Hilton Worldwide in a management agreement with His Excellency Abdullah Al Neyadi announced the launch of Hampton by Hilton Dubai Al Barsha, the second location for the mid-market brand in Dubai, following the success of the first Hampton by Hilton located in Al Qusais, near Dubai International Airport. His Excellency Abdullah Al Neyadi said, “The additional development will further diversify Dubai’s hospitality landscape in line with the Government of Dubai’s vision of increasing the number of affordable offerings for guests visiting the UAE closer to Expo 2020.” Rudi Jagersbacher, Area President, Middle East, Africa, and Turkey, said, “In line with Dubai’s vision of attracting 20 million tourists by 2020, we expect an increase in affluent middle-class tourists that look for true value in their hotel experiences without compromising on quality.” The bright and modern 153-room hotel is located in the Al Barsha district which is popular with business and leisure travellers given its ease of access to multiple commercial areas of Dubai such as Downtown Dubai, Internet City and the Jebel Ali Free Zone. The hotel also enjoys close proximity to Sharaf DG metro station which is only 350 metres away as well as major tourist attractions, including the Mall of the Emirates which is just one kilometre away from the hotel site.

Sabre Corporation announced the signing of a long-term agreement with Magnum Travel Services, a travel management company fully owned by World Travel Services, one of the most well-established travel companies in the Kingdom of Bahrain.  Through the renewed partnership, Magnum will extend its use of Sabre’s industry-leading technology and solutions to expand its footprint regionally and explore the online travel space. World Travel Services has worked with Sabre for more than a decade to enable corporate travel companies to enhance the experience for its business travellers. Magnum Travel Services will continue to use Sabre’s shopping, booking and travel management solutions to provide more personalised services and rich content to corporate travellers while driving new revenue opportunities, operational efficiencies and productivity. “New technology is driving higher expectations from travellers, and there’s now a greater demand for more personalised travel, online and mobile services,” said Hisham El Saadi, CEO, Magnum Travel Service. “Magnum Travel Services’ appetite for innovation is a driving force behind its growth and expansion in Bahrain, and we are proud to support its strategic plans through our technology solutions,” said Abdul-Razzaq Iyer, Vice President, Sabre Travel Network Middle East.

Emirates is once again pushing the boundaries of technology, becoming the first airline outside America to receive approval for biometric boarding from the US Customs Border Protection (CBP). Soon, customers flying from Dubai to any of Emirates’ 12 destinations in the US will be able to choose facial recognition technology at the departure gates, reducing the time taken for identity checks to two seconds or less. No pre-registration is required, and customers may also choose not to use the technology. Emirates does not store any biometric records of its customers – all the data is managed securely by CBP. The technology was piloted at the departure gates of Emirates’ flights from Dubai to New York and Los Angeles through the peak periods in July and August. The airline expects to make biometric boarding available for all its US destinations by year-end, once the equipment is in place.  Dr Abdulla Al Hashimi, Divisional Senior Vice President, Emirates Group Security, said, “Biometric boarding is one more step in streamlining processes at our hub using digital technology, saving our customers time and giving them peace of mind.” John Wagner, Deputy Executive Assistant Commission, Office of Field Operations, US Customs and Border Protection, said, “By comparing a traveller’s face to their passport or visa photo that was previously provided for the purpose of travel, we have streamlined identity verification that further secures and enhances the customer experience.”

A tourism delegation led by the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi) visited three major cities in China to help boost awareness about the emirate as a holiday destination for Chinese travellers. The delegation, which included Etihad Airways, hotels, attractions and tour operators, visited Chengdu on September 16, followed by Shenzhen on September 18 and finally Beijing on September 20, for the annual roadshow. China has become one of the largest international source markets for Abu Dhabi hotel guests, with the emirate welcoming 401,316 Chinese hotel guests in 2018.  June 2019 figures reveal a 21.8 per cent increase, year-to-date, in visitors from China compared to 2018, with the first six months of 2019 having already seen 209,000 Chinese visit the emirate. The Department is targeting 600,000 Chinese hotel guests a year by 2021. Several tourist attractions and hotels across the emirate have already received the China Tourism Academy’s Welcome Chinese Certification, awarded to destinations offering high quality services to Chinese visitors, including Mandarin-speaking staff, while recent legislation now allows Chinese visitors to receive a visa-on-arrival at Abu Dhabi International Airport making the process of staying in Abu Dhabi even easier. Many leading destinations and hotels across Abu Dhabi also now accept China Union Pay bank cards, making it easier for Chinese tourists to stay and travel. Saeed Rashed Al Saeed, Destination Marketing Department at DCT Abu Dhabi, said, “This year, we educated local agents as to how the emirate caters to different styles of tourism; for example, both Free Independent Travel and Group Inclusive Tours are rapidly growing in popularity in China. We look forward to further promoting Abu Dhabi’s unique offerings and cultural experiences, …

Dubai’s Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (Dubai Tourism) has announced a partnership with Turner Asia Pacific, a WarnerMedia company, to launch a new digital campaign starring the popular Chinese emoticon ‘Tuzki’, as part of efforts to further increase tourist traffic to the emirate from China. Issam Kazim, CEO, Dubai Corporation for Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DCTCM), said, “Through Tuzki, we aim to capture the imagination of Chinese netizens to participate in the campaign via social and digital touchpoints, further highlighting our ongoing efforts to work with relevant industry partners to deliver initiatives that will highlight Dubai as a ‘must-visit’ destination.”  In a clear indication of China’s rising prominence as one of Dubai’s fastest growing source markets, the first seven months of 2019 saw over 575,000 visitors arriving from China – a 12 per cent growth compared to the same period in 2018. Notable successes this year include the launch of the Dubai Mini Assistant, an enhancement of the city-experience Mini Program, one of the applications of the WeChat ecosystem, featuring 10 new mobile-based digital audio tours to highlight in-city accessibility, local historic sites and cultural landmarks for Chinese netizens. The Dubai College of Tourism also launched the Chinese Traveller Standards for tourist-facing staff across city touchpoints to enable them to deliver personalised, exceptional Dubai experiences to every Chinese guest. Chinese netizens will also be inspired to book a Dubai holiday during the National Day Golden Week from October 1-7, 2019.  “This digital rabbit is the perfect ambassador for Chinese tourists to Dubai and will show them that this remarkable place has a unique personality and welcomes them with a sense of fun,” said Clement Schwebig, Managing Director of China …

Abu Dhabi Airports announced the commencement of four weekly flights between Abu Dhabi and Muscat in Oman with SalamAir.  The flights will take-off from Muscat International Airport (MCT) at 9:00 am every Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday, and will arrive at Abu Dhabi International Airport at 10:20 am. The return flights will take-off from Abu Dhabi at 11:05 am, arriving in Muscat at 12:05 pm local time. Commenting on the new route to Muscat, Maarten De Groof, Chief Commercial Officer at Abu Dhabi Airports, said, “Muscat is one of the most popular destinations among UAE citizens and residents, and these four new flights will give them new convenient options. This partnership demonstrates Abu Dhabi Airports’ commitment to continuously developing its network and connectivity, with the aim of providing travellers with ever more choices. We are always keen to attract new airlines to our airport, particularly from popular destinations, such as Oman. The new flights will contribute to the growth of the tourism industry in Abu Dhabi, a city which is already a global aviation hub, alongside a major destination for tourists and business people alike.”

His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Mohamed Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, inaugurated the fourth edition of the International Photography Festival, XPOSURE 2019, on September 19. Opening addresses by Sheikh Sultan bin Ahmed Al Qasimi, Chairman of the Sharjah Media Council (SMC); and three of this edition’s international guests, Aidan Sullivan, Ami Vitale and Ray Wells, discussed several questions about the crucial role of photography in ‘xposing’ stories that must be told, and the need for events like XPOSURE to continue to bring the global photography community together on one platform to discuss their challenges and opportunities. The UAE’s cultural capital has dedicated itself to the exciting world of photography this entire weekend. Organised by Sharjah Government Media Bureau (SGMB), the four-day event has tastefully curated 1,112 works by 357 photographers from all seven continentrs under four distinct themes, ‘Xpose Adventure’, Xpose Emotions’, ‘Xpose Art’ and ‘Xpose Life’. It runs at Expo Centre Sharjah until September 22, and offers amateurs, professionals and hobbyists in the UAE to hear from 53 leading names in the industry, who have flown into Sharjah with their finest works and awe-inspiring experiences. Sultan bin Ahmed Al Qasimi said, “At XPOSURE, we carry the messages of humanity and goodness in our hands.” In his keynote address at the inaugural ceremony, the Sharjah Media Council Chairman reiterated the need for responsible and ethical photography practices. “Pictures are the most powerful medium in media today. In our digital era, a picture’s impact is stronger and more far-reaching than we can imagine. People require strong proof to believe in something, and pictures do that. This means, what we shoot and share with the world must …

Air Arabia, the Middle East and North Africa’s first and largest low-cost carrier, now offers direct flights between Sharjah and Vienna. The non-stop six-hour flight to Vienna, will operate four times a week, on Sundays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays, and will be expanded to daily flight service as of mid-December. Adel Al Ali, Group Chief Executive Officer of Air Arabia and Julian Jäger, Joint CEO and COO of Vienna Airport, officially inaugurated the new route at a press briefing in Vienna. Commenting on the inaugural launch of the route, Adel Al Ali said, “We are pleased to start our direct flights connecting Sharjah and Vienna. This new service will provide our customers in the UAE and Austria with a great opportunity to discover the beauty of both countries while enjoying Air Arabia’s value-for-money offers.” “In recent years, we have seen a significant rise in number of tourists from the UAE and Vienna is a popular destination amongst Arab travellers. The city of Vienna greatly benefits from Air Arabia’s new direct flight connection to Vienna Airport. We have registered close to 13% growth on flights to the Middle East since the beginning of the year. We look forward to welcoming even more visitors from the Middle East to this beautiful city,” stated Jäger, Joint CEO and COO of Vienna Airport.

flynas, the Saudi national air carrier and leading low-cost airline in the Middle East, announced the launch of its new direct international flights to Lucknow and Calicut in India starting from October 15, 2019, as part of its global expansion plan. This step will raise the number of flynas’ destinations in India to four after it has previously launched direct flights to New Delhi and Hyderabad. flynas will operate three weekly flights to each destination, with the first flight scheduled from Riyadh to Lucknow on October 15, while the second and third flights are scheduled for October 17 and October 18, respectively. Furthermore, flights between Riyadh and Calicut and Dammam and Lucknow will commence from October 16. flynas had recently announced the launch of its new direct flights between Riyadh and New Delhi, which started on July 1, 2019. It also announced the launch of direct flights between Riyadh and Hyderabad in June 2018 as part of its expansion strategy for the next phase which seeks to add more destinations and contribute towards doubling its number of passengers, which reached 6.6 million passengers on 60,000 domestic and international flights last year. New destinations include Lahore, Islamabad, Algeria, Erbil, Baghdad, Sarajevo, Vienna, Batumi, Tbilisi, Baku and other domestic and international destinations.

Etihad Guest, the award-winning loyalty programme of Etihad Airways, and Emirates NBD, a leading bank in the Middle East, have partnered to allow the bank’s customers to convert their credit card loyalty programme points, Plus Points, into Etihad Guest Miles. Starting from September 15, Emirates NBD customers will be able exchange 1 Plus Point for 10 Etihad Guest Miles upon converting a minimum of 500 Plus points. To celebrate the launch, Emirates NBD customers will be able to enjoy a 20 per cent bonus miles reward as well as enter a draw to win one of 20 prizes of 50,000 Miles each from September 15 to October 31, 2019. The bonus of 20 per cent Etihad Guest Miles will be credited within 15 working days, at the end of the launch campaign. Yasser Al Yousuf, Vice President Commercial Partnerships, Etihad Aviation Group, said, “We provide many opportunities to use Etihad Guest Miles, such as redeeming them for flights or upgrades, using them to book over 300,000 hotels worldwide, to purchase hundreds of products online on the Etihad Guest Reward Shop, or to donate their miles to charity.” Suvo Sarkar, Senior Executive Vice President & Group Head – Retail Banking and Wealth Management, Emirates NBD, said, “Emirates NBD’s partnership with Etihad’s award-winning Guest Miles programme demonstrates our commitment to work with leading partners to continuously enhance our customer offering.”