Etihad Airways will be launching a fourth year-round daily service from Abu Dhabi to London Heathrow on October 27, 2019. Robin Kamark, Commercial Officer, Etihad Aviation Group Chief, said, “The flagship Abu Dhabi to London route is tremendously popular with point-to-point business and leisure travellers, and those transiting beyond our hub and we recently boosted frequencies between the two cities to meet increased demand at peak travel times. Adding a fourth year-round flight will provide much needed capacity and optimised timings and easy connections to key destinations across the Middle East, Africa, Asia and Australia. The new service demonstrates our commitment to the crucially important UK market, and ensures we provide our customers with all the benefits of a next-generation fleet across all 42 weekly departures to and from the United Kingdom.” The new service introduces a convenient mid-morning departure from Abu Dhabi and a late evening departure from London Heathrow and follows the introduction of additional seasonal services this summer. The airline will introduce a next-generation, two-class Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner on one of its four daily London services. The aircraft is configured with 299 seats — 28 Business Studios and 271 Economy Smart Seats. This complements the three other services which are operated by Etihad’s 486-seat Airbus A380s, which feature The Residence, a luxurious three-room cabin, nine private First Apartments, 70 Business Studios and 405 Economy Smart Seats. These include 80 Economy Space seats with a seat pitch of up to 36 inches. In addition to the four daily flights into the UK capital, Etihad Airways also operates two daily Boeing 787 Dreamliner services between Abu Dhabi and Manchester.

This year’s Arabian Travel Awards, to be held on October 22, 2019, will be hosted at The Westin Mina Seyahi Beach Resort & Marina. Tolga Lacin, General Manager, The Westin Mina Seyahi Beach Resort & Marina said, “We are very excited with this new partnership and believe that we will go a long way in creating an impact in the industry. Arabian Travel Awards is extremely important as it recognises and celebrates the hard work of those behind the success of the travel and hospitality industry in the GCC and the Middle East. We, at The Westin Mina Seyahi, truly believe that recognition always helps motivate people and gives them an opportunity to exceed expectations. Happy associates lead to happy customers.” Through such recognition, Arabian Travel Awards promotes tourism in the region, bringing to the fore new areas and technologies that cater to the needs of the modern traveller. The awards are fair & unbiased and follow a systematic method of internet-based voting. They will be divided into four categories — Personal Awards, Business Awards, Trending Awards and Partner Awards. “We are very happy to have The Westin Dubai Mina Seyahi Beach Resort & Marina come on board as our hospitality partner for the third edition of Arabian Travel Awards. This partnership reinforces our commitment to the industry and makes it a unique experience for those who will be invited to share their success with professionals in different areas in the travel, tourism and hospitality arena. Every year, we seek new associations and opportunities so that the best is provided as a vehicle of information. We hope that this association will scale new heights,” stated Nikhil Jeet, Director, Arabian Travel Awards. Technology is …

Emaar signed a MoU with Beijing New Aerotropolis Holdings (BNA) recently to jointly develop a Business and Tourism Complex, integrating retail, entertainment, office, hotel hospitality, convention, sport, art and lifestyle functions in a one-stop solution. Emaar and BNA will share resources in order to establish the Aero-Economic Area. This collaboration signals that Emaar is very seriously eyeing entering into the mega development of China and leveraging its long experience in building key projects and attractions. This MoU also opens up a new spectrum of opportunity to bring Emaar’s iconic projects and premium lifestyles to China. Emaar is a leading global property developer and provider of premium lifestyles based in Dubai, UAE, and present in 13 countries. The group has a land bank of 1.6 billion square feet in the UAE and key international markets including Downtown Dubai, Dubai Marina, and Dubai Creek Harbour. Emaar has built landmark projects in the Middle East, North Africa, the United States, Europe and South Asia, which deliver ideal lifestyles. The group also plays an important role in the China-UAE strategic partnership, and is actively exploring the Chinese market in response to The Belt and Road policy.

Superstar rock group Red Hot Chili Peppers will make their debut in the UAE with a spectacular concert to celebrate Abu Dhabi Showdown Week, a seven-day series of events set to run alongside UFC 242. Organised by the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi, the inaugural Abu Dhabi Showdown Week will run from September 1-7, and feature city-wide events and activations including pool and beach parties, retail promotions and F&B deals at beach clubs, nightclubs, hotels and malls, with the famous Californian rockers providing an awesome highlight on September 4. Taking place at The Arena, a new indoor venue being constructed on Abu Dhabi’s Yas Island, the Chili Peppers’ concert will be followed on September 5 by another world-class concert, with the mystery act yet to be announced. The two concerts, along with the other city-wide activations and the main event on September 7, will reinforce Abu Dhabi’s growing status as an entertainment capital, strengthening the emirate’s standing as an internationally renowned leisure destination and a hub for major, globally significant events. “The Red Hot Chili Peppers’ concert elevates the entire Abu Dhabi Showdown Week proposition and ensures our week-long programme will appeal to as many fans as possible,” said Ali Hassan Al Shaiba, Acting Executive Director of Tourism and Marketing at DCT Abu Dhabi. UFC fans and the general public will also be able to experience the inner workings of the UFC during the week through numerous gym activations, open workouts, weigh-ins, autograph signings and meet-and-greet sessions with UFC stars while an activity-packed UFC Fan Experience Zone will be created next to The Arena on Yas Island.  

Arabian Adventures has appointed Connoisseur Travel Collection as its General Sales Agent (GSA) in the Benelux countries. The partnership will see Connoisseur Travel Collection act as the essential link between Arabian Adventures and the local trade, promoting and selling its premium services in Belgium, The Netherlands, and Luxembourg. Deborah Bevan, Head of Customer Relationships at Arabian Adventures, said, “We are excited to be entering into this partnership with Connoisseur Travel Collection. Our newest partner’s excellent market knowledge and expertise will enable us to significantly strengthen our presence in the Benelux countries, where we see strong demand for travel to the UAE and Oman.” Shane Collier, Founder of Connoisseur Travel Collection, said, “We are honoured to be partnering with Arabian Adventures to showcase the UAE and Oman. Their portfolio embodies the elegant aesthetic of the region bringing this timeless classic to life for travellers around the Benelux. Our agreement today is entirely consistent with our long-term strategy focused on offering the Dutch, Belgian and Luxembourg consumer a full spectrum of experiential luxury”. Arabian Adventures full service offering includes everything from personalised meet and assist services at the airport, transfers, hotel reservations, tours, event management and visa assistance. With their passion for excellence and safety, Arabian Adventures offers its personalised services to consumers as well as through its extensive international partnership network, which includes the world’s most respected tour operators, incentive houses and cruise lines.

Dubai’s Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing held a series of strategic meetings with UK-based tourism companies in London last week, sharing new destination insights including the diverse festivals sector and highlighting the emirate’s enduring commitment to its third largest source market, as part of efforts to further boost British tourist arrivals. The meetings in London are part of a series of similar discussions that Dubai Tourism plans to hold with stakeholders in other key international markets. Led by His Excellency Helal Saeed Almarri, Director-General of Dubai Tourism, the discussions enabled the Department to strengthen relationships with prominent trade partners to provide even greater visibility for the diversity of Dubai’s offerings across the travel and trade ecosystem in the UK. HE Almarri also provided insights into future growth plans and marketing initiatives to drive awareness and consideration around the city’s evolving product offerings for British travellers, as well as discussing ways in which Dubai Tourism could work even more closely with British stakeholders to promote the emirate to target audiences in the UK. The strategic meetings offered a clear indication of the UK’s continued prominence as one of the emirate’s top source markets and fit within the framework of regular industry engagements initiated by the Department to further enhance collaboration with stakeholders and partners in line with Dubai’s Tourism Vision 2022-2025. Commenting on the meetings, HE Helal Saeed Al Marri, said, “We remain committed to ensuring that our valued partners – both, locally and globally – are well aligned with the emirate’s tourism strategy and are empowered to collectively leverage diverse campaigns and concerted efforts to ensure Dubai remains a perennial favourite for British travellers.”

The latest deal to be signed was the new Holiday Inn at the upcoming Dubai Deira Islands which will soon be a very popular destination. The signing is aligned with IHG’s strategy to increase its mid-scale offering in the Middle East and cater to the diverse profiles of guests visiting the region. Expected to open in 2023, the 170-key hotel will be in close proximity to the city centre (15-minute drive) and airport (10-minute drive). Ideal for business and leisure travellers, Holiday Inn Dubai Deira Islands will feature well-appointed guest rooms, excellent facilities including a business centre, three meeting rooms (432 sqm in total) as well as a state-of-the-art gymnasium and outdoor pool for guests to relax and rejuvenate. Furthermore, guests will have two dining options offering an excellent selection of food and beverages. Pascal Gauvin, Managing Director, India, Middle East & Africa, IHG said, “This is the sixth signing for our mid-scale portfolio in the Middle East, this year, and we are very pleased with the strong progress we are making in this segment. We are excited about this new venture and look forward to welcoming guests to this highly anticipated location in 2023.” Partnering with IHG for Holiday Inn Dubai Deira Islands, Ravi Sankar said, “IHG is a trusted brand with a long-standing history in the Middle East and we are proud to partner with them to open Holiday Inn Dubai Deira Islands. I am confident that the strategic location combined with IHG’s signature hospitality, will successfully cater to the needs of the modern business and leisure traveller.”

DUBZ, a baggage technology and logistics company and part of dnata, has opened a new ‘check-in station’ at The Dubai Mall. The DUBZ team checks in customers for their flights, prints their boarding passes, weighs and secures their baggage and ensures they are delivered to the airport and loaded onto the aircraft. After collecting their boarding passes and baggage tags, customers can enjoy the various shopping, dining and entertainment opportunities The Dubai Mall offers to its visitors, and then take the Dubai metro to the airport. DUBZ provides its services to the passengers of nine airlines, including flydubai, Saudia, flynas, China Southern, Kuwait Airways, Gulf Air, SaudiGulf, Royal Jordanian, and Ethiopian Airlines. The service is available from AED 99, which covers the check-in fee for one passenger with one piece of luggage. Additional pieces of luggage can be added for a fee of AED 40 each. The service price is capped at AED 249 covering up to 10 bags. Omar Abou Faraj, CEO and Co-Founder of DUBZ, said, “Travelling and shopping in one of the world’s largest malls on the same day has never been so easy. We are thrilled to be launching our popular remote check-in services at The Dubai Mall, adding more value to our offering.” Antonio Fellino, Vice President of Retail & eCommerce, dnata Travel UAE, said, “We are sure that the innovative product of DUBZ will be popular among customers, who can now take advantage of the two companies’ excellent value services at the same time and location.”

In partnership with Al Naboodah Travel, GoAir will launch its first flight from Dubai to Kannur on July 26, 2019. The first flight will leave Kannur on July 25 at 19:05 and reach Dubai at 21:55, thereafter the first flight from Dubai will take off at 00:20 and reach Kannur at 05:35. Speaking at the press conference,  Arjun Dasgupta, Vice President International of GoAir, stated that according to their research there are 2.5 million Indian nationals working in the UAE and one million of them are from Kerala, apart from that the destination itself offers many attractions to the tourists, who are locals and expats living in the UAE. Dasgupta reiterated, “There are three basic pillars at GoAir which are convenience, punctuality and affordability. Currently the starting price for one way is AED 385. We will be adding two more routes in the GCC which is Kuwait and Dammam in KSA. The international destinations currently include Muscat, Phuket, Male and Abu Dhabi and the two to be added are Bangkok on July 25 and Dubai on July 26. “ Nasir Jamal Khan, CEO of Al Naboodha Travel stated that the partnership will help to ensure that the travel and tourism sector in both countries will benefit by this alliance as Kannur is both a business and leisure destination. “The launch of GoAir from Dubai to Kannur means that it will connect to some of the most popular destinations in India and we look forward to better serving our travelling customers.”

It was the second consecutive year that RwandAir sponsored the EmQuest Cricket Mania event recently with other partners such as Turkish Airlines, Seychelles Tourism Board, Millennium Hotels Dubai, Flexible Autos etc. The two-day event saw a total of about 800 participants from the travel trade which included players, spectators etc. EmQuest Cricket Mania is a large scale event that witnesses the coming together of travel management giants in the industry to compete against each other for the ever rolling trophy. Built on the success of the previous year, EmQuest, a division of Emirates returned with their annual cricket championship tournament EmQuest Cricket Mania 2019 for all Sabre users across the UAE. With Turkish mega carriers, Turkish Airlines as the platinum sponsors and the fast rising giants in the aviation industry — RwandAir as the gold sponsors of EmQuest Cricket Mania 2019. Kanoo Travels were announced as the winners of EmQuest Cricket Mania 2019 and dnata emerged as the runners up. Timothy Njihia, Area Manager, RwandAir,  stated, “RwandAir has been a consistent sponsor of EmQuest’s Cricket Mania tournaments for the last two years, as the T-Shirt Sponsor and in 2019 as the Gold Sponsor. We sponsor the tournament during the event days, that is, the two  weekends that the tournaments last.  This partnership is very important to us as it is a top-of-mind brand awareness to the travel trade, with trade engagement through sports, that is, cricket in order to strengthen partnerships between stakeholders RwandAir, EmQuest & the travel trade.