Tag Archives: 2022

Dubai Airports has upped again its annual forecast for passenger traffic at Dubai International (DXB) to 64.3 million following a strong performance by the hub in the third quarter, and the prospects of a stronger surge in the offing in the final three months of 2022. DXB started the second half of the year with a bang, with average monthly traffic exceeding the 6-million mark throughout the third quarter. The hub recorded 18.5 million passengers in Q3, the first time that quarterly traffic reached pre-pandemic levels since 2020. DXB had recorded 17.8 million passengers in the first quarter of 2020 prior to the pandemic. “The growth in passenger traffic has been terrific throughout the year and continues to exceed our expectations by a margin. While we are thrilled with the numbers, what really gives us immense satisfaction is how the airport community is working together like a well-oiled machine to keep raising the bar on service quality. Our collaborative approach and service transformation initiatives are making a tangible difference in the happiness of our customers, and that remains our ultimate measure of success” said Paul Griffiths, CEO of Dubai Airports. Key facts and figures Passenger volumes at DXB recorded a triple digit surge in the third quarter to reach 18,455,938, propelling the year-to-date September traffic to 46,340,826 passengers, a year-on-year increase of 167.6%. The YTD traffic volume represents 72% of DXB’s pre-pandemic passenger traffic during the same period in 2019. Cargo Impacted by the moving of all major freight operators from DXB back to Dubai World Central (DWC) in March, Cargo continued to register a softening of demand in Q3. DXB recorded 397,676 tonnes of freight in the Q3, bringing …

In a boost to Dubai’s proposition as the place to be this winter season, some 5,500 athletes from 32 countries will soon arrive to compete in 28 Emirates Dubai 7s invitational tournaments over the long UAE national day weekend starting 1st December. Emirates has been a steadfast supporter of the Dubai 7s since its beginnings, which today has become the highlight of the Dubai event calendar, and the biggest and most popular sports and social gathering among the hundreds of other events hosted in the UAE every year. Over 420 sports teams will play in high-powered competitions spanning rugby 7’s, cricket, netball, and the annual festival’s newest addition, a fitness competition, WODON3, geared for both elite and amateur athletes looking to push their limits. The HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series usually kicks off its season at the Emirates Dubai 7s with some of the world’s best male and female pro-rugby players from 28 countries with top-ranking and Olympic winning teams participating, including Australia & Fiji as well as Dubai fan favourites South Africa, Ireland & Great Britain, all set to compete on the pitch. At the Emirates Dubai 7s, rugby action isn’t be limited to professional players. The truly inclusive event will also host International Invitational and Open Tournaments for Men & Women as well as Social, Vets for the over 35s and Under 19 Boys competitions while the best teams from across the Gulf Region will battle it out for the Gulf Men’s League, Open, Social, Vets, Women, U19 Boys and Girls, and the UAE National Development Cup, created exclusively for Emirati players. These 16 additional events will be played across the three days at The Sevens Stadium. On …

Recognising for her dedication for the tourism sector, Basmah Abdulaziz Al-Mayman is the Regional Director for the Middle East, since 2018. She is still the first woman representing tourism in the Middle East that has garnered a position in the prestigious classification, and she is also the first GCC national to hold a leading position at the UNWTO and the first woman to lead the Middle East region in the history of this international organization. During her tenure, UNWTO opened its first Regional Office for the Middle East (Riyadh, Saudi Arabia). She permanently represents, as well, the UNWTO in the meetings of the Arab Ministerial Council for Tourism in the League of Arab States. Al-Mayman has an MBA, with honors degree, from Al Faisal University, in cooperation with the University of Oxford, where she studied Entrepreneurship and Comparative Managerial Issues and a Bachelor´s degree in English Literature and Linguistics from King Saud University,. She also studied several advanced specialized courses in International Relations, International law, Economic and Diplomatic affairs at Prince Saud Al-Faisal Institute of Diplomatic Studies at the Foreign Ministry in Saudi Arabia. She is fluent in both Arabic and English.    

Mohamed Jassim Al Rais is a young dynamic Emirati, who completed his graduation from American University, Sharjah in 2006. His initial introduction to the Al Rais Group of Companies was made in 2002 through a Management Development Programme and thereafter in 2008 was given a Leadership role in Al Rais Holidays, Al Rais Online Services and Al Rais Rent – A – Car Company. Mr. Al Rais is now the Deputy Managing Director of Al Rais Travel & Shipping agencies (Al Rais Group) and spearheads the Strategic Direction and Growth Plan of the Organisation. Mr. Al Rais has been managing the travel group business for the past fifteen years. His aspirations are truly global and he is committed to making the Al Rais Group of Companies a market leader in the UAE. Mr. Al Rais is the Honorary Chairman of the Dubai Travel & Tour Agents Group – DTTAG since February 2022. Mr. Al Rais is also actively involved in Department of Tourism & Commerce Marketing (DTCM).

The day is finally here, as the most coveted awards in the region, Arabian Travel Awards will once again host the industry winners. This year’s edition is special as the focus is on sustainability. Arabian Travel Awards is a platform for the Middle East market to appreciate the efforts of the travel specialists who have contributed to the booming travel and hospitality industry. The aim is to encourage them to continue promoting tourism in the region. The Arabian Travel Awards are fair and unbiased, following a systematic method of internet-based voting. These awards are supported by Tourismbreakingnews.ae, TravelTVmiddleeast.news and TravTalk Middle East who are premier media partners for the coverage of the event. The awards will be divided into four categories: Personal Awards, Business Awards, Trending Awards and Partner Awards. They will include awards for Best Business Hotel, Best Family Friendly Hotel, Best City Hotel, Best Green Hotel, Best Leisure Hotel, Best Destination Management Company, Best Hotel Apartments, Best B2B Travel Portal, and Best Luxury Hotel to name a few. San Jeet Director Arabian Travel Awards shares, “Our awards this year is very special as it recognizes the untiring efforts of the industry experts. This year as the borders open, the travel, tourism and hospitality experts were able to restore to levels enjoyed pre-pandemic time. Most had to redefine the way forward in the post covid era, as we can confidently call it. Applications are still open to vote for those in the industry and who has been in the forefront promoting and working to go over and beyond the general norms of the industry. Middle East has always been the most resilient region, especially the UAE and Dubai in …

Etihad Airways is set to start flying to Guangzhou next month, becoming the first international airline to operate long-haul passenger services to the top three Chinese gateways since the start of the pandemic. Subject to regulatory approvals, the twice-weekly passenger service to Guangzhou will start on 10 October, initially using a two-class Boeing 777. The new route means Etihad will be offering guests convenient access to three Chinese gateways as Guangzhou is added to existing services to Shanghai which resumed in July 2020 and Beijing, which resumed in June 2022. Martin Drew, Etihad’s Senior Vice President Global Sales and Cargo, said: “We are proud to offer our guests a third destination in China as Etihad Airways begins flights to the pivotal and historic port city of Guangzhou. As well as being a modern and rapidly growing city itself, Guangzhou has excellent connections with the Greater Bay Area. “Our twice-weekly service will further address the huge demand for passenger travel between the UAE and China, as well as provide new cargo capacity, building on the formidable people and business ties between the two markets.” With the addition of these new services from 10 October, Etihad will offer four weekly flights between Abu Dhabi and China: two services per week to Guangzhou and weekly services to Beijing and Shanghai. Those wishing to book are advised to visit Etihad.com, and to remain informed on the relevant entry regulations at their end destination. Flights are also available for booking through the Etihad mobile app, by calling the Etihad Airways Contact Centre on +971 600 555 666 (UAE) or +86 400 8822 050 (Mainland China), or through local or online travel agencies.  Abu Dhabi-Guangzhou flight …

As summer begins in the GCC, Europe once again maintains its top spot as the most travelled destination. In a recent interview with Chris Gregory-Pasha, Senior Sales Director, MEA, Sojern shared, “As we move into the Q3 peak summer months we’re pleased to see travel confidence has regained in the region. For travellers from the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman and Bahrain, regional travel is proving popular to Istanbul, Dubai and Abu Dhabi, all appearing in the top five destinations across these markets. International travel is also making a strong return as destinations such as London – United Kingdom, Paris – France, and Bangkok – Thailand all appear in the top fifteen, with London the top destination. We know that the cosmopolitan cities of London and Paris with their historical sights, comfortable climates and some of the most sought after luxury brands in the world have long been favourites of regional travellers. With the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT)* working to strengthen Thailand’s presence as the preferred tourist destination among Middle East travellers, we also expect to see sustained interest in visiting the vibrant cities and beautiful beaches the ‘Land of Smiles’ has to offer.” He further reiterated, “looking at today’s traveller profile well over half of travellers from the UAE (72.7%), Saudi Arabia (55.9%), Kuwait (69.6%), Qatar (70.3%), Oman (71.1) and Bahrain (68.1%) are solo travellers, with an average across the six markets of 63.1%, with approximately 27.4% of people travelling as a family and 9.5% as a couple. We also see that the majority of trips are seven days or longer, with over 50% of trips coming out of the UAE (53.93%) and Kuwait (50.27%) 15 days or …

Malaysia has officially reopened its borders to international tourists starting 1st April 2022. Targeting to attract more than 2 million international tourists this year, Tourism Malaysia, the promotional board under the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture (MOTAC), will embark on a continuous effort to showcase the country’s unique blend of “Truly Asia” heritage to the Middle East and the world. Earlier during the pandemic, Tourism Malaysia launched the campaign #WeMissYou, which was targeted at the Middle East region to invoke feelings of nostalgia among travellers on the magnificent attractions that Malaysia has to offer. Recently, Tourism Malaysia participated in the Arabian Travel Market (ATM) 2022, where it signed a Memorandum of Cooperation (MOC) with Dubai-based Emirates Airline as part of the recovery and development of traffic to Malaysia from key markets across the airline’s network. Through this strategic agreement, Tourism Malaysia will work with Emirates to explore mutually beneficial initiatives that will drive tourism into Malaysia, and offer Emirates more opportunities to serve the market, which include familiarisation trips, workshops, seminars, digital campaigns, in-flight marketing campaigns and other marketing programs. The mission’s goal at the ATM is to re-establish and strengthen the region’s commitment to good tourist cooperation, future partnerships and better cooperation with the travel and tourism industry. Dato’ Sri Hajah Nancy Shukri, Malaysia’s Tourism Arts and Culture Minister said: “We will continue to place strong emphasis and focus on the Middle Eastern market in terms of outbound tourism. Hence, we will be stepping up our promotional efforts here. “It is indeed a huge relief for the tourism industry as we welcome more international tourists, newcomers and regulars alike, to further boost our economy. Therefore, we hope for …

Discover Europe Travel Summit, the annual two-day event, is set to make a successful return to Dubai 7-8 May, with more than 4,000 pre-scheduled meetings taking place. The summit will bring together a delegation of 97 exhibitors from across Austria, Germany, Ireland, and Switzerland, to meet with more than 100 hosted buyers from the GCC. The highly anticipated event enables the European nations the chance to share their attractions and other strengths, as well as create lasting professional relationships. Tourism spokespeople from the four European nations will gather between May 6–9 at the Taj Exotica Resort & Spa, The Palm, Dubai, with the aim of strengthening ties with the Middle East market. Held immediately before the ongoing Arabian Travel Market, the two-day Discover Europe networking event is the perfect pre-cursor to the region’s largest travel exhibition, which will involve discussions and debates on an array of topics, including new technologies and industry trends. “The GCC remains a key market from inbound tourism to Germany,” said Yamina Sofo, Director of Sales & Marketing at the German National Tourist Office, the regional office of the German National Tourist Board. “With our incredible cultural offerings and beautiful nature, we believe we offer GCC residents the opportunity to explore something different. The Discover Europe event is the perfect way for us to introduce that to key partners.” Aisling McDermott, Manager Middle East & Asia of Tourism Ireland added: “We’re really pleased to make our inaugural appearance at the Discover Europe event and are excited to see the fruits of our labour come to the fore. Joining the event was an easy decision for us as we’ve witnessed the success in previous years and it’s …