Dubai’s Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (Dubai Tourism) hosted a series of strategic meetings with tourism and media companies in Moscow and St. Petersburg recently. The meetings drew attention to Russia’s emergence as the sixth largest source market for Dubai. The number of Russian tourists has grown exponentially over the past few years, from 240,000 in 2016 to 678,000 in 2018 and in the first seven months of this year,  Dubai has welcomed 392,000 visitors from Russia. Issam Kazim, CEO of Dubai Corporation for Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DCTCM), who led the delegation, observed that Russian tourist traffic continued to play an important role in helping Dubai maintain steady tourism volumes. He also noted that following an exceptional resurgence in Russian visitors to Dubai in 2018, largely due to the visa-on-arrival enablement, growth from Russia levelled off to more sustainable volumes in H1 2019. Tour operators and destination management companies, who attended the meetings, included TUI – Russia & CIS, Karlson Tourism, Space Travel TO and Art Tour while Dubai Tourism also held wide-ranging discussions with key media companies including Kommersant Style, Spbdnevnik.ru, Proturizm.club, as well as TV and radio broadcasting company Travel.Vesti.  Dubai Tourism also hosted networking events in Moscow and St. Petersburg, which were attended by over 200 travel trade representatives.  

Prominent Spanish hotel chain with a portfolio of 50 hotels in six of the most exotic countries such as Spain, Mexico, Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Italy and Brazil with unmatched holiday options broadens their markets as Middle East travellers have shown interest. Some of the brands that cater to the Middle East market are Only YOU Hotels, a conveniently located premium urban brand. The hotels stand out for their practical luxury, focus on little details, and design. Palladium Hotels are 4-star holiday hotels located in “sun and sand” destinations in idyllic enclaves on the island of Ibiza (Spain). Since this summer the brand has also been present in Benalmádena (Spain). They are characterised by their excellent location on the Mediterranean coast and attentive personalised service. TRS Hotels are luxury resorts made for adults only, situated in the best areas of the Caribbean Sea, Mexico and the Dominican Republic. They boast a wide variety of premium services, an extensive culinary offer and 24-hour personalised service. Ushuaïa Unexpected Hotels — the Ushuaïa Ibiza Beach Hotel combines a designer environment and maximum quality in its services and facilities, bringing together the most innovative hotel experience with the best open-air entertainment. Bless Collection Hotels offers options in both an urban destination (Bless Hotel Madrid) and a holiday destination (Bless Hotel Ibiza). Bless Collection Hotels is characterised by its vanguard design, exquisite treatment, that is both exclusive and personalised, and wide range of unique experiences.

It was a great evening at the Kiza Restaurant & Lounge in Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC), Dubai during the African Market, an event that was held to promote emerging Pan-African businesses. RwandAir took the opportunity to showcase their products and services to the local and expat community in Dubai. Timothy Njihia, Area Manager for RwandAir, stated that this was a great place to engage potential and existing RwandAir customers.  To support the event further, RwandAir had in place two return economy class tickets from Dubai to any destination in the RwandAir network to be awarded to two winners participating in the African Market, an opportunity to experience to fly the dream of Africa, as the airline’s tagline says.

Established by the Sharjah Investment and Development Authority (Shurooq), the Mleiha Archaeological and Eco-tourism Project has been implemented by a team of experts to restore and protect the flora and fauna of the the Mleiha region. Apart from the Adventure Trek package, the Mleiha Archaeological Centre also has the Archaeological Tour package, where you can tour different man-made buildings – forts, cemeteries, the communal kitchen, among others – from various historical periods, as well as visit natural formations nearby such as Fossil Rock, Valley of the Caves, and Camel Rock. The centre’s well-curated exhibitions, interactive displays and artefacts provide an introduction to the past and allows you to travel back thousands of years to see the UAE in its nascent stages of existence. There are several sports packages as well for adrenaline junkies, including dune bashing, all specially designed keeping in mind the eco-sensitive nature of the region. All the guides are either palaeontologists, archaeologists, history enthusiasts or wildlife experts. “The Mleiha dessert landscape is a beautiful yet tough environment to survive in. The fauna and flora that call this place home have had to adapt to a desert that has scorching hot summers and cool wet winters. This has led to many interesting adaptations in the wildlife and plant life found on the dunes and rocky outcrops of Mleiha,” said Tharindu K.W.A., a wildlife expert at the centre.

Avani Ibn Battuta Dubai Hotel scheduled to welcome its first guests in November this year, has appointed Amer Ammar as General Manager. Ammar will oversee the upcoming launch and daily operations of the new 360-key Avani hotel. Having worked in the hospitality sector for over 25 years, Ammar, an original native of Jordan, began his career in 1994. In 2001, he moved to Dubai where he worked in various operational leadership roles for Taj Palace and Coral International. In 2007, he joined Al Ghurair Group as Hospitality Manager and set up the hospitality division for the Group. He became General Manager for the first time with the pre-opening team of Premier Inn Dubai Silicon Oasis in 2009. Between 2011 and 2015, Ammar was the General Manager at Premier Inn Abu Dhabi Capital Centre, and subsequently Cluster General Manager for Premier Inn Abu Dhabi hotels. His last assignment prior to joining Avani Hotels & Resorts was General Manager at Premier Inn Dubai Investments Park. Developed by Nakheel, Avani Ibn Battuta Dubai Hotel is strategically located adjacent to the recently-opened Ibn Battuta Metro Link connected to Ibn Battuta Mall. The 18-storey hotel will feature a pool, a gym, an all-day dining restaurant, a coffee shop and car parking.

VFS Global is welcoming Saudi talent to consider a future in the tourism sector as the country accelerates its efforts towards becoming a world-class tourist hub. Building on its Saudisation initiative, which has achieved 51 per cent and a Platinum status under the Saudi Nitaqat programme since being launched across Riyadh, Jeddah and Al Khobar in 2018, VFS Global is encouraging Saudi students to opt for career paths within the organisation as it eyes exceeding 60 per cent Saudisation by 2020. To date, the company’s efforts have been devoted to hiring over 60 qualified Saudi national interns. Since 2018, VFS Global has partnered with the King Saud University, King Abdulaziz University and Jeddah University. The company is currently working on internship agreements with Princess Nourah Bint Abdul Rahman University and Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University. Dr. Adeeb A. Al-Khaliel, Vice – Rector Assistant for Industrial and Business Relation, King Saud University, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, said, “The tourism industry shows promising potential for the leadership’s vision and we are pleased with the Saudisation initiative VFS Global has incorporated in its organisational framework.” Vinay Malhotra, Regional Group COO, VFS Global, said, “ As a company with strong foundations in the tourism sector, VFS Global is pleased to welcome more Saudi nationals into this innovative space in order to highlight potential employment opportunities and make progress towards KSA’s Vision 2030 directives for launching promising sectors.” In addition to the internship programme, VFS Global has also launched a management trainee programme for existing Saudi nationals to build on mid-level manager capabilities and provide rapid development career pathways.

Arabian Adventures, part of Emirates Group, has significantly expanded its global partnership network by appointing four overseas companies, Echapevoo, Yana Inc, Liz Berry Consultancy and United Spirit Nordic, as its market representatives.  The partnerships will see the companies drive awareness and sales of Arabian Adventures’ premium products and services by promoting its comprehensive offering to trade customers in a total of 10 new markets across three continents. The destination management company will be represented by Echapevoo in France, Yana Inc in South Korea, Liz Berry Consultancy in South Africa and United Spirit Nordic in the Nordic-Baltic region, including Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, and Sweden. Arabian Adventures’ extensive network now consists of nine partners and three sales offices, covering 20 countries across the globe. Samir Mehta, General Manager at Arabian Adventures, said, “We are delighted to enhance our global presence by partnering with renowned industry experts in 10 new markets. These strategic partnerships allow us to effectively promote our quality offering and engage local trade partners and consumers seeking premium services in the UAE and the region.” Arabian Adventures is the UAE’s leading destination management company. Its full service offering includes everything from personalised meet and assist services at the airport, transfers, hotel reservations, tours and safaris, event management, cruise handling and visa assistance.

Dubai has retained its position as the fourth most visited city in the world for the fifth year in a row, according to Mastercard’s Global Destination Cities Index (GDCI) 2019.  The city welcomed 15.93 million international overnight visitors last year. The UAE’s capital, Abu Dhabi, was ranked as the fastest growing city in the Middle East and Africa, with a Compound Annual Growth Rate of 16.7 per cent between 2009 and 2018 in overnight arrivals. “As the most attractive destination in the Middle East and Africa region for international visitors, Dubai connects people from all over the world with a diverse range of offerings for leisure and business travellers alike. As the official payment technology partner for Expo 2020, we look forward to delivering experiences to millions of visitors from across the globe as Dubai hosts the largest event ever staged in the region,” said Girish Nanda, General Manager, UAE & Oman, Mastercard. Sanjive Khosla, Chief Commercial Officer, Expo 2020 Dubai, said, “Dubai continues to flourish as a world-class destination for both leisure and business travellers – as demonstrated by its status as the planet’s fourth most visited city in Mastercard’s Global Destination Cities Index 2019.”

IHG (InterContinental Hotels Group) has signed a Management Agreement with real estate company RIKAZ Properties to develop its fourth Holiday Inn hotel in Al Khobar. Expected to open in January 2021, Holiday Inn Al Khobar King Fahd Road will be located in close proximity to the King Fahd Causeway, making it the ideal choice for leisure guests during holiday seasons as well as corporate guests looking for ease of connectivity to and from Bahrain. The 140-key property will feature an outdoor pool, a lobby lounge, food & beverage outlets and a state-of-the-art gymnasium. Pascal Gauvin, Managing Director, India, Middle East & Africa, IHG, said, “With a number of recent signings in Saudi Arabia, across our brands such as Holiday Inn, voco and Crowne Plaza, we are growing our presence in key cities and gearing up to cater to the needs of diverse guest profiles expected to visit the country in the coming years.” Khalid Al Gahtani, Chairman, RIKAZ Properties, added, “The Holiday Inn brand has an international appeal and we are confident that this latest hotel will perform successfully and cater to the increasing demand for midscale accommodation in the country.”

Experience Hub, the trade and promotion arm of Yas Island, Abu Dhabi, has revealed ‘Yas Expert,’ a new destination training and certification programme for travel agents.  In the first three weeks of the programme’s launch, more than 1,000 agents registered to undertake the online programme, which includes modules on the destination’s award-winning attractions, leisure experiences, on-island stays and itinerary planning. Additional modules in development include seasonal experiences that will cater to holidaymakers from key feeder markets, such as upcoming Diwali celebrations. Travel agents who complete all modules are certified as ‘Yas Experts,’ and also qualify to enjoy a number of incentives as well as join exclusive familiarisation trips, during which the agents complete their educational journey by experiencing the destination first-hand. Programme completion incentives include experience vouchers, the opportunity to win instant and mega prizes, including all-expenses paid trip to Yas Island for two. The first mega-prize draw in each key market will take place at the end of September. Speaking about the programme, Bruno Wiley, Vice President of Sales, Experience Hub, said, “Initiatives such as the Yas Expert programme highlight Experience Hub’s evergreen approach to continuously enhancing our relationships with travel agents to help them get acquainted with Yas Island, which continues to grow and evolve.” The programme is currently available to travel agents in the GCC, India and the UK and will soon be available to agents in Russia and China.