Category Archives: NTO (National Tourist Offices)

The Government of Japan announced a policy of resuming entry by individual travelers for tourism purposes beginning on October 11. JNTO looks forward to welcoming individual inbound travelers back to Japan with the long-awaited lifting of entry restrictions. The resumption of individual travel to Japan and visa waivers, and the elimination of the daily arrival cap will allow international visitors to enjoy Japan in more ways than in the past two-and-a-half years. These measures are long-awaited news for tourists around the world who have been looking forward to visiting Japan. Executive Director of JNTO Dubai office, KOBAYASHI Daisuke shared, “The Middle East is positioned as one of the 22 strategic international markets targeted by the Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO). Since the opening of the JNTO Dubai Office in November 2021, we have been eagerly awaiting, and busy preparing for, the day when international visitors can return to Japan with relaxed entry restrictions. 2022 marks the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Japan and the United Arab Emirates. JNTO Dubai Office will engage in various promotional activities including commemorative events organized by the Japanese diplomatic missions as well as joint campaigns with stakeholders in the region. I am looking forward to seeing as many people as possible from the Middle East visit Japan in the coming months and year.” JNTO President SEINO Satoshi shared, “”The Japanese government has at last announced the resumption of individual travel for tourism purposes, visa waivers, and the elimination of the daily arrival cap. I am incredibly pleased to finally welcome back individual travelers after coping with the pandemic during a wait of    two-and-a-half years. In response to the announcement, JNTO will be doing everything …

The fifth edition of the Gulf Travel Show kicked off with a special press conference with Mohamed Amirul Rizal, Senior Deputy Director, International Promotion (Asia Africa) Division Tourism Malaysia chairing the press conference. In his opening remarks he welcomed the media for attending the event sharing that this is the fifth consecutive time that Tourism Malaysia participated as Platinum partner with the Gulf Travel Show to network with the travel agents and tour operator partners in the Middle East, especially in the GCC. He also thanked everyone for their dedication and commitment to make Malaysia top of mind destination in the region. He reiterated that entry requirements to Malaysia are now eased, and you can travel hassle free to explore the destination. It is no longer necessary to have pre-departure nor on arrival PCR tests nor have a special covid insurance etc. Instead, he stated that Malaysia is hassle free and everyone is welcome to travel without any quarantine or testing as their vaccination drive including children and retirees hit over 86% hence after two years of stringent border controls now it is time to explore the destination which has a lot more to offer to guests especially from the Middle East/ GCC countries. Connectivity is of utmost importance for all destinations, sharing his thoughts on this, “we work with our airline partners such as, Emirates, Etihad, Qatar Airways etc, at present we are looking at further strengthening our network with SAUDIA, Egypt Air and Air Arabia to have more connectivity to our destination from the Middle East. After the pandemic and the borders opened we received about 23,000 visitors from the Middle East from 1st April 2022, however, we …

Saudi is the fastest growing tourism destination in the G20. Saudi Arabia’s exponential sector growth has seen an extraordinary +121% increase from pre-pandemic international tourism levels as recognized by the newly published UNWTO Tourism Barometer. The substantial tourism recovery recognizes not only Saudi’s considerable investment in tourism, but also the country’s pioneering leadership in future-proofing its tourism sector. Saudi was swift in its response to the pandemic and rolled out vaccines to ensure high immunization rates quickly which accelerated the easing of restrictions and the reopening of the country to tourists. The government also implemented several measures aimed at supporting companies and employees working in the tourism sector thereby mitigating the effects of the pandemic. Tourism is a key pillar of Saudi’s transformative Vision 2030 and the country has ambitious goals to ensure that tourism contributes 10% of the country’s GDP by 2030, with one million jobs created along the way. According to the UNWTO Tourism Barometer, the global tourism sector saw international tourist arrivals almost triple from January to July 2022 (+172%) compared to the same period of 2021. This means the sector recovered to almost 60% of pre-pandemic levels. His Excellency Ahmed Al Khateeb, Minister of Tourism of Saudi Arabia, and Chairman of the Board of Saudi Tourism Authority said: “Recognition of Saudi’s achievements in the UNWTO Tourism Barometer is a key milestone in our extraordinary recovery and much of the success lies in our leadership’s multipronged approach to managing the pandemic and accelerating the sector’s pace of recovery. Saudi opened to the world in September 2019 and through continued leadership and commitment, we have made incomparable progress toward realizing our ambitious Vision 2030 tourism goals. We are …

As we celebrate world tourism day under the theme “Rethinking tourism” Sammy Musa, Chief Executive Officer at Gulf Reps, “Post Covid the tourism landscape and the consumer mindset has inevitably changed, as has the approach to tourism of governments, airlines, hotels and the tourism industry.  Whilst the world adapts, it has begun to feel like pent up tourism bubbles are being satisfied and governments are making tourism to their destinations easier, particularly when you consider the Electronic Visa Waiver that the UK introduced for Saudi Arabia and Bahrain. One thing covid has taught us is the power of our environment is stronger than anything we could’ve imagined, and sustainable tourism needs to be at the forefront of our industry’s thinking. Offsetting carbon footprint should become a standard for all airlines and sustainable hotels and electric vehicles should be the norm meaning that even the least environmentally conscious traveler is by default not harming the environment in their quest to see the world. ” Julie Wagner,  Chief Executive Officer at Beverly Hills Conference and Visitors Bureau (BHCVB) reiterated, “Our organization’s culture is based on innovation and staying current with the latest trends and technology.  What happened during the Covid shutdown played on some of our greatest strengths – being nimble and innovative.  Moving forward, we are certainly plugged into some of the shifts in how people book their travel and are aware of a renewed reliance on travel agents, etc., as well as some of the nuances that are required to travel. However, we have always been a destination about service. In Beverly Hills, the hotels, restaurants and retailers are trained to anticipate the client’s every need, maybe even before a client …

Celebrating World Tourism Day, Issam Kazim, CEO, Dubai Corporation for Tourism and Commerce Marketing, commented, shared about Dubai’s continued commitment to sustainable and accessible tourism. “With tourism being one of the key pillars of Dubai’s economy and central to the city’s DNA, World Tourism Day is a day of great importance to Dubai as it provides a time for reflection on Dubai’s remarkable turnaround and its pioneering role in providing a blueprint for the recovery of global tourism.  Inspired by the vision of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of UAE and Ruler of Dubai, to make Dubai the most visited and liveable city in the world, we can also look ahead to the new era of tourism development for Dubai, particularly the massive expansion of the tourism landscape, infrastructure and offering under the Dubai 2040 Urban Master Plan, that lays the groundwork for Dubai’s sustainable development for the next two decades, further reinforcing its position as a global destination for business, investment and tourism. As we look to the future of travel, we will continue to collaborate and work alongside our valued city stakeholders and partners to rethink how we do tourism and to become more sustainable, accessible and responsible as we evolve our offering and remain at the forefront of the world’s widely recommended travel destinations.”

On World Tourism Day, Google is launching two free tools to help the travel industry in the Middle East and North Africa identify timely travel demand and make better-informed decisions. The tools are launched under the ‘Travel Insights with Google’ website which includes two new tools available in both English and in Arabic; Destination Insights and Hotel Insights. According to Google Trends, people in Saudi Arabia searched for many countries in the past 8 months including Azerbaijan, Egypt, Georgia, Thailand the UAE and the UK (London in particular). Additionally, searches from Saudi Arabia for “booking tickets” this year have increased 153% compared to previous year. In the UAE, according to Google Trends, people searched for local entertainment destinations in the past 8 months including the Dubai Fountain and Dubai Butterfly Garden, as well as hotels located locally in the UAE and in Saudi Arabia. Additionally, searches from UAE for “ticket prices” this year have increased 122% compared to previous year. These and similar insights can be helpful for businesses to connect with people searching to travel and plan their campaigns. By leveraging the tools, businesses in the travel and tourism industry can discover insights to reach global travelers, whether they are departing or arriving in MENA, at every stage of their journey, from dreaming about their next travel destination, to booking flights and hotels. Destination Insights The Destination Insights tool will give travel businesses, governments and tourism boards a clear picture of the top sources of demand for a destination, and the destinations within their countries that travelers are most interested in visiting. It also allows businesses to explore how tourism demand is changing, compared to previous months’ or years’ demand and adjust marketing …

It is finally here, the fifth edition of Gulf Travel Show (GTS) which will kick off at 11am today until 4pm (UAE time) and tomorrow under the theme of sustainable tourism. One of the key areas post covid is sustainability, it is not a mere CSR project anymore but a wholesome deal which ensures responsible tourism. Participation in GTS assures you of the great responsibility held by the travel and tourism fraternity about their intent to reduce its carbon footprint. Gulf Travel Show (GTS) is the only event which was built in with a purpose. When it first started out just after the pandemic whilst most borders were still closed, it gave the travel, tourism and hospitality fraternity an opportunity to ensure that confidence is restored in the minds of the people passionate about the industry. It was also a tool which connected online GCC buyers with exhibitors from across the globe. The fifth edition or GTS 5.0 demonstrates its commitment to uphold its social responsibility to ensure less carbon emissions, yet bring all players to the table and learn and study the stakes, the many opportunities to make things right after a bout of almost two and a half years of pandemic era. Sustainability has many layers to be addressed, it is no longer a word to be utilized and passed on as a mere CSR activity, hence it is a commitment to ensure that everyone has a part to play on mother earth. Starting off with airlines and their biofuel capabilities, hotels and their sustainable strategies, tourism boards which provide and maintain sustainable goals to ensure that the country or destination promoted will not be perturbed, undisturbed, instead …

The German National Tourist Board (GNTB) has revealed the country recorded a 318 per cent increase on overnight stays from Gulf nationals in the first six months of 2022 when compared to the same period last year*. GCC nationals were responsible for more than 335,000 stays in H1 2022, compared with a little less than 81,000 in 2021. Such figures confirm the region’s position as representing the biggest growth from an Asian source market. While tourism numbers may not have returned to pre-pandemic levels yet, the promising growth demonstrates the countries strong recovery as it continues to attract tourists. “The GCC is the top Asian source market, therefore it’s unsurprising with our recent campaigns that there has been such a strong increase,” said Yamina Sofo, director of sales and marketing at the German National Tourist Office, the regional office of GNTB. “Pandemic recovery has long been top of mind and it’s encouraging to see that both longstanding and first-time travellers are increasingly keen to explore everything that Germany has to offer.” Overall, the Asian source markets have recorded a 252.3 per cent increase in overnight visitors, a jump from just over 217,000 to just under 800,000 in 6 months. The surging increase demonstrates a dedication and determination to travel internationally, despite some countries continuing to implement travel restrictions during the first half of the year. To further drive interest in travel to Germany in the remainder of 2022, GNTB has announced the launch of its ‘Feel Good’ campaign, which encompasses a plethora of guiding tips highlighting the country’s eco initiatives that provide conscious tourists with adequate tools and information to reduce their carbon footprint during their travels. A recent survey by D/A, …

Leading travel trade agents in Abu Dhabi attended the first ever roadshow from St.Petersburg recently with partners from DMCs, hoteliers, cruise/shipping companies and medical tourism specialists. The roadshow was divided into three main parts, the first was the one on one B2B sessions where the travel trade could spend time and get to know the destination, followed by detailed presentations by the partners. The final part of the event was the grand dinner with authentic St.Petersburg entertainment, which included a ballet performance as well. Ksenia Narvatkina, Chief Specialist of the development department from St. Petersburg City Tourist Information Bureau and Committee for tourism development of Saint Petersburg, opened the presentation sharing, “we would like to share with you the tourism potential of St.Petersburg and hope that today’s presentation will allow you to know more about our unique city and its many offerings. In 2018, committee for tourism development of St.Petersburg and city tourism bureau organised a roadshow to the cities of the United Arab Emirates. The presentation of tourism development was held with great success and the event aroused great interest among people of the United Arab Emirates.” Mahesh Perera – Travel Consultant – BCD Travels Abu Dhabi shared, “After the pandemic during the past two and half years we did have on and off a few events but this was the first in Abu Dhabi and this was a very well organised roadshow. It was interesting to meet many partners including cruise partners this evening at the St.Petersburg roadshow. For agents like us in Abu Dhabi it was really a very productive and interactive event which enabled us to meet many partners.” Kumar Jiandani Business Development Manager Over Seas …

The Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi) has announced its line-up of events for the 2022/2023 winter season, which are set to create excitement and elevate the destination experience of the UAE capital. Revealed during a TV talk show-style launch event, the up-to-date Abu Dhabi Calendar spans 180 days and features extraordinary concerts by regional and international artists, exhilarating sporting and e-sports action, immersive cultural festivals, live interactive family shows, crowd-pleasing concerts, and unmissable theatre, opera and dance performances. Highly anticipated events in the Abu Dhabi Calendar include the live concerts by Sting, Andrea Bocelli and A. R. Rahman, the first NBA Abu Dhabi Games, the return of Abu Dhabi Showdown Week, headlined by UFC 280: OLIVEIRA vs MAKHACHEV, Disney’s The Lion King, and IIFA Awards Abu Dhabi 2023. For rap and global urban music fans, the Wireless Festival makes its Abu Dhabi debut in March 2023. H.E. Saleh Mohamed Al Geziry, Director General for Tourism at DCT Abu Dhabi, said, “Abu Dhabi Calendar has an incredible line up of events to thrill and excite our residents and visitors this season. We’re looking forward to sharing Abu Dhabi with the world by playing host to spectacular musical acts and action-packed global sport spectacles that will attract fans and families from across the globe. It’s a jam packed and incredibly diverse agenda of events which promises to connect friends, excite youth and unite families for unforgettable moments they can enjoy at their own pace.” Mohamed Abdalla Al Zaabi, CEO of Miral, said, “Through our collaboration with DCT Abu Dhabi and the support of our trusted partners, Abu Dhabi will host an action-packed line-up of world-class events …