Tag Archives: 2023

Saudi Tourism Authority (STA) officially launched ‘Rethink Summer’, its seasonal campaign aimed at promoting Saudi as a diverse, unique summer destination for adventurers and explorers from within Saudi and abroad. As part of the campaign launch, for the first time and in its efforts to empower and enable the private sector, STA brought together key partners within the governmental, private, and tourism ecosystem at an official event held in Riyadh. The briefing event was an exclusive preview into the campaign, the key destinations, events and experiences being showcased and a call-to-action for trade partners to further enhance and strengthen the country’s product offering through their own promotions and offers. His Excellency Ahmed Al Khateeb, Minister of Tourism, Chairman of the Saudi Tourism Authority said: “Saudi is the fastest growing destination worldwide today, with a proven capacity to host visitors from the world over, yearlong. Building on this, we are pleased to launch the ‘Rethink Summer’ campaign to share the beautiful diversity of Saudi with the world, from the cool, green highlands, to the coasts of the Red Sea and Arabian Gulf. Entertainment events will be special and for everyone. Our partners in the private sector are instrumental in this campaign, offering over 1.8 million additional seats for inbound flights, more than 15 thousand new hotel rooms, and over 100 products tailored to meet the taste of all our visitors this summer. This is the largest contribution of the private sector yet.” The destination is set to hit significant milestones this year, from the opening of the first three resorts at The Red Sea, the world’s most ambitious, regenerative, luxury tourism development to Sindalah Island, NEOM’s incomparable island destination. Diriyah, the …

Cozmo Travel signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Moroccan National Tourism Office. This partnership marks a significant milestone for Cozmo Travel as it expands its reach into promoting destinations in the African continent. The signing ceremony was attended by senior officials from both organizations, including Mr. Jamal Abdulnazar, CEO of Cozmo Travel, and Mr. Adel El Fakir, CEO of the Morocco Tourism Board. The MoU outlines the collaboration between the two entities in promoting and facilitating tourism to Morocco from GCC & India. This partnership will help to create new business opportunities, enhance customer experiences, and boost economic growth in all countries involved. Commenting on the partnership, Mr. Jamal Abdulnazar, CEO of Cozmo Travel, said, “We are thrilled to sign this MoU with the Morocco Tourism Board, which demonstrates our commitment to expanding our footprint in the African market. Morocco is a unique destination that offers a rich cultural heritage, stunning landscapes, and a diverse range of experiences for travelers. We are excited to work with the Morocco Tourism Board to promote the country’s tourism offerings and showcase the best of what it has to offer to our customers.” With this partnership, Cozmo Travel and the Morocco Tourism Board aim to leverage their respective strengths to drive tourism growth and provide unique travel experiences to their customers. Cozmo Travel’s extensive network, expertise in travel management, and digital capabilities, coupled with the Morocco Tourism Board’s wealth of knowledge and resources, make for a powerful alliance that will benefit both organizations and their customers. As the travel industry continues to recover from the impact of the pandemic, partnerships like this one are vital to support the industry’s growth and provide …

Elaf Group participated in the ‘Future Hospitality Investment Summit – Saudi Arabia 2023’, which was held from May 7 to 9, 2023, in the capital city of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Riyadh. This year’s summit assembled a huge number of leaders and officials from countries across the globe as well as renowned investors, business owners, developers and operators in the hospitality and hotel services sector, making it the largest edition in the history of this significant event for the region’s hospitality sector. As the event draws industry leaders from around the world, Elaf Group highlighted its most notable hotel services and products as well as the most recent additions to its hotel facilities in Saudi Arabia. The event served as a platform to address challenges and opportunities, promote sustainability and innovation, and enable entrepreneurship in the hospitality sector and shape the future of hospitality in the KSA and the region. During the event, Majed Kaki, Vice President of Elaf Travel and Tourism at Elaf Group participated in the panel discussion titled ‘The Saudi Private Sector and the Saudi Vision 2030’, centred on the private sector’s contribution to the development and growth of tourism sector and execution of developmental projects. In addition, he emphasised the opportunities and possibilities for the expansion of tourism, hospitality and hotel services sectors and reinforced their role as significant private economic contributors in line with the goals of Saudi Vision 2030. He further highlighted Elaf Group’s plans to develop its hotel services and products, modify and expand its hospitality facilities in line with the ambitious national plans for tourism, and ensure readiness to welcome more visitors, tourists, pilgrims and Umrah performers. Kaki said: “Elaf Group …

The 22nd edition of Airport Show was opened in Dubai amidst brighter outlook for complete and sustainable recovery, growth of passenger demand and focus on future mobility, sustainable infrastructure and innovation. His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, President of the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority, Chairman of Dubai Airports, and Chairman and Chief Executive of Emirates Airline and Group inaugurated the annual Airport Show, the world’s largest airport event, at the Dubai World Trade Centre. His Highness said: “The airport industry has come back almost to its full strength and picked up the lost growth momentum in most parts of the world. The construction of new airports and expansion and upgrading of existing facilities has gained pace to ensure airports meet the future demand as well as the needs and expectations of travelers.” After opening, His Highness toured the exhibitors’ pavilions, during which he was accompanied by a number of senior officials from the aviation sector from inside and outside the country, where he was briefed on the technologies and devices showcased by more than 150 international companies from 20 countries around the world. His Highness added: “As the region’s airports look to maintain their status as top global hubs and attract a growing number of travelers, they are investing in the latest of technologies and concepts – biometrics, the Internet of Things, and more recently AI – to deliver an airport experience that exceeds the expectations of their customers, makes aviation sustainable, and keep them ahead of the competition.” The trade show with the theme, ‘Together in Innovating Future Sustainable Airports,’ is the world’s largest annual airport industry B2B platform. This year more than 100 hosted buyers are …

Emirates is showcasing its latest roster of innovative products and fan-favourites at this year’s 30th edition of Arabian Travel Market, which got underway on 1 May. A milestone year for the event, which is celebrating its third decade of connecting the travel industry, this year also marks Emirates 30th year of partnership and commitment to ATM. When the exhibition first opened its doors thirty years ago, Emirates flew 15 aircraft to 30 cities and carried close to 2 million passengers. Today, Emirates is the world’s largest international airline serving over 140 destinations on more than 200 wide-body aircraft, connecting tens of millions of travellers across the globe each year, and making Dubai one of the most globally connected cities for travel, tourism and business. Over the years, the airline’s presence has expanded and evolved at ATM. In 2007, Emirates unveiled its huge ‘Globe’ stand, a captivating three-storey spherical structure which literally ‘turned’,  featuring  the airline’s industry-first private suite in First Class on its Airbus A340-500 in a specially recreated area.  Later, the 9.5 metre tall structure focused on the airline’s tremendous network expansion featuring Emirates destinations, and on the fringes of the stand, its cabin products on the A380 and Boeing 777 across all classes, as well as its sports sponsorships around the world. In 2016, the airline unveiled its ‘Infinite Possibilities’ stand at ATM, a futuristic display showcasing its industry leading products and services for visitors to experience before boarding their next Emirates flight. Standing at 8.5 metres tall and taking almost 9 days to assemble, Emirates’ ‘Infinite Possibilities’ stand was one of the tallest exhibitor stands at ATM, weighing in at 166 tonnes, equivalent to one third of …

Jazeera Airways added Larnaca in Cyprus to its network of new European destinations for the 2023 summer season. Larnaca is Cyprus’s oldest city, balancing a mix of the old and the new. Centrally positioned in Cyprus, the city provides easy access to other parts of the island for both leisure and business travel. With a Mediterranean climate, Cyprus is the perfect place to enjoy the sun, sea and fresh air. Rohit Ramachandran, Chief Executive Officer, Jazeera Airways said: “We are pleased to add Larnaca to our growing list of European destinations for the upcoming summer season. This provides travelers from Kuwait another holiday destination that is a short, affordable flight away. With the addition of Larnaca, we now proudly serve 63 destinations across Europe, the Middle East, Central & South Asia and Africa.” Jazeera Airways is currently running a special offer on fares for 50,000 seats starting from KD 21 only. This offer is open until midnight (Kuwait time) on 20 April 2023 and valid for travel between 1 May and 15 June 2023. You can book your flights to Larnaca, Belgrade, Tirana, Sarajevo and Prague on the airlines website (www.jazeeraairways.com), or on the Jazeera App. The airline also connects from these European cities to other destinations across its network, providing convenient transits through Kuwait. Flights to Larnaca will operate twice weekly from 29 April – 27 May 2023, and three times a week from 29 May – 28 October 2023. Planned Flight Schedule Flight Number Frequency From To Departure (Local Time) Arrival (Local Time) J9 0345 Wednesday, Saturday (from 29 April 2023) Kuwait Larnaca 10:00 13:15 J9 0346 Wednesday, Saturday (from 29 April 2023) Larnaca Kuwait 14:00 17:10 J9 …

Expo 2020 Dubai and its legacy are expected to contribute AED 154.9 billion (USD 42.2 billion) of gross value added (GVA) to the UAE’s economy from 2013 to 2042, a report from EY has shown. The World Expo, which welcomed 24.1 million visits during its six-month run, is also expected to support approximately 1,039,000 full-time equivalent (FTE) job-years, equal to more than 35,000 FTE jobs per annum in the UAE over the same period. The sectors contributing most to GVA – a measure of economic productivity – are events organisation and business services (AED 75.5 billion/USD 20.6 billion), construction (AED 31.9 billion/USD 8.7 billion), and restaurants and hotels (AED 23.1 billion/USD 6.3 billion). The pre-event phase contributed around one quarter of GVA, the event itself added almost 13 per cent, while the lion’s share of economic benefits – 62 percent – will be felt in the legacy phase through to 2042. Her Excellency Reem Al Hashimy, UAE Minister of State for International Cooperation and CEO, Expo City Dubai Authority said: “From the outset, we were committed to hosting a World Expo that would achieve long-lasting economic, social and environmental benefits for the UAE, the region and the world, with positive impacts extending well beyond the six months of the event. Despite the challenges of a global pandemic, we have delivered on that promise. “One year since we closed our doors, this report confirms that Expo 2020 Dubai was a triumph – a milestone event that is substantially boosting our nation’s economy, and whose ripple effects are continuing to enhance our city’s international profile, driving new business growth and attracting globally significant events such as the UN Climate Change Conference of …

Doha was officially recognised as the Arab Tourism Capital 2023 by the Arab Tourism Organization for Tourism at a commemoration ceremony. Commenting on the occasion, Chairman of Qatar Tourism and Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive, His Excellency Mr. Akbar Al Baker, said: “It is an honour to see Doha being named as the Arab Tourism Capital 2023 by the Arab Tourism Organization. One of the industry’s most prestigious accolades, the Arab Tourism Capital award is a testament of our exceptional achievements in leisure and hospitality. I am proud of our city’s tireless efforts that have culminated in this honourable recognition and look forward to further cementing Doha’s position as one of the world’s most sought-after leisure destinations.” The Arab Tourism Organization declared Doha as the Arab Tourism Capital for 2023, in its 25th session at the Arab League General Secretariat Headquarters in Cairo, Egypt. The session was chaired by Jordanian Minister of Tourism and Antiquities, Nayef Fayez, amongst other prominent Arab leaders. Cities were evaluated based on a selection of criteria including tourism management, infrastructure and resources, safety and security, diversity of tourism activations, and preservation and protection of the environment. By continuing to host internationally renowned events, investing in hospitality offerings and expanding into more specialised areas of tourism, Qatar is in a perfect position to meet its goal of welcoming six million visitors a year by 2030. Held under the patronage of His Excellency the Prime Minister and Minister of Interior Sheikh Khalid bin Khalifa bin Abdulaziz Al-Thani at the Katara Cultural Village. The event took place on Arab Tourism Day (February 25), and was attended by tourism ministers, ambassadors and prominent leaders from the nations that are …

London has long been known for its lavish five-star hotels and GCC travellers always seek for the ultimate luxury experience, and the city is set for a boom of new luxury accommodation openings in 2023. From international brands making their UK debut, to existing brands expanding their portfolio with new properties, there’s definitely no shortage of options for discerning GCC travellers. The latest additions to London’s luxury hotel scene promise to be truly spectacular. Visitors will be in awe of Europe’s art-inspired lifestyle hotel brand, Art’otel, which opened its first UK hotel in December 2022, right next to the revamped Battersea Power Station. Spring 2023 will see the opening of Britain’s first Raffles property in a Grade II listed landmark steeped in history, The OWO Residencies by Raffles. Also opening in spring is the much-anticipated 1 Hotel London Mayfair, which will debut overlooking Green Park as the brand’s flagship British hotel. In addition, Mandarin Oriental’s new Mayfair property and Britain’s first Peninsula Hotel will open in the heart of Belgravia. Later in the year, London will also open its doors to the UK’s first St. Regis hotel in Mayfair. Also adding to its luxury portfolio will be the Park Hyatt London River Thames and Six Senses London, which will mark the UK debut for the iconic wellness hotel brand. Finally, The BoTree Marylebone Lane is opening in summer 2023, within the Preferred Hotels and Resorts Legend Collection. Blending Marylebone flair and Mayfair chic, be immersed in an experience created through 199 bespoke guestrooms and suites, destination restaurants, bars, and nightlife. If you’re planning a visit to London in 2023, be sure to keep an eye out for these exciting new …

As GCC travellers get ready for their post Ramadan and summer travel, Great Britain is among the strongest outbound holiday destinations year-after-year. With a 365-day calendar of global festivals and events, 2023 is set for another GREAT year of celebrations. From the coronation of King Charles III, to Liverpool hosting the Eurovision Song Contest, here is VisitBritain’s Top 10 events not to be missed. The Coronation of King Charles III, London – 6 & 8 May 2023 The coronation of Charles III is an extraordinary event that will be steeped in tradition and historical significance. The grandeur of Westminster Abbey will provide the perfect backdrop for this momentous occasion, as the Archbishop of Canterbury leads a service that represents the diversity of the United Kingdom’s faiths and communities. This shorter and more inclusive coronation will be a true reflection of the nation’s current economic circumstances and the King’s wishes. Witnessing the crowning of Camilla as Queen Consort will be a unique and unforgettable experience. Come to London and be a part of history in the making, as the city comes alive to celebrate this momentous event with a bank holiday on Monday 8 May. Eurovision Song Contest 2023, Liverpool – 13 May 2023 Liverpool will host the 2023 Eurovision Song Content on behalf of 2022’s winners, Ukraine. The international talent show brings together the best, quirkiest and most colourful acts from around Europe and further afield. And while the Grand Finale is on Saturday 13 May, there are actually nine shows taking place in front of a live audience, meaning more opportunities to slip on your dancing shoes and eyeball the action. RHS Chelsea Flower Show, London – 23 – 27 May 2023 …