Tag Archives: 2023

International Women’s Day is celebrated around the world to recognize the achievements of women and advocate for gender equality. In the Philippines, women have played a significant role in the tourism industry, contributing to the growth and development of the sector. Let us see how the Philippines celebrates International Women’s Day in terms of tourism. The Philippines is a popular tourist destination, known for its natural beauty, cultural attractions, and hospitable people. The tourism industry in the country has grown significantly in recent years, contributing to the country’s economic growth. Women have played a critical role in this growth, working in various capacities, including tour guides, hotel staff, and travel agents. To celebrate the achievements of women in the tourism industry, the Philippines organizes various events on International Women’s Day. These events aim to showcase the contribution of women to the sector and inspire other women to pursue careers in tourism. They also provide a platform for women in tourism to network and share their experiences, challenges, and success stories. The nation goes above and beyond in supporting and showcasing women travellers, offering them a seamless and safe experience when travelling to and from the country.   The Philippines also recognizes outstanding women in the tourism industry through awards and honours. These awards aim to recognize women’s contributions to the growth and development of the sector and inspire other women to excel in their careers. For example, the Tourism Promotions Board of the Philippines organizes the Mabuhay Awards, which recognizes individuals and organizations that have made significant contributions to the tourism industry.   In addition to these events and awards, the Philippines promotes gender equality in the tourism industry through …

Air Arabia Abu Dhabi to start direct flights from Abu Dhabi to Baku in Azerbaijan from 13th September 2023. The direct flights will connect Abu Dhabi International Airport to Heydar Aliyev International Airport with a frequency of three flights per week.     Schedule to Baku, effective September 13, 2023 (all times local): Flight Departure Time Arrival Time Aircraft Frequency 3L 730 Abu Dhabi 10:10 Baku 13:15 Airbus 320 Wednesday/Friday/Sunday 3L 731 Baku 14:15 Abu Dhabi 17:15 Airbus 320 Wednesday/Friday/Sunday               Adel Al Ali, Group Chief Executive Officer, Air Arabia, said: “We are excited to start our direct flights between Abu Dhabi and Baku, a city which offers a unique blend of Europe and Asia. Baku is a significant route in our expansion plans from UAE’s capital and reinforces our commitment to providing our customers with more choices, convenience, and enhanced connectivity, while supporting both countries’ aviation sector and tourism industry”. Air Arabia Abu Dhabi continues to enhance global connectivity to and from the capital of the UAE, serving a total of 32 destinations directly from Abu Dhabi International Airport. Air Arabia operates a total fleet of 68 Airbus A320 and A321 neo-LR aircraft, the most modern and best-selling single aisle aircraft in the world. The cabin configuration across Air Arabia’s fleet provides added comfort with one of the most generous seat-pitch of any economy cabin. The aircraft is equipped with ‘SkyTime’, a free in-flight streaming service that will allow passengers to stream a wide selection of entertainment directly to their devices. Customers can also enjoy a variety of delicacies between snacks, meals, and sandwiches from the on-board ‘SkyCafe’ menu at affordable prices. The …

Global travel marketplace Skyscanner highlighted key travel trends to Saudi Arabia for the month coinciding with Ramadan. Accordingly, Saturday 18 March 2023 is the most popular departure date, with 38% of travellers aiming to travel to Saudi; whilst over 92% travellers are aiming to travel to Saudi during the week of 20 March, making the start of Ramadan the most popular travel time. Travellers from across the GCC, the United Kingdom, Egypt and Germany are amongst the most popular making their way to the Kingdom during this time where Jeddah is the airport of choice, accounting for 75% of bookings. Over 70% of travellers are looking for trips between 1-2 weeks long. “As restrictions ease and capacity increases, we are seeing travel demand return to pre-pandemic levels, if not higher,” said Ayoub El Mamoun, Skyscanner Travel Expert. “Travel remains a key priority, with many travellers across the GCC, such as the UAE and Saudi, planning the same or more trips in 2023 than they did the year previously.” Top GCC destinations booking Saudi Arabia during Ramadan UAE Saudi Arabia Kuwait Qatar Oman   Top international destinations booking Saudi Arabia during Ramadan UK Egypt Germany Netherlands Pakistan Italy France USA Indonesia Morocco

Now, in its 29th year, Dubai International boat show kicked off once again at the Dubai Harbour, the permanent show ground alongside the cruise terminal in the Dubai Marina. Speaking at the opening Abdulla Binhabtoor, Chief Portfolio Management Officer, Shamal Holding, the owner and curator of Dubai Harbour, “I would like welcome you again to the Dubai harbour, this district was designed and purpose built for the maritime industry in the UAE which has been guiding for thousands of years.” Speaking with tourism breaking news he added the importance of the international boat show and the development plans for the harbour itself. “We believe that with partners like the Dubai international boat show, we support the growth of the industry overall in the region and in Dubai. We believe that the show this year is bigger, we continue to emphasise the permanency of this show, it is on its 29th edition. We offer the largest marina in the region with amazing and extraordinary facilities, we believe that we cannot work in isolation from the industry, the show allows us to interact with the industry and support the industry and it also allows to bring in innovation. In Dubai harbour we have developed two cruise terminals which are the largest in the Eastern hemisphere in a drive to support the city’s ambition to grow in the cruise tourism sector. We can see double the number of cruise passengers from last season, we welcomed more ships, more variety and we continue to provide the best service and best experience. We believe with the current capacity we have with the two terminals we will continue to support the growth of the number of ship …

The Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority (SCTDA) has concluded its programme for the Sharjah Light Festival 2023, held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Mohammad Al Qasimi, UAE Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, from 8 to 19 February 2023 in 13 locations across the Emirate of Sharjah. His Excellency Khalid Jasim Al Midfa, Chairman of the SCTDA, said: “The efforts, plans, and initiatives of the Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority aim to develop and advance the tourism sector, in line with the directives of our wise leadership, represented by H.H. Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Mohammad Al Qasimi, UAE Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, and his continuous support for the tourism sector in the emirate. The objective is to cement Sharjah’s reputation as a prominent destination on the global tourism map, offering visitors a distinctive mix of events, destinations, and innovative projects that meet all aspirations and enrich the tourism experience throughout the year.” H.E. Al Midfa noted that the 12th edition of the festival achieved remarkable success, adding to the emirate’s successful track record of organising major international events that attract tourists and families from all around the world. Every year, the Sharjah Light Festival reports a remarkable growth in visitor numbers to all locations, H.E. added, revealing that this year, the festival welcomed nearly 1.3 million visitors. The Light Village also welcomed large crowds of individuals and families, estimated at more than 148,000 visitors, to great media fanfare, H.E. Al Midfa continued, applauding the efforts made by all partners, entities, media outlets, content creators, social media influencers and various teams that contributed to the event’s success. The festival’s light …

Global travel marketplace Skyscanner highlights the top searched destinations from the UAE during the week of half term holidays. According to the latest update, searches are up +185% compared to the previous year and booking windows for flights in February also see an increase compared to 2022, suggesting a return to pre-pandemic booking windows as consumer confidence continues to grow and travellers book flights earlier. Travel searches within the GCC – top 3: Saudi Arabia (+494% increase compared to previous year) Qatar (+626% increase compared to previous year) Oman (+231% increase compared to previous year)   International travel searches – top 10 India (+292% increase compared to previous year) Pakistan (+246% increase compared to previous year) United Kingdom (+178% increase compared to previous year) Egypt (+238% increase compared to previous year) Thailand (+522% increase compared to previous year) Philippines (-16% decrease compared to previous year) Maldives (+569% increase compared to previous year) Italy (+103% increase compared to previous year) Germany (+143% increase compared to previous year) United States (+162% increase compared to previous year) Flight bookings made more than 30 days before departure in February 2023 are up 7% compared to 2022, whilst flight bookings made less than 30 days before departure are down 6% from the previous year.

SriLankan Airlines made an upbeat comeback to South Asia’s Travel & Tourism Exchange (SATTE), for the first time since 2019 to reconnect with the trade and jump-start Indian outbound travel to Sri Lanka. SriLankan ran a stall at the expo from 9 – 11 February 2023, and successfully galvanized the support of visiting travel agents, tour operators and other industry allies for the airline as well as national efforts to restore tourism in Sri Lanka. Indian travellers flocked to Sri Lanka before the borders closed in 2019, encouraged by the short travel time and unmistakable similarities of culture. SriLankan Airlines was often the preferred conduit of travel between the two countries owing to its broad Indian network and unparalleled flight frequencies and connections to the East and beyond. The airline is well-placed to welcome Indian customers onboard and to the shores of Sri Lanka once again, and this was the core message driven home to agents at SATTE 2023. In supporting its commercial goals, SriLankan seized the platform offered by the SATTE expo to give a boost to SriLankan Holidays’ package, ‘Dil full of Sri Lanka,’ that was introduced in India recently.  The three-day package provides an unbeatable value proposition combining the airline’s warm and convenient service with four-star properties of partner hotel chains. SriLankan remains strongly committed to its Indian customers and currently operates 80 weekly flights between Colombo and nine Indian cities. Travellers from Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Kochi, Madurai, Mumbai, Tiruchirappalli and Thiruvananthapuram can expect a seamless travel experience when flying to Colombo and beyond on SriLankan Airlines. For more details and bookings visit www.srilankan.com    

After a break caused by the pandemic, the 19th Azerbaijan International Travel and Tourism Fair AITF 2023 will reopen its doors at Baku Expo Center from 4 to 6 April. The organiser of the event is the Caspian Event Organisers company. Traditionally one of the leading events in the tourism sector of the entire region, the AITF exhibition brings together the leading players in the industry, provides them with the opportunity to establish new contacts, significantly expand the geography of sales and learn about the latest innovations and trends in the tourism industry. The AITF 2023 exhibition will bring together companies from Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bulgaria, Georgia, Cuba, Lithuania, Malaysia, Poland, Russia, Slovenia, Thailand, Tunisia, Turkey, the Czech Republic, Switzerland, and other countries. The visiting card of the AITF exhibition are national stands, this year such countries as Belarus, Croatia, Poland, and others will exhibit them. Bulgaria, which is a permanent participant of the exhibition, will be the general sponsor of AITF 2023 this year. The exhibition will cover the following areas: Outbound tourism Domestic tourism Inbound tourism AITF 2023 will feature relevant sectors such as: medical tourism, educational tourism, overseas real estate, sports tourism, information technology in tourism, hunting and fishing, cruise ships, airlines, national and regional tourism authorities, ministries, embassies, travel agencies and tour operators. A rich business program awaits participants and visitors. Traditionally, within the framework of the exhibition, bilateral business meetings (B2B) will be held, at which representatives of domestic and foreign companies will discuss ways of cooperation and other forms of partnership in person. AITF 2023 is a long-awaited event for professionals in the tourism industry, as international and local companies will have the opportunity to …

Emirates announced that it will boost its operations to and from Cairo to 28 weekly flights, effective 29 October, 2023. The additional flights provide more options for customers to connect to Dubai and beyond with enhanced schedules and the opportunity to enjoy more of the Emirates A380’s signature experience. The operational boost will see Emirates operating four daily flights, thrice daily on the A380 and a daily service on the Boeing 777. Cairo has the highest deployment of Emirates A380 services in the MENA region, outside of Dubai. The additional services and upgrade of seat capacity  on the Dubai-Cairo route will help meet high demand to and from Cairo and support the country’s tourism revival with the addition of more than 2,200 weekly seats in each direction. EK921 will now operate daily, departing at 1200hrs from Dubai to arrive at Cairo International Airport at 1415hrs. The return service EK922 will depart from Cairo at 1615hrs, to arrive at 2145hrs in Dubai. Emirates’ third A380 service to Cairo, EK925 will depart Dubai at 20:40hrs landing at 22:55hrs. EK926 will then depart Cairo, the following day at 00:40 hrs, to arrive in Dubai at 06:10hrs. The Emirates A380 experience remains highly sought after by travellers for its spacious and comfortable cabins, and signature products that offer travellers the best experiences in the sky like the Onboard Lounge, First Class suites and Shower Spa. The airline currently deploys its flagship A380 to 41 destinations worldwide. The modern Boeing 777-300ER aircraft in a three-class configuration on flights to Cairo offer Emirates’ award-winning service and industry-leading products, with private suites in First Class, lie flat seats in Business Class and spacious seats in Economy Class. …

Qatar Tourism (QT) represented the State of Qatar in the 16th edition of the Tehran International Tourism Exhibition (TITE) 2023. As the first participation, QT’s booth included trade partners Qatar Airways, as well as The Torch Doha, Travel Designer WLL, Rixos Gulf Hotel Doha, and Banana Island Doha Resort. The tourism exhibition, which concluded at the Tehran International Permanent Fairground, presented the ideal opportunity for Qatar to highlight the latest developments in its tourism industry and showcase its newest tourism and hospitality offerings. In addition, it provided a platform for Qatar to network with prominent travel operators, agencies, and airlines in Iran, to increase business-to-business and business-to-consumer awareness on Qatar and provide an update on the destination’s offering. Chief Operating Officer of Qatar Tourism, Berthold Trenkel, said: “Iran is one of 15 target markets identified by Qatar Tourism as a primary source for visitors looking to relax, rejuvenate and take in Qatar’s vibrant culture. Participating in TITE allows us to share with sellers in Iran the information they need to expand and promote tourism opportunities to Qatar for their local, resident population. Initiatives such as these are important to help Qatar Tourism achieve its 2030 strategy, which aims to increase the number of visitors to Qatar by threefold, increase spending by 3 to 4 times, and grow the GDP contribution of the tourism sector to 12% by 2030.” Visitors to the Qatar pavilion (Hall 41 – Booth 18) were invited to learn about Qatar’s unique culture, beautiful outdoor spaces, and warm hospitality, all while exploring some of the newest attractions and favourable travel regulations that are set to boost the visitor experience.