Hyatt announced the growth of its portfolio of lifestyle hotels across the Middle East. The planned expansion includes the opening of the first Hyatt centric branded hotels in the United Arab Emirates, the State of Qatar and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the first Andaz branded hotel in Dubai, and the second Alila branded property in the Sultanate of Oman. These lifestyle properties will provide luxury and adventurous travellers with unique experiences in hand-picked destinations and are expected to add more than 1,300 keys to the region, bringing the number of Hyatt lifestyle hotels in the Middle East to seven by 2023. There are currently two Hyatt lifestyle hotels in the Middle East; Alila Jabal Akhdar, a luxury boutique resort perched 6,562 feet (2,000 metres) above sea level in the Al Hajar Mountains of Oman, and Andaz Capital Gate Abu Dhabi, located in the iconic Capital Gate building, the world’s furthest leaning hotel at an impressive 18-degree incline. Kurt Straub, Vice President of operations for the Middle East, Africa and South West Asia for Hyatt, said, “The Middle East is seeing a rising demand for lifestyle hotels. At Hyatt, we aim to grow with intent. The five planned openings in the United Arab Emirates, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the State of Qatar and the Sultanate of Oman cement our commitment to the region and will provide an enhanced lifestyle experience for our guests.” The expected growth includes the debut of Hyatt’s fastest-growing lifestyle brand across three countries, with the projected openings of Hyatt Centric Dubai La Mer (2020), Hyatt Centric West Bay Doha (2020), and Jabal Omar Hyatt Centric Makkah Hotel and Residences (2023). Located in the heart of …

Dubai’s Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (Dubai Tourism) held a strategic meeting with Hilton, as part of its continuing series of engagements with key industry partners to provide them an overview and outlook of Dubai’s tourism industry and explore ways of further increasing the level of stakeholder collaboration and leveraging all efforts that are underway to achieve the goals of Dubai’s Tourism Vision 2022-25. The meeting was held in the presence of His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed al Maktoum, Chairman of Dubai Airports, President of the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority and Chairman and CEO of Emirates Group, and was attended by His Excellency Helal Saeed Almarri, Director General, Dubai Tourism as well as Christopher J. Nassetta, President and Chief Executive Officer for Hilton, Simon Vincent, President Europe, Middle East and Africa and Mr Rudi Jagersbacher, President Middle East, Africa and Turkey. The meeting highlighted the invaluable role that is being played by the hospitality sector, particularly by global partners such as Hilton in supporting Dubai’s endeavour to become the world’s No. 1 most visited, revisited and preferred city as envisioned by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum, UAE Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai. Hilton has been consistently present in Dubai for more than 40 years and is committed to the long-term growth and development of travel and tourism in the city. Hilton currently has 18 hotels in Dubai with a further 14 hotels in its development pipeline. During the meeting, Dubai Tourism shared new destination insights and highlighted the strong growth in tourism traffic to Dubai in the first three quarters of 2019, the key strategies that were implemented to drive sustained visitation …

Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority (RAKTDA) welcomed Pegasus’ inaugural flights from Instanbul to Ras Al Khaimah on November 28. The flight departed from Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen International Airport (SAW) on November 27 at 9:50 pm and arrived at Ras Al Khaimah International Airport (RKT) at 3:20 am on November 28. The arrival of the first flight was celebrated with a water cannon salute for the aircraft and a special cake cutting ceremony attended by key figures in the aviation industry, including representatives from RAK Civil Aviation, RAK Airport, RAKTDA and Pegasus. H.E. Engr. Sheikh Salem bin Sultan bin Saqr Al Qasimi, member of the Government of Ras Al Khaimah Executive Council shared, “We are proud to announce the new route between Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen International Airport and Ras Al Khaimah International Airport. RAK is a key player in the local aviation market, and this is just one of the many developments we have planned for the airport in the coming months and years.” Raki Philips, Chief Executive Officer of Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority commented, “The new route from Istanbul to Ras Al Khaimah is a fantastic achievement for the airport. It opens up our beautiful emirate to key markets in Turkey and beyond. The new route is just in time for one of our busiest seasons, as the weather cools down, tourists are able to take full advantage of Ras Al Khaimah’s many great outdoor assets, inclusive of the beaches and mountains.” Sanjay Khanna, Chief Executive Officer of Ras Al Khaimah International Airport added, “The new route from Istanbul to Ras Al Khaimah is a fantastic achievement for our airport and I cannot wait to see the …

Bahrain Tourism and Exhibitions Authority (BTEA) roadshow was held from December 1-7, 2019 at Moscow and Saint Petersburg. The delegation was headed by various BTEA officials and includes representatives from the Gulf Air, alongside a number of hotels including Al Bandar Hotel & Resort, Sofitel Zallaq Bahrain Thalassa Sea & Spa, Gulf Hotel, Four Seasons Hotel Bahrain Bay, Rotana Hotels and Novotel Al Dana Resort. The delegation also included representatives from five tourism agencies and destination management companies including Best of Bahrain, Visit Bahrain, Go Bahrain, Mathias Tours and Gosaibi Travels. The roadshow aims to promote Bahrain as a tourist destination to the Russian market and will also portray the Kingdom as an ideal destination for weddings. During the roadshow, the delegation will be meeting with wedding planners, representatives from travel agencies and the media. On this occasion, Dr. Ali Follad, Acting Director of Marketing and Tourism Promotion Directorate at BTEA, commented, “We are working closely with our representative office in Russia to highlight the Kingdom’s position as an attractive location with distinct offerings. During this roadshow, we will be promoting the Kingdom of Bahrain as the ideal destination for tourism by showcasing its unique elements to visitors. We will also be promoting the Kingdom as an ideal destination for hosting weddings and celebrations due to its promising infrastructure and the wide range of wedding services and amenities available. Through this roadshow, we aim to attract investment and increase the number of visitors coming to the Kingdom, further developing the tourism sector and increasing its contribution to the national economy.” Hosting the roadshow comes in line with the BTEA’s strategic outreach programme to promote the tourism brand ‘Ours Yours’ aimed …

UAE and Poland strengthen their bilateral relations. The discussion was preceded by H.E. Dr. Abdullah Belhaif Al Nuaimi, UAE Minister of Infrastructure Development and Chairman of Federal Transport Authority (FTA) – Land and Maritime and H.E. Marek Gróbarczyk, Polish Minister of Maritime Economy and Inland Navigation. Minister Al Nuaimi was accompanied by an official UAE delegation composed of officials from Abu Dhabi Ports, DP Ports, Sharjah Ports, and Customs Department. The delegation was earlier received by Dr. Abdul Rahim Yousef Al Awadhi, UAE Ambassador to Poland. Expressing his happiness to visit Poland, H.E. Al Nuaimi stressed the UAE’s interest to further strengthen its ties with Poland, especially across various economic fields, including the maritime and land transport sectors. H.E. Al Nuaimi said that having robust relations in the industry would serve their common interests, with both sides benefitting from the many opportunities to be brought forth by such ties. H.E. Al Nuaimi also took the opportunity to commend Poland for ensuring freedom of navigation and taking measures to facilitate and promote maritime transport. During the visit, a series of meetings were held to discuss economic and trade relations and explore opportunities for Polish companies to invest in the UAE, especially in the infrastructure sector. A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was also signed between the UAE’s FTA – Land and Maritime and Poland’s Ministry of Infrastructure Development to reinforce their maritime cooperation, including freedom of navigation. Both sides also agreed to take all necessary measures to facilitate and promote maritime transport, avoid unnecessary delays, simplify and speed up customs, and support the equal treatment and exchange of ships in their ports and territorial waters. H.E. Al Nuaimi added, “The agreement will …

Wyndham Hotels & Resorts, a new hotel under Ramada by Wyndham brand in Deira to open its doors in late November 2019. Ramada by Wyndham Dubai Deira Hotel is situated in the heart of Dubai’s historical and cultural district of Deira, 10 minutes away from Dubai International Airport and minutes away from Dubai’s first Shopping Mall, the vibrant Al Ghurair Center. The hotel has undergone a multi-million renovations, upgrading all its facilities including bedrooms, restaurants, public areas, and technology. The hotel has 173 bedrooms and suites, two restaurants and a rooftop pool. Ahmed El-Bassyouni, Head of Hospitality at Al Ghurair Hospitality, said, “We are delighted to see the continuing growth of our hospitality portfolio with the addition of such a well-known and loved international hotel brand as Ramada by Wyndham. We are extremely proud of this new partnership with Ramada by Wyndham and we are committed to continuing the new partnerships for Al Ghurair to grow our portfolio and bring more quality hospitality options to those visiting or staying in the UAE.” Al Ghurair Properties, the real estate development arm of Al Ghurair Investments offers a wide portfolio of residential and hospitality properties that strategically respond to the needs of both UAE residents and tourists to the UAE, priding themselves on their relentless commitment to quality and timely completion. Al Ghurair Properties currently own 5 other hotel properties in the Deira area, including Swissôtel Al Ghurair, Swissôtel Living, Star Metro Hotel and Apartments, Nojoum Hotel Apartments and Kings Square.

Ras Al Khaimah has been declared as the ‘Gulf Tourism Capital’ by the Ministers of Tourism of GCC member states during a recent meeting in Muscat, where they discussed measures aimed at coordinating tourism efforts in GCC countries. The meeting was attended by a UAE delegation led by Mohammed Khamis Al Muhairi, Advisor to the Minister of Economy for Tourism Affairs, on behalf of Sultan bin Saeed Al Mansouri, Minister of Economy, said a report in WAM. Al Mansouri stated that Ras Al Khaimah’s selection as the capital of Gulf tourism highlights the UAE’s leading stature as a popular tourism destination, noting that the previous years have witnessed ongoing growth in the number of tourists visiting the country from around the world, and praising the decision of GCC tourism ministers and officials. Presenting the key tourism achievements, Al Muhairi said that in 2018, the number of hotel guests visiting the UAE reached 25.6 million, an increase of 3.8 per cent compared to 2017. He also said that the report of the World Tourism and Travel Council in 2019 revealed that the tourism sector made up 11.1 per cent of the UAE’s GDP in 2018, amounting to Dh 164.7 billion ($44.8 billion). This contribution is expected to rise by 3 per cent in 2019, and tourism provided 9.6 per cent of total jobs in 2018, corresponding to around 611,500 positions. Raki Phillips, CEO of Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority said, “It is a great honour for the emirate of Ras Al Khaimah to be recognised and named as the “Gulf Tourism Capital” by the tourism ministers and senior officials of the Gulf Cooperation Council. Under the wise leadership of Sheikh …

Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority (SCTDA) has announced its new standards for the classification of hotel establishments in the emirate, in line with the implementation of Resolution No. 38 of 2019. The resolution aims to classify hotel establishments in Sharjah in line with the latest standards. The new standards were announced following a workshop organised by SCTDA for representatives of hotels and other hospitality establishments in Sharjah. The workshop detailed the updated classification criteria for hotel establishments and the process of implementation. The new standards fall within the directives of His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah, to continuously enhance the experience of tourists visiting Sharjah, considering the tourism sector as one of the most important pillars of the national economy. H.E. Khalid Jasim Al Midfa, Chairman of SCTDA, said, “We are confident that the new classifications will reflect positively on the performance of hotel establishments, including enhancements in facilities and services, and further contribute to boosting the hotel industry’s contribution as one of the most important components of the tourism infrastructure in the emirate. SCTDA has developed the classification in line with international standards and local requirements of establishments, with the support of our partners in the government and private sectors, in line with our mission to empower the hotel industry and realise Sharjah Tourism Vision 2021, which targets 10 million tourist arrivals in the emirate by 2021. SCTDA continues to work on updating the classification and licensing criteria for existing hotel establishments in the emirate and attaining the highest international standards, with the goal of enhancing quality services of hotel establishments and providing more options for …

City Centre Ajman celebrates an important milestone with the completion of its multi-phase redevelopment this year. The mall transforms from a community centre to a regional shopping and lifestyle destination housing a diverse mix of 130 international brands and restaurants. The second stage has seen the mall refine its offering and diversify its retail mix to include a dedicated home category, much-loved fashion and lifestyle brands and all-new dining offerings. As part of an ongoing AED 643 million enhancement project, the redevelopment offers visitors with an upgraded shopping and leisure destination as part of Majid Al Futtaim’s continued efforts to evolve its customer journey and experiences. The improvement has also seen finishing touches added to the new wing as well as the enhancement of public areas and mall facilities. Fuad Sharaf, Managing Director of UAE, Oman and Bahrain Shopping Malls, Majid Al Futtaim Properties, said, “This redevelopment emerges from listening to our customers and understanding that they expect more from malls in their community. We want to provide them with a single destination that satisfies the wants and needs of their busy modern life. With the added contemporary design, increased convenience and retail mix, the mall’s transformation reiterates the promise that City Centre Ajman, like all Majid Al Futtaim properties, exists ultimately to create great moments for everyone, every day.” The list of new brands at City Centre Ajman includes popular home décor department stores Centrepoint and Home Centre, making their debut in the Emirate. By evolving into a diverse, regional mall, City Centre Ajman is also on-track to uplifting the economy of Ajman and the Northern Emirates, creating 250 new jobs in the Emirate.  

Inbound medical tourism in Turkey rises, as the nation’s healthcare facilities have treated 264,138 medical tourists in the first six months of 2019, with the year-end projections estimated at one million incoming medical tourists. This forecast will generate upwards of USD 3.5 billion in revenues, surpassing the USD 2.5 billion generated by the end of the previous year, which saw 551,748 tourists travelling into Turkey from over 120 countries to avail healthcare treatments. Salih Ozer, Attaché of Culture and Information, Turkey to the UAE, said, “Tourists come to Turkey for a lot more than its sights; medical tourism into our cities has been climbing steadily over the last decade. We have been investing heavily in the growth of our healthcare sector, and we now offer high-quality treatments at very affordable prices. Medical tourists from our GCC neighbours, in particular, come to Turkey to avail cosmetic treatments. They are drawn in by the opportunity to combine these treatments with Turkish holidays.” The Turkish cities of Istanbul, Ankara, Antalya, Izmir, Yalova and Adana receive the highest number of medical tourists each year, from GCC nations, including the UAE, Kuwait, Bahrain and Qatar, as well as from Germany, Russia. Azerbaijan and Iraq. The top ten clinics for medical tourists listed services under ophthalmology, obstetrics and gynaecology, oncology, cosmetic surgery, orthopaedics and cardiology as the top treatments in 2018.