Emirates has introduced an additional Airbus A380 service to Johannesburg (OR Tambo International Airport), replacing the previous Boeing 777 aircraft on the route. EK762 (JNB-DXB) and EK761 (DXB-JNB) are now served by the flagship A380 aircraft. The Emirates Airbus A380 aircraft serving the Dubai-Johannesburg route will offer a total of 519 seats in a three-class configuration, with 429 spacious seats in Economy Class, 76 fully flat-bed seats in Business Class and 14 First-Class Private Suites. Upcoming festive season travel between the two global transit hubs is expected to be especially strong, building on over 700,000 customers who flew with the airline before November. With Emirates, customers from Johannesburg can enjoy a seamless A380 experience to their most popular destinations via Dubai, including London, Moscow, New York and Bangkok. All four daily Emirates flights between Johannesburg and Dubai operate as codeshare flights with partner South African Airways. The deployment of the double-decker aircraft on routes to and from South Africa gives even more regional travellers the chance to experience the aircraft’s industry-leading comforts. These include private suites and Shower Spas in its First-Class cabin, while Business-Class customers can enjoy the popular on-board lounge and lie-flat beds.

To celebrate the UAE’s 47th National Day, a host of events and festivities took place at Global Village recently. Expressing happiness on the occasion, Bader Anwahi, CEO, Global Village, said, “Commemorating the founding of this great nation, we at Global Village are proud of our tradition of bringing all people of the world together in order to celebrate and be happy. Our country has prospered and thrived on the premise of being a welcoming nation, open to all cultures and people, globally. Today, we reflect on the founding of the Union under the wise and visionary guidance of Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan who brought our Emirates together and put us all on a path to peace and prosperity. The UAE has, within 47 years, become one of the most advanced, affluent, and well-developed countries in the world, thanks to our wise leadership.” An exclusive event for the National Day celebrations is the Operetta – ‘Zayed: Leader of the Humans’, that was performed by a cast of more than 25 and was a dedication to the father and founder of the UAE, Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan. It was produced by Ornina Arts and Events and directed by Nasser Ibrahim, well-known across the region for developing some of the finest national and international shows. The Global Village fireworks have always been a favourite for UAE residents and tourists. For the 47th National Day, a mega-musical fireworks display also took place.

Atout France, the national French tourism development agency has launched France.fr — the official dedicated Arabic website for France as a destination. With the goal of welcoming 100 million tourists to France by 2020, the Arabic version of the website has been developed to increase interest and footfall from the region. France.fr is fully adapted with the travellers from the Middle East in mind. The content created takes into consideration the cultural nuances and traditions. Besides, social media platforms are also available in Arabic to inspire and encourage followers to share their experiences. User-friendly and optimised for mobile consumption, the new website contains content and information on tourism in France, hotels, restaurants, things to do, culture and heritage, events and museums. Karim Mekachera, Regional Director, Atout France, Middle East, explained, “Digital innovation is at the heart of our marketing initiatives and we have placed a significant focus on content creation, curation and distribution of the content on France in a number of languages to remain truly connected to people around the world. The website’s aim is to boost France’s appeal as a touristic destination, improving its ranking as a top travel destination for the Arab traveller.”

Marking its presence in the Middle East, Blacklane has opened its office in Dubai. After the Berlin headquarters and Asia-Pacific office in Singapore, this is the company’s third office having three priorities. The first is to support Emirates’s complimentary chauffeur-drive service as it provides First and Business Class-passengers with chauffeured airport transfers. Blacklane exclusively supplies these rides for Emirates in India, Italy and Sweden. Secondly, it is to add new cities across the Middle East and Africa (MEA). Blacklane currenty serves 21 cities in 10 MEA countries. In the coming months, the company will add dozens of additional cities across the region. Lastly, it is to build corporate business and partnerships across the region. The Dubai team will increase the number of Blacklane guests originating from the Middle East. Jens Wohltorf, CEO and Co-founder, Blacklane, said, “As the centre of travel in the Middle East and the headquarters of Emirates, Dubai is perfect for Blacklane’s office expansion.” He added, “Emirates means quality, and we’re proud to provide that on the ground, online and in our customer service for Emirates’s guests.”

Etihad Energy Services hosted the 3rd Annual Dubai Green Hotel Innovation Conference organised by ACM in Dubai recently at the Ritz-Carlton Jumeirah Beach Residence. The conference convened experts, policy and decision makers, and key stakeholders under one roof where participants received updates on technological innovations and the latest practices being implemented to boost the local hotel sector’s environmental sustainability strategies, while improving operational costs and enhancing profitability. Ali Al Jassim, CEO, Etihad ES, said, “Over the years, hospitality industry in Dubai has grown exponentially. We cannot turn a blind eye on the environmental impact of hotels, especially in terms of their natural resource usage and energy consumption. The hospitality industry’s energy costs in Dubai account for a significant portion of total energy consumption. So, in order to decrease its energy demand and consequently contribute to Dubai’s 30 per cent energy demand reduction target by 2030, we encourage all key stakeholders to take action that has long-term positive impact.” An estimated 700 hotels are currently operating in Dubai, with more hotels expected to open before 2020. Al Jassim added, “In our collective efforts to make Dubai a leading example of energy efficiency for the region and the world, we at Etihad ES hosted the Annual Dubai Green Hotel Innovation Conference to highlight the important role of the hotel industry in achieving Dubai’s energy-efficiency targets. We are confident that it raises awareness and contributes towards improving the sustainability performance and energy-conservation efforts of these establishments as well as address pressing challenges to bring us closer to our vision of a sustainable future for all.”

At a time when the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s National Transformation Plan is well underway to reduce the nation’s public-sector dependence by 2030, a delegation from Sharjah visited two major cities of the Kingdom — Jeddah and Mecca recently to explore prospects for new partnerships in non-oil sectors, which will drive regional growth. The Sharjah FDI office (Invest in Sharjah) led the delegation, taking them on a ‘Sharjah Roadshow in The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’ through the two cities, and facilitated various networking meetings with leading Saudi businessmen, government representatives and industry experts. Through the two-day roadshow, Saudi Arabian players took a closer look at Sharjah’s rapidly diversifying and investor-friendly economy in major non-oil sectors including tourism, hospitality, real estate, trade, media, health, education, renewable energy and SMEs. They explored ways in which they can leverage these opportunities to promote and strengthen KSA’s private sector. The delegation comprised HE Aref Ali Al Tabour Al Nuaimi, Consul General of the UAE, Jeddah; HE Marwan bin Jassim Al Sarkal, Executive Chairman, Sharjah Investment and Development Authority (Shurooq); Sheikh Saud bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Deputy Head — Industrial Investment, Sharjah Economic Development Department and Mohammed Juma Al Musharrkh, CEO, Invest in Sharjah. The delegation also included Ibrahim Al Hashimi, Director — Government Relations, Sharjah Media City (Shams); Samer Bukamel, Vice President — Sales, ARADA and a number of officials and representatives from government and private bodies in Sharjah. Al Sarkal highlighted the strong bilateral relations the UAE and KSA share, especially in economic sectors. The UAE is the Kingdom’s biggest trade partner in the Gulf and greater Arab region. In 2017, the value of trade between the two countries was approximately $23 billion. He …

As part of the 47th UAE National Day celebrations, many institutions hosted a number of traditional events and activities. Emirates Airlines showcased various elements derived from the cultural heritage of the UAE which included Al Ayala Dance, a traditional Emirati dance performance, and Henna Art, which is considered an integral part of UAE celebrations. Manzil Downtown honoured the life and achievements of the nation’s founding father, His Highness Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan by hosting an exclusive Emirati poetry evening on of November 26. Her Highness Sheikha Dr Hind Al-Qassimi, members of board of directors, influential Emirati Culture and Heritage personalities, poets, folkloric musicians and media have joined Manzil Downtown management in honour of this special occasion. Sharihan Al Mashary, General Manager, Manzil Downtown, said, “Our nation connects through poetry and it is part of our Emirati culture, heritage and identity”, and this is how Manzil Downtown commemorates the UAE National Day and Year of Zayed.” The Flag Island, one of Sharjah’s tourist, family and leisure destinations, hosted music show in collaboration with the Higher Committee of National Day Celebrations in Sharjah. Khuloud Salim Al Junaibi, General Manager, The Flag Island, said:, “National Day celebrations reflect our appreciation and gratitude to our country and its wise leadership. We cordially invite all members of the community to participate in this national celebration at The Flag Island.” The Dubai Maritime City Authority (DMCA) joined the entire country in celebrating the 47th UAE National Day, with its senior executives and staff renewing their loyalty and faith to the nation and its leaders. Amer Ali, Executive Director, DMCA led the commemoration held under the theme ‘This is Zayed, this is the UAE.’ He vowed …

Media Rotana celebrated the 47th UAE National Day with fervour. Celebrating the occasion, Sherif Madkour, General Manager, Media Rotana, said, “We are proud to celebrate the 47th year of the UAE National Day. We are happy to see the progress of our great nation – the UAE to bear witness its growth from strength to strength. We have conducted many activities at our property to celebrate this amazing day. This year, we hosted a special UAE National Day Market where we had special guests from the Ministry of Education and popular singers preparing for the big celebrations happening in the whole UAE to celebrate this great day.”

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) celebrated its 47th National Day. Commenting on t he occasion, Bryan Thompson, CEO, Abu Dhabi Airports, said, “Abu Dhabi Airports takes pride in celebrating the 47th UAE National Day and introducing the Emirati culture and tradition to passengers coming from across the world. Marking the festivities, Abu Dhabi Airports strives to convey the sense of patriotism and unity among the Emirati people. Our celebration of the UAE National Day is in line with our continuous efforts to provide a unique travel experience to our passengers, ensuring the highest quality services as part of our vision to become a world-leading airport group.”

On the occasion of the 47th UAE National Day, Nabil Ramadhan, CEO, Dubai retail extended his wishes to the Emirati people, while also remembering the founding father late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan. He said, “On behalf of Dubai Retail, I would to take this opportunity to wish our customers, colleagues and partners a wonderful 47th UAE National Day. Year after year, our nation has demonstrated the unshakeable values embodied by our founding father, the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan and our wise leadership. We are proud to be part of the UAE’s journey of development, innovation and prosperity, and continuously strive to contribute to its growth.”