Category Archives: Govt

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.”

Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority (SCTDA) announced the sixth edition of the Sharjah Hospitality Forum under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Crown Prince and Deputy Ruler of Sharjah and Chairman of the Sharjah Executive Council. The forum will be held on November 18, 2019, at Al Jawaher Reception and Convention Centre in Sharjah. The 2019 edition of the Sharjah Hospitality Forum aims to provide the tourism sector with the global industry expertise and knowledge needed to achieve future growth, thereby enabling the sector to keep pace with global sustainable goals. A series of interactive sessions conducted by local and global experts on the importance of sustainable tourism in supporting businesses and ways to enhance the sustainable growth of the travel and tourism sector will be featured. H.E. Khalid Jasim Al Midfa, Chairman of Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority, said, “We are keen to organise the sixth edition of the Hospitality Forum, bringing together an even larger group of experts and pioneers of the tourism, hospitality and travel sector. The initiative forms an integral part of our efforts to strengthen Sharjah’s position in the global tourism landscape, in line with the objectives of Sharjah Tourism Vision 2021. This year’s forum, themed ‘Sustainable Tourism creates Business Opportunities’ will highlight the importance of consolidating the concept of sustainability in the tourism sector to support local and global tourism.” “Thanks to the rapid growth of the tourism sector in the emirates which now contributes more than 8.8 per cent or more than AED 9 billion to the annual GDP of AED 102.5 billion. Through the hosting of the latest edition of the forum, we seek to …

Dubai’s Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (Dubai Tourism) has provided an outlook of the industry to stakeholders and partners, highlighting the positive year-to-date international visitation, sharing destination insights and drawing attention to the innovative marketing initiatives that have been launched to further boost visitor numbers. Dubai Tourism also discussed ways of increasing collaboration with its partners, and emphasised the importance of aligning with, and leveraging all efforts including the hosting of Expo 2020 Dubai to achieve the goals of Dubai’s Tourism Vision 2022-25. The strategic meetings were held recently between HE Helal Saeed Almarri, Director General, Dubai Tourism and key executives from leading entities in the travel and hospitality sectors including Emirates, flydubai, Jumeirah, Marriot International, IHG, Al Habtoor Group, Atlantis, The Palm, and Emaar Hospitality Group. HE Helal Saeed Almarri, said, “Such strategic meetings serve as a platform to highlight various marketing campaigns and initiatives launched by Dubai Tourism to attract more visitors to the city. We would also like our partners to be aligned with the various developments in the industry and to take advantage of the diverse campaigns and all efforts that are being made to realise the goals of Dubai’s Tourism Vision 2022-25.” Neal Jones, Chief Sales & Marketing Officer – MEA, Marriott International, said, “We strongly believe in the future of Dubai and under the vision of its leaders, Dubai Tourism does a remarkable job of positioning and evolving Dubai as an international business and leisure hub.” Pascal Gauvin, Managing Director, India, Middle East and Africa, IHG, said, “We have a deep understanding of the country’s unique culture and business environment and an exceptional partnership with Dubai Tourism, who have been extremely focused on …

Russian tourists travelling to the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) are expected to generate an estimated US$1.22 billion in travel and tourism revenue by 2023, an increase of 19% when compared with figures from 2018. The latest Colliers research commissioned by Reed Travel Exhibitions predicts the UAE will witness the highest growth, with total tourism spend by Russian visitors projected to reach US$1.153 billion by 2023 and tourism spend per trip increasing 5% from US$1,600 to US$1,750. Looking at Russian outbound tourism figures, the country continues to be one of the top 10 source markets for the UAE, with 578,000 Russian visitors entering the UAE in 2018 and this number is predicted to increase at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 4.2% to 688,300 by 2023, according to Colliers International. Danielle Curtis, Exhibition Director ME, Arabian Travel Market, said, “With the oil price recovery, stabling of the financial markets and increased disposable incomes, Russia, once again, represents a significant growth area for travel and tourism revenue across the GCC.” Building on this, Saudi Arabia is expected to witness the second-largest increase closely followed by Oman, with total Russian tourism spend estimated to reach US$28,659,600 and US$21,788,000 respectively, by 2023. “Saudi Arabia’s Giga Projects are aimed to cater to the luxury segment of the tourism market targeting high-net-worth individuals and Russia is currently ranked fourth in the world in terms of the number of billionaires residing in the country, with 303 Russians representing a total billionaire wealth of USD$355 billion. Higher Russian visitor numbers will help support investment opportunities and economic diversification, in line with the kingdom’s plans to target 30 million visitors annually by 2030,” Curtis concluded.