ibis Styles has opened a third property in Dubai. The 351-room ibis Styles Dubai Airport will cater to the modern cosmopolitan travellers of today who are looking for a surprising and joyful experience. The new opening is set to contribute to the vibrant UAE hospitality industry. Strategically situated in Al Garhoud near the Dubai International Airport, ibis Styles Dubai Airport is designed to provide for travel needs of both business and leisure guests, be it for a spirited brainstorming session at the Creative Terminal, a relaxing night on the hotel’s signature Sweet BedTM, a wholesome, healthy meal or Grab & Go specialty coffee at Le Styles Café and everything else in between. “ibis Styles Dubai Airport is your trendy home away from home. Its modern, stylish and reflects the cool spirit of the city of Dubai. Young professionals who are visiting for work or play and families or couples looking for casual accommodation on weekends will find ibis Styles Dubai Airport hotel the new go-to,” comments Frank Béchemilh, Cluster General Manager. At ibis Styles Dubai Airport, hospitality is taken to another level. “As casting criteria, the potential candidates submitted a short video telling us why they should be selected to join our league of superheroes. The shortlisted were allowed to showcase being the hospitality superhero in our very own version of “ibis Styles has got talent”. Superheroes were tested as to how they would present themselves in a certain situation to surprise and delight the guests while exceeding their expectations,” prides Béchemilh. “Dubai is now the world’s fourth most visited city and as we prepare for the much-awaited opening of the Expo 2020 we expect more visitors. Travellers looking for …

The 28th Dubai International Boat Show will drop anchor at its new Dubai Harbour home from March 10-14, 2020. The show will feature more than 800 companies and brands from 44 countries and will be the springboard for 28 regional and global launches. Running under the theme ‘Loving What’s to Come’, across a fleet of more than 450 eye-catching boats and watercrafts, including leisure crafts, sailing and fishing boats and new-to-market aquatic gadgets and toys, including aqua bikes, personal submarines and electric surf boards. “This Show takes on even greater significance as the emirate enters the final preparations for Expo 2020 Dubai. The world’s greatest show will serve to underline Dubai’s standing as a global innovator,” said, His Excellency Saeed Hareb, Secretary General of Dubai Sports Council (DSC) and Senior Advisor to the Dubai International Boat Show. “The expansive, modern berth mix available to yacht, superyacht owners and the wider recreational boat market, along with cutting-edge facilities, make it one of our most outstanding marinas under our portfolio, reaffirming Dubai’s position as a pioneer and regional capital of the maritime industry,” said, Selcuk Balci, Managing Director, D-Marin Dubai, said. “Dubai International Boat Show takes place at a crucial point in the year, with many industry professionals and potential buyers keen on making an assessment of the latest trends, designs and products. A major show of this kind is essential to bring new vessels to the market – one that is crucial to our success,” Ahmad Al Ameeri, Chief Executive Officer, Seas and Deserts, said. “For Gulf Craft, year after year, the show serves as a catalyst for client networking, and we expect that to continue in 2020. This region has …

JW Marriott announced the opening of JW Marriott Muscat, setting the stage for distinctive experiences in Oman’s historic capital. Located in the heart of Muscat’s new business hub, within the Sultanate’s largest urban development project Madinat Al-Irfan, the hotel is an integral part of the prestigious Oman Convention & Exhibition Centre (OCEC) precinct. Directly linked to the OCEC, it also provides easy access to key city landmarks including Muscat Old Town, Royal Opera House, Old Souq and Mattrah Corniche. Overlooking inspiring surroundings, JW Marriott Muscat features 304 guest rooms and suites, many of them offering views of Oman’s wadis, spectacular natural valleys flowing with water. With 2500 square metres of banqueting space flooded with natural daylight and equipped with the latest state-of-the-art technology, the new property is the perfect place to host artfully choreographed meetings and events. Whether it’s a small board meeting, a large conference, a social gathering or a wedding, the hotel offers space and choice with two large ballrooms and six meeting rooms. Directly linked to the Oman Convention & Exhibition Centre (OCEC) precinct, JW Marriott Muscat invites business travellers to benefit from the acclaimed ‘Events by JW’ service, including multi-lingual and experienced event planners and tailored menus. JW Marriott Muscat houses the largest Executive Lounge in the country and is the first hotel to have an exclusive lounge for airline crew. Mitzi Gaskins, Vice President & Global Brand Leader, JW Marriott, said, “The hotel’s extensive offerings encourage guests to live in the present and pursue their best selves while immersing themselves in the culturally authentic experiences of this enchanting city.”

AnadoluJet goes global on March 29, 2020 with the launch of new international flights from Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen Airport and Ankara Esenboğa Airport. The expansion was announced during the pre-launch event held at Swissotel Al Ghurair, Dubai, with attendance of over 50 representatives from 25 agencies, including Dnata Travel, Kanoo Travel, BCD Travel, and Orient Travel Services. 10 weekly flights from Istanbul to Dubai will offer fliers affordability and ideal connectivity to the world. Set to carry its service quality abroad, the airline’s expanded flight network will include ten weekly flights to Dubai at affordable fares. The service will be available from AED 890 between Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen Airport and Dubai respectively. Speaking at the pre-launch event, Said Samil Karakas, Senior Vice President of Regional Flights at Turkish Airlines and Head of AnadoluJet, stated, “From March 29 onwards, AnadoluJet will continue to share the quality of its parent brand and open its doors to the UAE alongside many international destinations. This expansion will allow us to offer our warm and welcoming Turkish hospitality to many more passengers while providing them with comfortable travel options at affordable prices.” “As the sub brand of Turkish Airlines, the 87 years-old national flag carrier of Turkey that became the potent symbol of the world-renowned Turkish hospitality in years, we aim to strengthen this position with AnadoluJets’ new international flights. Operating at the Anatolian side of Istanbul, and offering an alternative to Turkish Airlines’ flights operated at its hub at Istanbul Airport which is located at the European side of the city, AnadoluJet is set to become a meeting point of worldwide passengers with its new international expansion, just like its namesake Anatolia, the land …

SalamAir has announced a strategic tie-up with Tune Protect Commercial Brokerage LLC (Tune Protect EMEIA), to offer an array of travel protection benefits for its passengers. The agreement encompasses travel protection for travel-related uncertainty of the airline’s domestic and international passengers. The travel protection products offered are specially designed for SalamAir travellers. The travel protection programme provides travellers with a host of benefits such as overseas medical expenses, travel cancellation, missed departure, baggage delays, travel delay, emergency medical evacuation, repatriation, personal accident and many more. Captain Mohamed Ahmed, CEO of SalamAir said, “As part of this agreement, we will offer comprehensive travel protection provisions for our customers that will allow them to be assured in case of any travel-related eventuality. Having a travel protection plan enables travellers to travel with peace of mind. Travel Protection is very popular in all markets across the world and we believe that our passengers will benefit from what Tune Protect is offering. Tune Protect offers comprehensive and affordable protection plans to meet the needs of travellers.” Arijit Munshi, General Manager of Tune Protect EMEIA said, “SalamAir is in the midst of its most exciting growth phase and I am sure that the technology provided by Tune Protect EMEIA to facilitate the travel protection programme across its network will provide ease and convenience, as well as a memorable travel experience to SalamAir’s customers.”

Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) celebrated its 60th anniversary, with a glamourous event in Dubai under the theme ‘Luxperience’ in partnership with Siam Kempinski Hotel Bangkok. The event highlighted luxury travel in Thailand, and in parallel, saw the launch of seven animal-themed family suites that have been added to Siam Kempinski Hotel Bangkok, the five-star resort-style property located at the heart of the city. Pichaya Saisaengchan, Director of Tourism Authority of Thailand Dubai and Middle East said, “We have experienced a shift in the industry as millennials become the main traveller demographic with the Middle East being home to a youthful population. We have seen an increase in the number of travellers to the Kingdom from the region over the past years, with 506,657 visitors from the Middle East and welcomed more than 130,000 visitors from the UAE in 2019.” “Inside each suite exists a sensory experience, where kids are invited to explore and create their unique “den” which they can call their own while staying with us. We have created an environment in which children return to more conventional, interactive playtime experiences using drawing materials, board games and books,” explains Richard Schestak, Managing Director of Siam Kempinski Hotel Bangkok.

Manazil Real Estate Group unveiled its latest development, Pullman Hotel in Sharjah, which will open soon, to address the increase in tourists choosing this vibrant emirate as their destination. The five-star property will be managed by Accor Middle East and is considered the latest addition to Manazil Group’s projects. Building and developing high-quality projects in the hospitality and health care sectors, Manazil is internationally renowned for projects with unique designs and architecture, including Marjan Island Resort and Spa, with panoramic view of the Gulf; Terhab Hotel and Towers Jumeirah (Jumeirah Village Dubai); and Terhab Hotel & Residence Sharjah Eng. Abdul Mohsen Al Hammadi, CEO of Manazil Real Estate Group, the owner of Pullman Hotel Sharjah, said, “The prime location, close to Sharjah Expo is a key feature, as Sharjah is increasingly attracting the region’s most important expos and conferences, supported by the Government of Sharjah and the Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority,” Al Hammadi continues, “Pullman Sharjah includes Oriana Hospital, the first of its kind in the region to promote medical tourism, supported by the Sharjah government. Through the five-star Pullman Sharjah, we aim to provide medical tourism and entertainment products for everyone. Furthermore, we are targeting GCC markets, some of the main markets for medical tourism, as well as European, Asian and African markets,” he concluded.

Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority (RAKTDA) and the International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA) will host a dedicated ‘Meetings Intelligence Workshop’ to strengthen the UAE’s position in the international meetings market. Taking place in Ras Al Khaimah at the Double Tree Hilton Hotel on March 1 and 2, 2020, the event forms part of an ongoing partnership between Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority and the ICCA to address the increasing competition stemming from the shift of the international meetings market to the Middle East.  Specially designed for meetings suppliers and industry professionals, the workshop will address the bidding process and business development opportunities for association meetings and will host interactive sessions with recognised international stakeholders to share expertise, best practice and knowledge. Focus will be placed on subjects such as customer insights and successful bidding processes, with representatives from Spain, the UAE, Egypt, Oman and Saudi Arabia, including Convention Bureaus, Convention & Exhibition Centres, PCOs and DMCs, participating in the workshop. This will be complemented by a panel discussion for up to 40 guests with key stakeholders in the region. Raki Phillips, CEO of Ras Al Khaimah Tourism, comments, “The common objective of the workshop is to share knowledge, address challenges and learn best practices with meetings management professionals. Participants and speakers are those looking to deepen their knowledge of association meetings and are interested in high-level education with a chance to network with leading PCOs from all over the world.”

ITB China organisers have postponed ITB China 2020, originally scheduled to be held on May 13–15 at Shanghai. The deferred show dates will be further announced by the show organisers. The decision is based on the current risk evaluation of the COVID-19 epidemic by local and global authorities. According to the regular report and COVID-19 prevention notification released by the National Health Commission of the People’s Republic of China recently, the COVID-19 situation in China continues to be challenging and developments in the following months are very hard to foresee at this stage. To ensure the safety of ITB China’s exhibitors and visitors, the organisers decided to postpone ITB China 2020, and in a responsible way allow all participants to make necessary arrangements in a timely manner. The ITB China organisers will continue to monitor the situation closely and provide further updates based on official assessments of the overall risk situation.

Hala Travel Management, an Abu Dhabi based company, has confirmed an extended partnership agreement with Amadeus to develop and deploy digital solutions for its government and corporate clients.  Hala Travel Management is part of the Etihad Aviation Group and has long championed global best practices in digital transformation and provides truly bespoke experiences to its clients. The agreement will span over the next five years with a focus on personalised services, traveller safety, and delivering unparalleled value for money to organisations in the UAE.  As part of the agreement, the company will be able to leverage the strengths of the Amadeus Selling Platform, connecting with global tools such as the Amadeus Online Corporate Traveller, Amadeus Margin Manager, Amadeus Fare Optimiser, the Amadeus B2B Wallet, Mobile Application and its latest Amadeus Value Hotels programme. Ahmed Ershood Al Shehhi, General Manager of Hala Travel Management, said, “We have always looked at technology as an enabler—a tool for providing enhanced, seamless, and more personalised services to our clients. With Amadeus, we have a wealth of digital tools at our fingertips, and are free from technology constraints so that we can put more of our passion to work.” Ernesto Sanchez Beaumont, Managing Director of Amadeus Gulf, said, “We are delighted to be collaborating with Hala Travel Management as a real pioneer in the local travel sector. The Amadeus platforms that they will have access to are built with customers in mind, following thousands of hours of in-depth user research. In this fast-moving industry, such platforms help companies to sell more, move faster, and ultimately serve better.”