Category Archives: Agents

Summer cruises are often popular in the Middle Eastern region, this year especially after almost two and half years, travellers have once again picked up their confidence and started to not just travel, but to add cruises in their bucket lists.  According to Nasir Jamal Khan – CEO – Al Naboodah Travel there is an increase in terms of cruise bookings this summer and Europe has become the top most or popular destination for GCC travelers. Khan shared, “there is an increase in Cruise bookings, travelers are eager to visit Europe during summer. Predicted rise in travel is recorded despite a 57 per cent rise in the average cost of flights in the region due to rising fuel costs and an increased demand for travel. Tourist from UAE are expected to spend more time than usual at the destination. As experts say there is pent-up demand among travelers keen to make up for lost time due to two years of Covid-19 travel restrictions.” As traveller appetite has increased, they are also looking at visa free or easy visa destinations. Khan reiterates, “destinations with visa free entry and short haul, with economical flight cost along with COVID free regulations seem to be some of the preferences. Travellers are looking for flexibility to change and packages with value for money. Switzerland, Ireland, Georgia, Egypt, Turkey, Germany, France, Austria, Czech Republic, Hungary, Spain, U.S.A., Thailand and Indonesia are few names of the destinations which are more in demand and corporates as well as individual leisure travellers are inquiring at present.” He further mentioned, “Travelers are eager to resume large bucket trips with their friends and family after a two-year pause caused by the …

As the countdown starts for the greatest football event of the year in the region, FIFA 2022 to be held from November to December this year, the accommodation in Qatar has already been reserved. The last quarter of the year will definitely see an increase of bookings in the GCC region alone. It was stated by professionals in the travel fraternity that Doha, Dubai, Abu Dhabi will be looking at some increased bookings and revenue in terms of accommodation. Shantanu S. Mehta, General Manager, Orient Tours CWT M&E, UAE, Sultanate of Oman and State of Qatar reiterated, “Our partners in Doha have informed us that 80% of the accommodation inventory has been blocked by the FIFA supreme committee and the remaining 20% can be released to the general public only after every individual booking receives their approval. In order to get this approval, local travel entities need to submit the complete itinerary for every applicant including a copy of the match ticket and arrival/departure flight information. After receiving approval from the FIFA supreme committee, visitors need to apply online for a special permit called the Hayya Card which will be granted to visitors who have a confirmed match ticket and accommodation. Apparently, during the FIFA World Cup tournament only visitors with a Hayya card can enter Qatar. Both Fly Dubai/Emirates and Etihad have announced multiple daily flights between their respective hubs and Doha. Whereas Fly Dubai launched a ‘AED 975 onwards’ promotion recently, Etihad is believed to be selling at AED 3,500 plus. Etihad senior members have verbally advised that a 45-minute quick departure process from check-in to boarding is being planned for passengers without check-in luggage. Many luxury hotels in …

Cathay Pacific will resume non-stop flights between Dubai and Hong Kong from 2 October, enabling passengers to rediscover the people, places, and experiences that matter the most. The airline will operate three flights per week on Monday, Friday and Saturday, providing travellers with direct access to Hong Kong in addition to seamless connections to onward destinations including the Philippines, Indonesia, Japan, and South Korea. All flights will depart from Terminal 1 at Dubai International Airport and can be booked on the Cathay Pacific website. Cathay Pacific Area Manager Middle East Vishnu Rajendran said: “Reactivating our link from the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) to Hong Kong is extremely important to us as the market remains a priority. We’re confident our offerings like the ease of connections, warm Asian hospitality, diverse in-flight entertainment options and customer-centric initiatives such as our health document verification tool, Fly Ready, make us one of the world’s greatest service brands. “Aside from the stream of those visiting friends and relatives and business travellers who we welcome on board from around the region, travellers from the GCC are also searching for cultural experiences abroad. Hong Kong and the various destinations that are easily accessible from our home hub, such as Japan and South Korea, offer these in abundance. Moreover, our much-anticipated thrice-weekly passenger flights will also support our cargo freighters, of which we have eight per week flying from the Emirate.” Cathay Pacific will deploy its Boeing 777-300 on its Dubai–Hong Kong route, catering to the increased cargo demand as well as passenger traffic. Moreover, the aircraft comes equipped with a three-class cabin configuration, featuring the airline’s forward-facing lie-flat seats in Business, spacious seats in Premium Economy as …

RezLive.com hosted two networking events, firstly in Muscat, followed by Bahrain which was attended by leading local travel agents and tour operators. The purpose of the event was to thank the local travel industry for its consistent support and to inform travel partners about the additional benefits of working with RezLive.com. Real business discussions, a flow of knowledge and information, and a few feedbacks and suggestions took place throughout the session. Jaal Shah (Group Managing Director – Travel Designer Group), firstly expressed his gratitude to the local travel partners for the resounding support they have received from the respective local markets. He also stressed the significance of maintaining and bolstering the strong foundation they share with RezLive.com. Last but not least, he added, we at RezLive.com (A Product of Travel Designer Group) recognise the value of our travel partners and work tirelessly to provide them with cutting-edge services that will simplify their tasks. Zaheer Jeddy, Deputy Regional Manager, updated the travel partners with innovative offerings from RezLive.com and at the same time oriented them about An Exclusive Loyalty program i.e “rezREWARDS”, which was appraised by the local travel partners and they look forward to continuing their support and business cooperation to RezLive.com (Preferred B2B Global Travel Wholesaler).      

Wego and Indonesia Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy collaborate to revive tourism to Bali. The all-time favorite destination, Bali, is welcoming tourists in the new norm. Bali is a country of diverse landforms. It has been one of the top honeymoon destinations or holiday spots. Bali has everything for adventure enthusiasts and the solo traveler in search of tranquility, ranging from waterfalls to nightclubs to treks. Through Wego’s vast user base in MENA, Indonesia Tourism Board will be able to promote its destination and Bali specifically to drive more bookings. To revive tourism post covid, Indonesia has launched an exhibition with the theme “It’s time for Bali”. To welcome tourists to the country, Bali offers Visa on arrival to 72 countries. Countries from the middle east like Saudi Arabia, Qatar, UAE, Oman, Bahrain and Kuwait have also been added to this list. Alongside, other nationalities’ visitors must apply for the B211A Visit Visa for 60 days. The primary purpose of easing travel to Indonesia is to encourage tourism and attract foreign exchange into the country. Mamoun Hmedan, Chief Commercial Officer and Managing Director, Middle East, North Africa (MENA) and India of Wego, said: “We are expanding our partnerships to cover more destinations and offer our users more choice. Indonesia and particularly Bali is a hot spot for many travellers, especially from the MENA region. We look forward to working with the Indonesia Tourism Board to bring more travellers to the country.” According to a recent study, Indonesia is set to welcome over 900,000 tourists by the end of this quarter. The government is helping curb the spread of covid-19 spread by keeping the highest vaccination rates in Bali and …

The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) has revealed the Travel & Tourism sector in Saudi Arabia is expected to grow at an average of 11% annually over the next decade, making it the fastest growing Travel & Tourism in the Middle East. According to the forecast from WTTC’s latest Economic Impact Report (EIR), this annual growth, more than six times the 1.8% growth rate of the country’s overall economy, will bolster the economic recovery of the Kingdom. By 2032, the Travel & Tourism sector’s contribution to GDP could reach nearly SAR 635 billion, representing 17.1% of the total economy. The forecast also reveals Travel & Tourism employment could double over the next 10 years, creating more than 1.4 million jobs, to reach almost three million employed within the sector by 2032. The projections for both employment and the sector’s contribution to the Kingdom’s economy, surpass the ambitious goals set out by the government’s Vision 2030 strategic framework. By 2023, following two years of heartache, Saudi Arabia’s Travel & Tourism sector’s contribution to the national economy could surpass pre-pandemic levels, when it is projected to rise 2% above 2019 levels, to reach nearly SAR 297 billion. Employment in the sector could also exceed 2019 levels by 14.1%, creating more than 223,000 additional jobs, representing nearly more than 1.8 million by the end of next year. By the end of this year, the sector’s contribution to GDP is expected to grow 15.2% to nearly SAR 223 billion, amounting to 7.2% of the total economic GDP, while employment in the sector is set to grow by 16.1% to reach more than 1.5 million jobs. According to the global tourism body, the Kingdom, …

dnata Representation Services, part of the dnata Travel Group, is growing its partnership with the Banyan Tree Group across Thailand as the country emerges as one of the most popular international travel destinations from the GCC countries this year. dnata Representation Services has acted as exclusive sales representative in the Middle East for the Banyan Tree Group’s Maldivian properties since 2016. dnata will now provide support for a range of its popular hotels and resorts across Thailand, offering regional travellers exclusive holiday packages and dedicated local support. Its representation will cover ever-popular Banyan Tree Bangkok in the capital, and multiple properties across the country’s largest island, Phuket. This includes Banyan Tree Phuket, which recently launched a new wellbeing resort – Banyan Tree Veya Phuket – as part of its cluster; Angsana Laguna Phuket, opening this year a highly-anticipated new restaurant, ATOLL, set amidst a lagoon; alongside the Homm Bliss South Beach Patong and Cassia Phuket. dnata Travel, based across the GCC, recently announced that Thailand is the most popular holiday destination for UAE travellers for summer 2022, while the brand records a surge in popularity for travel to the country across its wider regional operations including in KSA. Sébastien Doussin, DVP – Global Ground Services & Destination Management at dnata Travel Group, commented: “As one of the Middle East’s longest-standing travel providers, we remain at the forefront of latest traveller trends across the region. Our enhanced partnership with the Banyan Tree Group, owner of some of the world’s most renowned luxury resorts, enables us to support our travellers with excellent hotel packages in some of the most sought-after travel destinations from this part of the world including Thailand and the …

Sabre Corporation has successfully integrated IATA New Distribution Capability (NDC) content from Qatar Airways (QR) to its global distribution system (GDS). After a pilot phase with agency customers in Australia and Sweden, the offers of Qatar’s flag carrier will now be rolled out successively to travel agencies across the globe starting on July 7, 2022. Travel agencies will be able to shop, book, and manage NDC offers from Qatar Airways. Access to Qatar’s content will be available through Sabre Red 360, Sabre’s agency point-of-sale tool, as well as its NDC-enabled Offer and Order Application Programming Interfaces (APIs). “We’ve been actively engaged in Sabre’s Beyond NDC program for several years and we’re proud to be the first carrier based in EMEA to make our products and offers available to the global travel agency community through Sabre’s marketplace,” said Matt Raos, Senior Vice President Global Sales at Qatar Airways. “With NDC as a part of our strategy to evolve our offering and enhance ancillary sales, we believe effective distribution in the indirect channel will become more important in the future.” With Qatar Airways’ extensive network of destinations, access to the carrier’s unique NDC content is expected to be relevant to travel buyers across the globe in the post-COVID-19 recovery period and beyond. “As the corporate travel sector continues to recover, customers are looking for enhanced shopping experiences and improved content in their marketplace,” said John Bukowski, Vice President of Distribution, Content and Sourcing at American Express Global Business Travel. “Our objective is to ensure that our customers and travelers have access to the broadest content and an unrivaled travel experience. We are excited about collaborating with Qatar Airways and Sabre to continue …

Cozmo Travel has continued expanding their reach on a global level with its strong and consistent presence in various markets despite the hardships faced by the travel industry due to the spread of Covid-19 and its resulting restrictions. On the 5th of July, Cozmo Travel celebrated the inauguration of its latest addition to their outlet chains with a branch in Naif, Dubai. The ceremony was led by Mr Jamal Abdulnazar – CEO at Cozmo Travel and as Chief Guest, Ms Huda Dawood – Country Manager UAE ,Caucasus, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan at Qatar Airways. The newly opened outlet in Naif is the 5th Outlet in Dubai and the 20th in the UAE network. “Opening an outlet in Naif is in-line with our vision of accessibility & is a crucial step in targeting and delivering travel services to customers in an impressive trading and cultural hub” – Said Mr Jamal Abdulnazar, CEO, Cozmo Travel. Cozmo Travel branches are strategically located across the 7 emirates in order to be accessible to all customers. visit us in one of our 5 branches in Sharjah, 5 in Dubai, 3 in Ajman, 1 in Fujairah, 1 in RAK, 2 in Abu Dhabi, 2 in Al Ain & 1 in UAQ.

With borders open in full, GCC travellers are now ready to take the plunge and confident to explore the new post covid world especially as eid coupled with summer vacations sets in the region. Over the past few days the airline and hotel bookings have increased despite the fact that airline fares have increased a considerable amount. Our GCC line up of industry professionals share their observations. Mamoun Hmedan, Chief Commercial Officer and Managing Director, Middle East, North Africa (MENA) and India of Wego, “The demand for travel continues to see significant growth and recovery post COVID-19. With summer approaching, travelers began planning and booking their holidays, and we are witnessing an increase in bookings and demand for flights to and from the UAE. Travelers are also looking for new experiences and exploring places they haven’t visited before to make up for lost travel in the past two years due to the pandemic. And they are ready to spend more on leisure trips than before. Flight and hotel searches from the UAE during the month of June reached about 3 million, an increase of 77% over the same period last year. Despite the increase in airfares, we continue to see an increase in demand and people are booking longer stays. The airfares for the upcoming Eid Al Adha holiday have spiked for most destinations. If we look at the top destinations from the UAE during the Eid break, the average airfare to Egypt is $551 with an increase of 41% in comparison to the same period last year, the airfare to India is around $379 a rise of 114%, Jordan saw an increase of 45% with an average airfare of $689, …