), and Head of Advisory Committee of Sharjah World Book Capital (SWBC), said the prestigious UNESCO title is a global acknowledgement of Sharjah’s longstanding cultural achievements. It is also a reward for pursuing an approach of knowledge-based human development in Sharjah through the use of books, reading, and strong intercultural dialogue. Sheikha Bodour’s statement came during a meeting with Her Excellency Dr. Audrey Azoulay, Director-General of UNESCO, at the UN agency’s headquarters in Paris.  She also met with other UN officials and shed light on the historical ties of friendship and cooperation shared by Sharjah and UNESCO. Sheikha Bodour introduced the programme of events set for SWBC, “Sharjah is rolling out a year-long programme based on six principals that reflect our vision of engaging all segments of the UAE community. Our aim is to ease access to books and education; in doing so, we believe that we can promote cross-cultural dialogue and harmony, as well as build a future generation that is capable of furthering our nation’s vision.” Dr Azoulay highlighted the ambitious programme prepared by Sharjah and its tremendous potential to grow further and to foster a culture of reading in the United Arab Emirates and beyond.  At the end of the meeting, Sheikha Bodour invited Dr Audrey Azoulay to attend the official inauguration of the SWBC 2019 cultural programme on April 23, 2019. Sharjah has been selected as World Book Capital City for the year 2019 and the programme (which runs from April 2019 until April 2020) has been created in collaboration with all committee members.    

Etihad Airways and Gulf Air have signed a codeshare partnership for travel commencing with the summer schedule. The announcement follows the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the two carriers at the Bahrain International Airshow in November last year and will further strengthen the strong ties between the two countries and carriers. The agreement will see Etihad place its ‘EY’ code on Gulf Air flights from Bahrain to and from Abu Dhabi, Baghdad, Casablanca, Dhaka, Faisalabad, Larnaca, Malaga, Multan, Najaf, Peshawar, Sailkot and Tbilisi. Gulf Air will place its ‘GF’ code on Etihad flights from Abu Dhabi to and from Bahrain, Brisbane, Chicago O’Hare, Jakarta, Lagos, Los Angeles, Melbourne, New York JFK, Sydney and Washington. The announcement was made at a signing ceremony held at Etihad Airways Headquarters in Abu Dhabi, attended by Tony Douglas, Group Chief Executive Officer of Etihad Aviation Group, and Krešimir Kučko, Chief Executive Officer of Gulf Air. Douglas said, “We are thrilled to be signing this codeshare agreement today with our long-time partner, Gulf Air. The signing today is a great example of how two flag carriers can enhance the experience of our guests by providing a greater choice of destinations and world-leading inflight service and Arabian hospitality.” Kučko added, “This is a remarkable event for both Gulf Air and Etihad Airways and we take pride in elevating this relationship further with the signing of this codeshare agreement.”

The impact of disruptive technologies on the tourism industry is set to create multi-billion dollar savings through the use of IoT, robotics, artificial intelligence (AI), Virtual Reality (VR) and wearable technology according to data published ahead of Arabian Travel Market (ATM) 2019, set to take place at Dubai World Trade Centre from April 28 to May 1, 2019. The latest research from Colliers International, in partnership with ATM 2019, reveals that in addition to vast cost savings, the customer experience is set to be more streamlined with travel set to become better, smoother and more personalised with travel bookings on VR platforms, AI chatbots guiding customers through the booking process and IoT providing internet based inter-connectivity between everyday devices. Danielle Curtis, Exhibition Director ME, Arabian Travel Market, said, “Technology, and the use of technology, is evolving every day. The tourism industry is at the very forefront of tech innovation with companies investing huge sums of money to improve the customer journey and experience.” ATM 2019 has adopted cutting-edge technology and innovation as its main theme and this will be integrated across all show verticals and activities, including focused seminar sessions. Discussing the defining evolutions of hospitality technology, the Travel Tech Show will return to ATM 2019 with 45 dedicated international exhibitors and an influential agenda of discussion and debate in the Travel Tech Theatre – sponsored by Sabre Corporation. Launching this year will be the inaugural Arabian Travel Week, an umbrella brand which comprises four co-located shows: ATM 2019; Connect Middle East, India and Africa – a new route development forum, ILTM Arabia and new consumer-led event – ATM Holiday Shopper.

As summer approaches, more travellers from the Middle East will be on the look-out for new destinations to discover. This year Philippine tourism board representatives will host two road shows in Kuwait and Riyadh. The first road show will take place in Kuwait on March 24 at JW Marriott Hotel Kuwait from 6 to 10 pm and expects many leading agents to be there. The next road show will take place in Riyadh on March 26, 2019, at Faisalaih hotel from 6 to 10 pm.

Etihad Airways and Elenium, a leading provider of automation technology solutions, will together demonstrate how a newly developed voice activated self-service kiosk, bag drop and boarding gate facility will revolutionise the travel experience by taking facial recognition technology to new heights. The demonstration will take place at Passenger Terminal Expo (PTE) in London between March 26 – 28. Using cloud technology, artificial intelligence (AI), computer vision and natural human interfacing, Etihad Airways and Elenium will demonstrate how they will change the way consumers travel by showcasing the airport experience of the future. Jorg Oppermann, VP Hub and Midfield Operations, Etihad Airways, said, “With biometric installations increasing across airports globally, Etihad is recognising the growing demand to streamline not just the passenger verification process but to also decrease passenger queues and to increase operational efficiency.” A key area of cooperation involves the use of technologies from Elenium, Amazon Web Services (AWS), the cloud computing subsidiary of Amazon Inc, and Etihad Airways. Together at PTE, the three entities will demonstrate a test concept for a seamless travel experience across the entire customer journey from booking to arrival at the final destination. Mike Papamichael, VP Technology and Innovation, Etihad Airways said, “The technological vision and strategy is to make the guest journey a frictionless and digitally enabled experience across all channels and touch points at the airport. Etihad’s relationship with Elenium builds on this vision and along with our micro services strategy, allows us to co-create and develop innovative self-service and biometric solutions for greater flexibility and a seamless guest experience.”