Category Archives: Govt

Dubai’s Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (Dubai Tourism) held a strategic meeting with Hilton, as part of its continuing series of engagements with key industry partners to provide them an overview and outlook of Dubai’s tourism industry and explore ways of further increasing the level of stakeholder collaboration and leveraging all efforts that are underway to achieve the goals of Dubai’s Tourism Vision 2022-25. The meeting was held in the presence of His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed al Maktoum, Chairman of Dubai Airports, President of the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority and Chairman and CEO of Emirates Group, and was attended by His Excellency Helal Saeed Almarri, Director General, Dubai Tourism as well as Christopher J. Nassetta, President and Chief Executive Officer for Hilton, Simon Vincent, President Europe, Middle East and Africa and Mr Rudi Jagersbacher, President Middle East, Africa and Turkey. The meeting highlighted the invaluable role that is being played by the hospitality sector, particularly by global partners such as Hilton in supporting Dubai’s endeavour to become the world’s No. 1 most visited, revisited and preferred city as envisioned by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum, UAE Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai. Hilton has been consistently present in Dubai for more than 40 years and is committed to the long-term growth and development of travel and tourism in the city. Hilton currently has 18 hotels in Dubai with a further 14 hotels in its development pipeline. During the meeting, Dubai Tourism shared new destination insights and highlighted the strong growth in tourism traffic to Dubai in the first three quarters of 2019, the key strategies that were implemented to drive sustained visitation …

UAE and Poland strengthen their bilateral relations. The discussion was preceded by H.E. Dr. Abdullah Belhaif Al Nuaimi, UAE Minister of Infrastructure Development and Chairman of Federal Transport Authority (FTA) – Land and Maritime and H.E. Marek Gróbarczyk, Polish Minister of Maritime Economy and Inland Navigation. Minister Al Nuaimi was accompanied by an official UAE delegation composed of officials from Abu Dhabi Ports, DP Ports, Sharjah Ports, and Customs Department. The delegation was earlier received by Dr. Abdul Rahim Yousef Al Awadhi, UAE Ambassador to Poland. Expressing his happiness to visit Poland, H.E. Al Nuaimi stressed the UAE’s interest to further strengthen its ties with Poland, especially across various economic fields, including the maritime and land transport sectors. H.E. Al Nuaimi said that having robust relations in the industry would serve their common interests, with both sides benefitting from the many opportunities to be brought forth by such ties. H.E. Al Nuaimi also took the opportunity to commend Poland for ensuring freedom of navigation and taking measures to facilitate and promote maritime transport. During the visit, a series of meetings were held to discuss economic and trade relations and explore opportunities for Polish companies to invest in the UAE, especially in the infrastructure sector. A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was also signed between the UAE’s FTA – Land and Maritime and Poland’s Ministry of Infrastructure Development to reinforce their maritime cooperation, including freedom of navigation. Both sides also agreed to take all necessary measures to facilitate and promote maritime transport, avoid unnecessary delays, simplify and speed up customs, and support the equal treatment and exchange of ships in their ports and territorial waters. H.E. Al Nuaimi added, “The agreement will …

Ras Al Khaimah has been declared as the ‘Gulf Tourism Capital’ by the Ministers of Tourism of GCC member states during a recent meeting in Muscat, where they discussed measures aimed at coordinating tourism efforts in GCC countries. The meeting was attended by a UAE delegation led by Mohammed Khamis Al Muhairi, Advisor to the Minister of Economy for Tourism Affairs, on behalf of Sultan bin Saeed Al Mansouri, Minister of Economy, said a report in WAM. Al Mansouri stated that Ras Al Khaimah’s selection as the capital of Gulf tourism highlights the UAE’s leading stature as a popular tourism destination, noting that the previous years have witnessed ongoing growth in the number of tourists visiting the country from around the world, and praising the decision of GCC tourism ministers and officials. Presenting the key tourism achievements, Al Muhairi said that in 2018, the number of hotel guests visiting the UAE reached 25.6 million, an increase of 3.8 per cent compared to 2017. He also said that the report of the World Tourism and Travel Council in 2019 revealed that the tourism sector made up 11.1 per cent of the UAE’s GDP in 2018, amounting to Dh 164.7 billion ($44.8 billion). This contribution is expected to rise by 3 per cent in 2019, and tourism provided 9.6 per cent of total jobs in 2018, corresponding to around 611,500 positions. Raki Phillips, CEO of Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority said, “It is a great honour for the emirate of Ras Al Khaimah to be recognised and named as the “Gulf Tourism Capital” by the tourism ministers and senior officials of the Gulf Cooperation Council. Under the wise leadership of Sheikh …

Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority (SCTDA) has announced its new standards for the classification of hotel establishments in the emirate, in line with the implementation of Resolution No. 38 of 2019. The resolution aims to classify hotel establishments in Sharjah in line with the latest standards. The new standards were announced following a workshop organised by SCTDA for representatives of hotels and other hospitality establishments in Sharjah. The workshop detailed the updated classification criteria for hotel establishments and the process of implementation. The new standards fall within the directives of His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah, to continuously enhance the experience of tourists visiting Sharjah, considering the tourism sector as one of the most important pillars of the national economy. H.E. Khalid Jasim Al Midfa, Chairman of SCTDA, said, “We are confident that the new classifications will reflect positively on the performance of hotel establishments, including enhancements in facilities and services, and further contribute to boosting the hotel industry’s contribution as one of the most important components of the tourism infrastructure in the emirate. SCTDA has developed the classification in line with international standards and local requirements of establishments, with the support of our partners in the government and private sectors, in line with our mission to empower the hotel industry and realise Sharjah Tourism Vision 2021, which targets 10 million tourist arrivals in the emirate by 2021. SCTDA continues to work on updating the classification and licensing criteria for existing hotel establishments in the emirate and attaining the highest international standards, with the goal of enhancing quality services of hotel establishments and providing more options for …

City Centre Ajman celebrates an important milestone with the completion of its multi-phase redevelopment this year. The mall transforms from a community centre to a regional shopping and lifestyle destination housing a diverse mix of 130 international brands and restaurants. The second stage has seen the mall refine its offering and diversify its retail mix to include a dedicated home category, much-loved fashion and lifestyle brands and all-new dining offerings. As part of an ongoing AED 643 million enhancement project, the redevelopment offers visitors with an upgraded shopping and leisure destination as part of Majid Al Futtaim’s continued efforts to evolve its customer journey and experiences. The improvement has also seen finishing touches added to the new wing as well as the enhancement of public areas and mall facilities. Fuad Sharaf, Managing Director of UAE, Oman and Bahrain Shopping Malls, Majid Al Futtaim Properties, said, “This redevelopment emerges from listening to our customers and understanding that they expect more from malls in their community. We want to provide them with a single destination that satisfies the wants and needs of their busy modern life. With the added contemporary design, increased convenience and retail mix, the mall’s transformation reiterates the promise that City Centre Ajman, like all Majid Al Futtaim properties, exists ultimately to create great moments for everyone, every day.” The list of new brands at City Centre Ajman includes popular home décor department stores Centrepoint and Home Centre, making their debut in the Emirate. By evolving into a diverse, regional mall, City Centre Ajman is also on-track to uplifting the economy of Ajman and the Northern Emirates, creating 250 new jobs in the Emirate.  

Inbound medical tourism in Turkey rises, as the nation’s healthcare facilities have treated 264,138 medical tourists in the first six months of 2019, with the year-end projections estimated at one million incoming medical tourists. This forecast will generate upwards of USD 3.5 billion in revenues, surpassing the USD 2.5 billion generated by the end of the previous year, which saw 551,748 tourists travelling into Turkey from over 120 countries to avail healthcare treatments. Salih Ozer, Attaché of Culture and Information, Turkey to the UAE, said, “Tourists come to Turkey for a lot more than its sights; medical tourism into our cities has been climbing steadily over the last decade. We have been investing heavily in the growth of our healthcare sector, and we now offer high-quality treatments at very affordable prices. Medical tourists from our GCC neighbours, in particular, come to Turkey to avail cosmetic treatments. They are drawn in by the opportunity to combine these treatments with Turkish holidays.” The Turkish cities of Istanbul, Ankara, Antalya, Izmir, Yalova and Adana receive the highest number of medical tourists each year, from GCC nations, including the UAE, Kuwait, Bahrain and Qatar, as well as from Germany, Russia. Azerbaijan and Iraq. The top ten clinics for medical tourists listed services under ophthalmology, obstetrics and gynaecology, oncology, cosmetic surgery, orthopaedics and cardiology as the top treatments in 2018.

Dubai welcomed 12.08 million international overnight visitors in the first nine months of 2019, according to the latest visitation figures released by Dubai’s Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (Dubai Tourism). The strong 4.3 per cent increase in volume growth compared to the same period last year was supported by highly participatory contributions from both traditional and emerging markets, that has continued to capture strong shares of the tourist wallet, further stimulating Dubai’s GDP impact, and the city’s remarkable consistency in transforming itself to respond to global competition. The positive performance, which drew over 1.23 million visitors to the city in September, an above-market average increase of 7.3 per cent over the same month in 2018, coincided with Dubai being ranked the fourth most visited city in the world for the fifth year in a row in Mastercard’s Global Destination Cities Index 2019, a clear indication that Dubai is continuously renewing its attractiveness to remain a leading global destination. Dubai Tourism’s multi-dimensional market-specific strategies and customised campaigns continued to yield tangible results particularly showcasing the city’s ability to reinvent itself and remain ‘top-of mind’ to both new and repeat audiences across regular strongholds – India, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, United Kingdom and Oman. Together with China that remained the world’s largest tourism volume driver, these five leading feeder countries surpassed the five million threshold for the first nine months of 2019. His Excellency Helal Saeed Almarri, Director General, Dubai Tourism, said, “With Dubai cementing its ranking as the fourth most visited city in the world, the positive growth achieved in the first three quarters this year is exemplary of the unfailing support and confidence of our leadership – His Highness …

Hala China has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Shaanxi Tourism Group which will allow both parties to explore future collaborations on a range of tourism initiatives to drive two-way travel between Dubai and Shaanxi. The agreement marks another notch in the ever-deepening and productive bilateral relationship between China and the UAE, owing to Hala China’s efforts. It was signed at China (Shaanxi)-UAE Economic and Trade Conference, held on November 11, 2019, in Dubai. According to the terms of the MoU, both parties aim to “vigorously support and promote tourism and culture interexchange activities” in Dubai and Shaanxi while intensifying “cooperation between local travel agencies and travel organisations” to launch various tourism popularisation activities. China (Shaanxi)-UAE Economic and Trade Conference drew the participation of a host of high-level delegates and executives from the UAE and Shaanxi, including Jin Lei, Counsellor of the Economic and Commercial Department of the Consulate General of the People’s Republic of China in Dubai; Zhao Xiaoming, Deputy Secretary-General of the Shaanxi Provincial Communist Party of China (CPC) Committee and Director of the General Office of the Shaanxi Provincial CPC Committee; Yao Hongjuan,  Director  of  the  Foreign  Affairs Office of the Shaanxi Provincial  People’s Government; and Xue Hua, President of the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT) Shaanxi Sub-council. Sheikh Majid Al Mualla, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Hala China, said, “We are excited to work together with our partners from Shaanxi as we look to strengthen the exchange and cooperation in the fields of logistics, tourism, aviation and investment between Shaanxi and the UAE. Long considered one of the cradles of Chinese civilisation and one of the important locations on …

The Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority (SCTDA) hosted the sixth edition of the Sharjah Hospitality Forum under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Sultan bin Mohammed bin Sultan Al Qasimi, Crown Prince and Deputy Ruler of Sharjah and Chairman of the Sharjah Executive Council. The forum was held at the Al Jawaher Reception and Convention Center in Sharjah, under the theme ‘Sustainable Tourism creates Business Opportunities’, in the presence of local and global experts to explore new horizons, in order to shape the future of the tourism sector from a sustainability perspective. The agenda of the sixth Sharjah Hospitality Forum featured extensive discussions on ways to enhance the role of sustainable tourism in advancing the development of tourism services and offerings. This year’s edition of the forum opened with a speech by H.E. Khalid Jasim Al Midfa, Chairman of SCTDA, highlighting the importance of further developing the tourism, hospitality and travel sector through the adoption of innovative approaches and strategies with a focus on sustainability, and how this will enhance the emirates’ position on the world tourism map. He further added that the idea behind choosing ‘Sustainable Tourism creates Business Opportunities’ as the theme of the sixth edition of the Hospitality Forum stems from the necessity to consolidate the concept and practices of sustainability in the tourism sector, which is at the forefront of global trends. The Chairman was followed by HE Abdullah bin Ahmed Al Saleh, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Economy for Foreign Trade Affairs, who noted that sustainable tourism is one of the pillars adopted by the UAE to serve the sustainable development goals of the United Nations, as it is also a vital sector that …

H.E. Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister of Tolerance, & Vice Chairman of the Supreme National Committee of the Year of Tolerance, unveiled a series of commemorative stamps to celebrate the UAE’s ‘Year of Tolerance’. Emirates Post, in collaboration with the Supreme National Committee for the Year of Tolerance, has released these stamps to highlight the achievements of the year in incorporating the values of openness, harmony and coexistence within communities, in line with the UAE’s goal of promoting a culture of tolerance and spreading the message of peace through diversity. The announcement was made at the World Tolerance Summit organised by the International Institute for Tolerance, under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai. The summit focused on promoting the principles of peaceful coexistence, mutual respect, the acceptance and understanding of others, the preservation of human dignity and the creation of friendships that value the diversity of religions, beliefs, cultures and languages. The launch of a special edition stamp comes as an initiative to commemorate the Year of Tolerance through a symbol that will carry our message to the world. Commenting on this stamp issuance, His Excellency Abdulla M. Alashram, Acting Group CEO of Emirates Post Group said, “The UAE is spreading a unique message to the world about the importance of diversity and respect across the communities in which we live. It is our responsibility as citizens of the UAE to promote the values of tolerance, coexistence, humanity and peace across the emirates and beyond.”