Category Archives: Agents

With Qatar now open for tourism to fully vaccinated travellers, Discover Qatar, the destination management division of Qatar Airways, has partnered with Qatar Airways Holidays and launched specially curated packages to welcome international travellers visiting friends and family in Qatar for a much-awaited reunion. As part of the conditions of entry, the State of Qatar has mandated that all tourist arrivals must have a confirmed hotel reservation. To help meet this requirement, Discover Qatar in partnership with Qatar Airways Holidays is offering exclusive deals with significant savings on a range of hotels that will enhance the customer’s family and friends’ experience, helping them make new memories as they reunite in Qatar. Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive, His Excellency Akbar Al Baker, said: “We are very proud to be playing our part in the reopening of our country to visitors in the safest way possible and supporting the next step in the development of Qatar’s tourism industry. Surrounded by crystal waters and a unique biodiverse ecosystem, Qatar has so much to offer when it comes to rediscovering nature, stellar architecture and offering a world that is inspired by modernism and traditions alike. “The city and desert tours will allow our passengers to enjoy every step of their journey with us, and we hope many get to experience Qatar’s renowned hospitality, culture and heritage, and the vibrant city of Doha through Discover Qatar’s exclusive packages.” The ‘Family and Friends’ packages start at QAR 1,721 per person and are available for a five, seven, or a ten-night stay at leading, luxury hotels in Qatar such as the Hilton Doha, Hilton Salwa Beach Resort, the Ritz-Carton Doha, Mondrian Doha, the Westin Doha Hotel & …

Seera Group, the region’s leading travel and tourism services company, has been appointed as the exclusive ticket reseller for Manchester United support travel services in Saudi Arabia. The agreement with Seera Group, the parent company of Sportsbreaks, Manchester United’s Official Supporter Travel Services Provider, will serve as the window for passionate football fans in Saudi Arabia to effortlessly purchase tickets for the most prestigious football matches and follow Manchester United, which has legions of fans in the region. Seera Group’s appointment builds on the huge popularity of football in Saudi Arabia and the increasing importance placed by the Kingdom to promote sports, leisure, and entertainment to support economic diversification and enhance the quality of life. Manchester United matches will become easy to access for fans and followers in the Kingdom through the trusted and authorised ticketing services by Seera Group, paired with travel arrangements and packages to complete the offering. Manchester United fans and football lovers at large in KSA will be able to attend the matches through the smart and seamless travel booking solutions offered by Seera Group’s flagship omnichannel consumer travel brand Almosafer and corporate and government clients will get access to the offering through Seera’s Business Travel brand elaa. Majed Alnefaie, Acting CEO of Seera Group, said: “Football is passionately followed by the young and old in Saudi Arabia just as the game is extremely popular across the region. As Seera Group, we have always been closely connected to the sport through club sponsorships, World Cup travel arrangements, as well as our support for the sports youth development in the Kingdom. Manchester United is one of the favourite teams of many, a connection that spans generations. Through …

YouGov’s new report throws light on the travel plans, considerations, and motivations of consumers from 25 markets globally. Data from YouGov’s “International Travel & Tourism Report 2021” reveals that UAE residents were the most likely among other global consumers to say they intend to travel abroad for leisure in the next 12 months. Using YouGov Global Travel Profiles, the report looks at global travel demand, concerns and motivations of approximately 185,000 survey respondents from 25 markets globally. Data from Global Travel Profiles, a daily survey which runs in 25 countries, found that in the month of May half of people worldwide said they plan to take a domestic holiday in the next 12 months. On the other hand, appetite for international holidays is lower and less than a fifth of consumers (18%) globally are planning an international vacation in the next 12 months. The United Arab Emirates and Kingdom of Saudi Arabia stand out in terms of international travel sentiment, with respondents planning to travel substantially more than consumers in other countries. In fact, in both these countries intent to take international leisure trips is higher than domestic trips. Apart from travelling for leisure, people in the Middle Eastern countries have also shown a higher interest in business trips. Consumer sentiment data shows that respondents in the MEA (18%) and APAC (14%) regions are more likely to travel for business, both domestically and internationally, than consumers in Europe (6%) and North America (11%). This makes them a favourable target market for airlines and hotels, particularly those offering premium products. Even though travel is on a recovery path, certain factors put additional pressure on consumer’s confidence and willingness to travel. When …

Tourism Malaysia Dubai & Jeddah is launching  Malaysia Specialist Certified Programme (MSCP) to educate travel professionals on destination information to become certified Malaysia travel experts. Conducted by Malaysian destination experts from the state tourism boards of Penang, Melaka, Selangor, Sabah, Sarawak, and Langkawi Development Authority (LADA), the programme comprises a series of six webinars, spanning one hour per session from March 9 to 25, 2021, designed specifically for travel agents. The travel agents will go into deep dives on major attractions, local events, and tourist accommodation premises in Malaysia during webinars. Besides that, the MSCP will also be used to promote Sabah and Sarawak as the new destinations for Middle East travellers. Shahrin Mokhtar, Director of Tourism Malaysia – Dubai, stated, “The MSCP is expected to make a significant headway which will enable us to reach a higher number of travel agents in the Middle East.” Putra Hilmy Elias, Director of Tourism Malaysia – Jeddah, added, “This programme ensures that the travel agents have knowledge of Malaysia and also allows them to grow their businesses by leveraging on Malaysia’s diverse tourism offerings.” The MSCP is a part of Tourism Malaysia Dubai’s initiative born out of the COVID-19 pandemic besides the ‘#WeMissYou’ hashtag strategy to spur the readiness of travel professionals in the Middle East once Malaysia is reopened for business. The participants will be awarded certificates and entitled to enter a lucky draw for the chance to win hotels stay in Malaysia with a validity period until 2022.

Over the past year TravTalk has been instrumental in keeping the industry positive with their signature Digital conclaves. As we embark on a new year with a novel line of thought consisting a set of brand new trends, vaccinations and digital passports spreading its hope once again in the industry, we will have a tête-à-tête with stalwarts in the industry about an exclusive update. The first TravTalk digital conclave for 2021 kicks off on 23rd February 2021 with 6 key industry leaders in two sessions back to back. The first session will focus on Vaccination and the second wave of covid; where is travel headed? From 11.30 am to 12.30pm (UAE time) with Mamoun Hmedan – Managing Director  EMEA- Wego, Arijit Munshi- General Manager EMEAI -Tune Protect and Ramsumesh Menon – Chief Executive Officer -Go Gosaibi Travel  – Bahrain. Wellness tourism is an integral part in the Middle East the second session will focus on finding happiness through wellness tourism. The session starts by 1pm (UAE time) until 2pm with Laszlo Puczko -CEO & Co-founder – Health Tourism Worldwide, Linda Abdulla – CEO and Founder – Oryx Healthcare Consultancy and Kathryn Moore – Founder and Managing Director Spa Connectors, Global

Natalia Bayona, Director Innovation, Digital Transformation and Investments- UNWTO said, “Looking at World tourism day this year there are two areas they are focusing on in terms of rural development. First is development of rural areas is part of teaching opportunities to the community and secondly to identity and heritage of the destination bringing rural experiences as a way to preserve heritage and added value. She also reiterated that at this point of time social distance is important hence nature, adventure and cultural tourism are other ways to diversify. She further stated that in creating innovation in tourism sector with technologies they signed an agreement with google arts and culture where you can multiply rural territories to spread the voice and promote as emerging destinations.”

Travel Nevada is hosting an exclusive webinar for the Middle Eastern Trade on March 24, 2020 at 3 pm (UAE time). It is the best time to hone your skills and learn about new destinations. Nevada, is a diverse destination which will attract the Middle East clientele whether locals or expats hence at this time, in the comfort of your own abode you can learn more about the destination and its many offerings so don’t forget to register ASAP !! Time is running out.

Seven Chief Executives Officers from the leading travel agencies in the UAE were hosted by the Department of Tourism Philippines for a week long familiarisation tour of three of the most picturesque destinations — Manila, Boracay and Palawan. Philippine Airlines was the official airline to host exclusive personnel who are the key players in the UAE. The executive delegation experienced one of the most exclusive islands in the world at the Banwa Resort apart from the other five-star properties in the Philippines. The team shared their thoughts on the whole trip. Nasir Jamal Khan – CEO – Al Naboodah Travel and Tourism Agencies LLC, stated, “Philippines is emerging as a very attractive and cost-effective tourism destination.” Jamal Abdulnasser – CEO – Cozmo Travel, said, “The vibrant city of Manila is an excellent destination for MiCE and corporate events. Boracay , Palawan & Banwa islands offer you sandy beaches, rainforest and mountains.” V. Jeyaram – Managing Director – Sharaf Travel, said, “The destination offers great beaches with turquoise crystal clear waters, beautiful islands with breath-taking views and super hotels catering to all pockets.” Suresh Ahuja  – Managing Director – Trans Arabian Air Travel, responded, “I liked the whole itinerary especially our luxurious stay at Banwa.” Mohammed Haneefa – Managing Director – Deira Travel and Tourism, said, “We could see from day one that the services at Maxims Hotel, Crimson Resort, Sheridan Beach Resort and Banwa Private Island Resort were of high quality.” Sumit Acharya – Managing Director – BCD Travel, said, “We packed in a lot in six nights but had the opportunity to experience the variety that the Philippines has to offer, both for MiCE and the leisure traveller.” Manu Mehrotra – …

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.

Travel from the UAE to the island of Ireland has seen strong growth from January 1st until June 30th, according to travel statistics released by dnata Travel. Compared to the same period (H1) in 2018, UAE locals and residents have been visiting Ireland in greater numbers, drawn to its diverse landscape full of lush greenery and vast natural beauty.  Over the first two quarters of the year, 58 per cent more bookings to Ireland were made through dnata Travel’s platforms, and room nights booked have also increased by 72 per cent. Antonio Fellino, Vice President of Retail and eCommerce for dnata Travel UAE, commented: “Trips to Ireland with dnata Travel offer UAE travellers unique opportunities including the chance to stay in a grand castle, or a small cottage at the heart of a colourful local village, or to explore rugged, scenic landscapes that follow in the footsteps of their favourite Game of Thrones characters.” Additional data indicates that sales of trips and accommodation to Ireland increased nearly two-fold during Eid Al Fitr alone, as compared to last year. This correlated to the travel provider noting that online searches for holidays to Ireland have seen a 675% augmentation in the first six months of this year. The most preferred destination for travellers from the UAE market was to Dublin, with 95 per cent of hotel bookings made through the dnata Travel platform favouring the capital city, followed by the cosmopolitan city of Cork. Visitors from the region have been found to reinforce their preference for luxury accommodation whilst abroad, as 47 per cent of hotels booked were for 5-star properties, followed by 4-star and 3-star hotels respectively. The ever-strengthening relationship between …