Category Archives: Agents

BTB Tours celebrates its fifth anniversary this month. With tailored group and individual tours facilitates leisure travel in UAE, Czech Republic, Turkey, Egypt and Azerbaijan. Since the inauguration in 2016 in Dubai by Salih Gozcu, the company welcomed around 300,000 guests coming from 23 countries. BTB partners with 500 hotels and resorts in the UAE alone and over 2,000 hotels across the all other destinations. Even during the challenging times of the pandemic, BTB Tours welcomed 150,000 guests that position themselves as the no. 1 inbound producer to the UAE.  Next year they are planning to bring 200,000 guests, as BTB Tours is entering two new markets – Hungary and Israel. In just five years, BTB Tours has bagged the prestigious Arabian Travel Awards as Best Innovative DMC and The Face of the Future award for their chairman, Salih Gozcu. Salih Gozcu, Chairman of BTB Tours, said: “Here at BTB Tours, we celebrate diversity and are inspired every traveling season by the seemingly limitless creativity of the people we welcome to the UAE from around the globe. That’s why we want to ensure that we celebrate our 5th anniversary with the best travel packages that we will offer our guests. As part of the celebrations, BTB Tours has launched new offerings to accommodate the continuous increase of the travel demand to the UAE” In the last year during the pandemic, BTB Tours growth rate was by 300% and to expand their team to 150 employees across all their 5 offices worldwide. To add to the celebrations, BTB Tours has announced the launch of “BTB Luxury” to cater to high-end guests to Dubai and the UAE.

The Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority (SCTDA) reaffirms its commitment to empowering professionals in the tourism sector by launching the Hadaf Initiative, which offers rewards and incentives to SCTDA-licensed tour guides. This initiative, which is part of SCTDA’s plan to support national talent interested in establishing a career in Sharjah’s tourism sector, also opens more opportunities for those interested in obtaining a tourist guide license in the emirate. The Hadaf initiative is being launched in conjunction with the World Tourism Day, which falls on September 27 each year. The Hadaf program comprises three main strategies. The first being the hosting of virtual workshops centered around training tour guides to develop relevant skills, keeping pace with the latest global trends within the sector. The training will moreover aid tour guides in increasing their awareness of the importance of having accurate data regarding tourist destinations, as well as the culture and heritage of Sharjah and the UAE in general. The second is for SCTDA-licensed tour guides to receive incentives in appreciation of their efforts in serving the tourism sector and Sharjah visitors. As part of the incentives, tour guides will receive the Hadaf e-card, which provides special discounts and exclusive packages. As for the third one, the Authority will have observers and experts participate in the tours and evaluate the performance of tour guides during their interaction with tourists. H.E. Khalid Jasim Al Midfa, Chairman of SCTDA, said: “The Hadaf initiative, which will initiate the virtual workshops, field inspection tours, and the Hadaf reward card, is part of our commitment to support and reward licensed tour guides and encourage young talent in the tourism sector. This also reflects our confidence in …

dnata Travel is revealing the results of a survey conducted with thousands of UAE travellers in July and August 2021, during the busiest time for travel from the UAE the brand has seen since the onset of the global pandemic. Revealing insights to UAE residents’ travel plans for 2021 and 2022 so far, 86% of the respondents expressed the desire to travel internationally in this time. Of these respondents, 56% indicated a plan to travel to Europe for their next holiday, with more than a half planning to stay for a duration of one to two weeks. This represents a significant increase in room nights compared to previous years, with dnata Travel reporting a past average of three to four night stays in European destinations for UAE travellers. Emily Jenkins, Head of Leisure UAE at dnata Travel, commented: “We conducted the latest dnata Travel survey in July/August 2021, as international travel witnessed significant growth with many countries opening up to vaccinated travellers ahead of the summer, including destinations across Europe, North America, parts of the Indian Ocean, and Asia. “Since the start of the pandemic, we have witnessed a pent-up demand for travel, particularly in the wake of the UAE’s impressive vaccination drive. Much of Europe has eased restrictions for vaccinated travellers offering a wealth of options, with something for every type of traveller, from beach retreats to island escapes and city breaks.” From the dnata Travel survey findings, the top five most sought-after destinations in Europe for 2021/2022 holidays with UAE residents include: Switzerland, UK, Italy, Greece, and Georgia, respectively. Outside of Europe, survey respondents expressed interest in planning travel to Asia, with Thailand making up the vast majority, …

Kanoo Travel has marked a new milestone by rolling out the new Sabre Red 360 (SR 360) across its offices in the Middle East in attempt to fuel its ambitious growth plans by enabling intelligent retailing to improve efficiency and boost recovery. With access to a full spectrum of travel booking and merchandising through an intuitive and customizable user interface, the next generation travel agency desktop SR 360, will help Kanoo Travel address industry challenges and respond to ever changing traveller demands. It will further enhance Kanoo Travel’s consultative service delivery by equipping travel consultants with insightful data and search tools to keep up with the savvy traveller and will give clients worldwide an even greater choice of airfares, hotel rates and booking options including NDC content. The new integration will take Kanoo Travel’s shopping experience to the next level and empower travel consultants to close the deal. “Kanoo Travel has been always at the forefront of offering the best travel services by adopting the latest technology and solutions,” said Ramzi Al Qassab, senior director global partners, Sabre Travel Network Middle East. “Kanoo’s unique product offering, and innovative approach has established its position as a key industry player, as is evident by its performance over the past year. Migrating to SR 360 and recruiting some of Sabre’s intelligent solutions will enable Kanoo Travel to deliver its ambitious growth plans and continue to deliver a highly consultative service to its travellers. We are looking forward to supporting Kanoo Travel through the recovery and beyond.” Kanoo Travel has positioned itself as the corporate travel leader across the Middle by deploying superior products and solutions. “Kanoo’s leadership and team’s achievements combined with Sabre’s …

Al Rostamani Travel & Holidays (ART) and Abercrombie & Kent (A&K) have signed a Partner Agreement that will allow ART to market the A&K products to their client-base in both, B2C & B2B segments. This partnership will bring A&K’s luxury travel products to the travellers in this region and grow Leisure traffic market share in the Middle East, while also enhancing Al Rostamani Travels portfolio in the luxury segment. Abercrombie & Kent, is an award-winning luxury travel company, offering unique holiday experiences to luxury travelers. There’s nothing DIY about A&K. These holidays are tailor-made escapes and each holiday is as individual as the person it is created for. Many travel companies have followed in the tracks they laid down, but A&K remains the original tailor-made, luxury holidays company – and still the best. A&K’s Trade Sales Manager, Mark Harris said: “We are delighted to partner with Al Rostamani Travels, who align with our vision of innovation and putting customer experience first. As our industry recovers from the global pandemic, we are expecting good demand from the U.A.E and GCC markets and will further strengthen our position in this high-potential region along with our partners.” Bimal Jain, General Manager, Al Rostamani Travels commented: “We are very excited to announce this strategic partnership with Abercrombie & Kent, a leader in the Luxury Travel segment. As the world begins to reopen and the prospect of travel becomes a reality again, both companies will focus on delivering high-end unique travel experiences to our customers across all segments, in UAE and the Middle East. There is a growing aspiration and increasing need for safe and exclusive luxury holiday packages and with nearly 60 years’ experience …

dnata has become the first global air and travel services provider to sign up to the International Air Transport Association’s (IATA) 25by2025 initiative that aims to advance gender diversity in the aviation industry. Joining 62 airlines, dnata has committed to increasing the number of women in senior positions and under-represented roles with a target to reach a minimum representation of 25% or increase current levels by a minimum of 25% by 2025 across all divisions. The company will report annually on key diversity metrics. In addition, dnata will be working jointly with IATA and other signatories to increase the representation and nomination of women to IATA governance roles. Steve Allen, Executive Vice President of dnata, said: ”Diversity has always been a core value at the heart of our organisation, with our people coming from more than 160 nationalities. Over recent years, we have taken several initiatives to empower women across our operations to progress their careers and help them achieve their full potential. We are thrilled to join IATA’s initiative to step up to the next level and play our part in improving gender diversity across the aviation industry. “We will continue to engage our colleagues at all levels of the organisation to continuously improve while consistently monitoring our performance to achieve our goals. With our dedicated, diverse team we stay focussed on delivering excellence in everything we do to help travellers safely reconnect and discover the world.” Anton Grove, Vice President People Performance & Development of IATA, said: “I welcome dnata’s commitment to 25by2025. Joining the 25by2025 pledge signals the importance of diversity, equity and inclusion to all our aviation partners. By working together with a common goal we …

Nirvana Tours & Logistics – NTL has acquired a fleet of Mercedes-Benz Luxury Buses from Emirates Motor Company – EMC. The deal includes ten first-class buses with luxurious amenities, state-of-the-art technological attachments and sophisticated interior design. The buses have the latest technology to suit the needs of the UAE’s luxury travelers. The two companies formally announced and celebrated this milestone deal during an official ceremony held at the Nirvana Holding – Head Offices at the Marina Breakwater in Abu Dhabi. During the occasion, Mr. Omar Al Ali – CEO Nirvana Tours & Logistics said, “The new buses are part of our ongoing plan to provide our clients the highest levels of luxury and safety. We thank Emirates Motor Company for providing us with this state-of-the-art fleet. These buses will be utilized for exciting upcoming projects, and to suit a growing demand from our clients. Our agreement and partnership with Emirates Motor Company is built on several years of trust, during which they have provided a massive fleet of buses and cars.” Mr. Bilal Ezzedeen AlRibi, General Manager – EMC CV, speaking on the occasion said, “We are proud that our buses are among Nirvana Travel & Tourism’s fleet, being one of the leading companies in the industry. We are looking forward to enhance our partnership and collaboration with Nirvana Travel & Tourism.” According to Mr. Ahmad Jallad, EMC Sales Manager; “Mercedes-Benz buses are one of the best and most reliable transport vehicles that can be used for travel, it’s all about moving people with luxury and safety. I’m confident that our buses will always meet NTL objectives and satisfy their clients. We look forward to announce more in the future. …

REHLATY by dnata Travel, the unique travel brand designed by Emiratis for the Emirati traveller, is revealing its upcoming plans to ignite women’s passion for travel across the UAE in the lead up to this year’s Emirati Women’s Day, including new all-women group travel itineraries for 2021, in the wake of increased demand.   REHLATY, part of the dnata Travel Group, launched in 2019 to introduce a home-grown brand dedicated to creating bespoke travel itineraries based on the needs and wants of Emirati travellers, including unique holiday packages and experiences tailor-made for Emirati women. From the team of Emiratis behind the brand, 60% are women, with a mission to support the Emirati traveller community in exploring the world, with ease, safety and unforgettable experiences front-of-mind.   In the build-up to Emirati Women’s Day 2021 on August 28, the brand is revealing its most popular itineraries for Emirati women travellers in 2021 so far, which are continually developed to cater to evolving travel preferences, whilst also announcing new, upcoming group trips designed exclusively for ladies only, to meet a growing demand for group travel.   Rehab Mansoor, General Manager at REHLATY by dnata Travel, commented: “As Emirati women become more travel savvy and curious, we are witnessing ongoing trends towards more women travelling, and more frequently, from the UAE to an enhanced range of destinations worldwide, with particular growth in solo travel itineraries and travel with friends.   “Over the last decade, the needs of Emirati women travelling, as well as the opportunities that exist to make travel safer, more comfortable and inclusive, have evolved significantly whilst research demonstrates that women often serve as key decision makers for family holiday bookings. …

Leading independent travel company Travel Counsellors has launched a brand-new internal Community Platform, “TC World”, to further unite the global community of over 2000 Travel Counsellors and support colleagues, inspired by how its people have come together to support and learn from each other during the pandemic. This comes as the business continues to focus on building and enhancing its platform of support for its business owners, with the company seeing a continual increase in enquiries and bookings, as consumer confidence builds, and travellers look for trusted travel advice more so than ever. The business has also reported more and more people taking this as an opportunity to start their own businesses as part of the proven, customer focused business model including the 20 new Travel Counsellors who joined the business here in The UAE in the last year. Throughout the pandemic, Travel Counsellors witnessed the true power of having a strong community, as its people came together to support one another, even when they couldn’t physically be together. Each day, the company’s business owners were producing huge amounts of user-generated content, to advise, help and care for each other. There was so much collaboration happening, that Travel Counsellors recognised a huge opportunity to bring this content together in a meaningful way, which inspired the launch of TC World. A blend between social and forum technologies, the platform is a virtual space where people can come together to meet, connect, and collaborate, enabling them to reach their goals, whilst at the same time creating social bonds that will last a lifetime. Karen Morris, Operations Director at Travel Counsellors said “As a business, we have built an incredibly strong culture, focusing …

Al Rostamani Travels recently announced their digital transformation with the launch of their new E-Commerce portal (alrostamanitravel.ae) Bimal Jain, General Manager stated, “Al Rostamani Travels has predominantly been known as a Corporate TMC, even though we have a strong presence in Retail, Leisure and UAE Inbound verticals. We identified areas we could grow and diversify in and one segment that we realised needed a lot of focus, was our technology offering. Therefore, we decided to invest heavily in developing an end-to-end web-based booking system in a fully integrated single-platform ecosystem, not only for our B2C customers but also for our B2B market segment. We have also revamped our Social Media channels to ensure our customers can get the latest promotions and most relevant information directly from us” One of the leading travel companies in the UAE since 1979, Al Rostamani Travels provides services including Corporate & MICE Travel, Outbound Leisure packages and UAE Inbound packages. They are the appointed “Preferred Sales Agents” for globally renowned leisure brands such as Globus, Cosmos, Monograms & Avalon River Cruises, Rail Europe, Interhome, Norwegian Cruise Line, Thomas Cook India and are also the Authorized Ticket Reseller of Dubai EXPO. Jain concluded, “Our extensive experience under the Al Rostamani corporate brand is an established reputation that has been developed through the knowledge and expertise of our people.  In a competitive environment, our leading edge remains to be our customized approach in rendering travel counseling, enabled with seamless personalized service that is supported by a committed work force. Our decision to embark on an exciting journey to restructure and transform our business through heavy investment in digitalization was a strategic one. Even when markets around the …