Tag Archives: Delhi

Etihad Airways and Royal Jordanian have announced a new codeshare partnership to provide customers with greater access to key leisure and business destinations in North Africa, Europe, Canada, Asia and Australia. This is the first such partnership between the two airlines which offer multiple daily services between their respective hubs in Abu Dhabi and Amman. The partnership will see Etihad Airways place its ‘EY’ code on Royal Jordanian’s flights from Abu Dhabi via Amman’s Queen Alia International Airport to Larnaca and Berlin, while Algiers, Tunis, Vienna and Montreal will be added to the agreement soon. In turn, Royal Jordanian will initially place its ‘RJ’ code on Etihad Airways services from Amman to Abu Dhabi and vice versa, and then from the UAE capital to Brisbane and Seoul. Subject to government approval, RJ will also market Etihad flights from Abu Dhabi to Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Calicut, Cochin, Delhi, Chennai, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Trivandrum, Manila, Beijing and Shanghai. Tony Douglas, Group Chief Executive Officer, Etihad Aviation Group, said, “This partnership reinforces the deep cultural, tourism and trade connections between the UAE and Jordan, and opens up a new world of opportunities for our customers. Both the airlines share the common values of genuine Arabian hospitality and service, combined with the next-generation fleets, enviable reputations for efficiency and reliability, and a combined network spanning the globe.” Stefan Pichler, President and CEO, Royal Jordanian, said, “We are delighted to have Etihad Airways beside our codeshare partners who help us grow in different markets. This move is bound to expand our presence in Asia and Australia, which are key destinations for many RJ customers. This commercial partnership offers convenient transiting in Amman and Abu Dhabi to their final …

As a result of the efforts by the Bahrain Tourism and Exhibition Authority (BTEA) to promote the Kingdom of Bahrain as a destination for weddings and other happy occasions, the Kingdom of Bahrain hosted an Indian wedding of the son of Indian businessman, Sushil Mantri, from Bengaluru, from December 15 to December 17 2018, at the Four Seasons Hotel Bahrain Bay. The event attracted more than 800 guests who travelled on Bahrain’s national carrier, Gulf Air, from various Indian cities, including Bengaluru, Mumbai, Delhi and Chennai, and from other parts of the world. The three-day wedding included a series of activities, the first of which was the arrival of the bride and groom in a traditional Bahraini environment and means of transportation; the groom arrived on a purebred Arabian horse accompanied by traditional Indian music and dancers, while the bride arrived to the scene of the wedding onboard a traditional boat at Bahrain Bay. After the ceremony, Bahrain’s skyline was adorned with a display of fireworks to celebrate the wedding and the Kingdom’s national holiday, commemorating the joy of both glorious occasions. On the second day of the celebrations, the guests were invited to a traditional Souk (bazaar) that was hosted at the Hotel’s large halls, allowing guests to witness traditional Bahraini craftsmen at work, manufacturing beautifully-crafted products made of gold and pearls, traditional women’s and men’s clothing; and enjoy traditional sweets and beverages that were presented. To conclude the third and final day, a special social and sports programme was organised at Bahrain International Circuit to enjoy karting as a final farewell. Commenting on this occasion, Dr Ali Hasan Follad, Adviser, BTEA, said, “BTEA has played a pivotal role …

Golden Sands Hotel Apartments (GSHA) continues to be the preferred accommodation of visitors from India as shown by the increased interest received by the team at a tourism roadshow held in Delhi recently. Over 400 trade professionals comprising key travel and tour operators, wedding planners and upmarket leisure operators from the city attended the roadshow organised by the Dubai Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM). Mohammed Khoori, General Manager, said, “The roadshow opened up new opportunities to tap agents who are not familiar with Golden Sands Hotel Apartments. It was the ideal platform to interact with a significantly higher number of travel agents and tour operators that market a new segment of travellers from India. The main market segments that we are looking at tapping in India this year are the group series departures and the family segment travellers who will be heading for the New Year and Dubai Shopping Festival (DSF) 2019. Our main focus on expanding and consolidating ties with the new travel segment was to reach out to a larger audience and gain a higher market share.” Earlier in the year, the team of GSHA joined another DTCM roadshow and visited the cities of Kolkata, Pune, Ahmedabad and Mumbai and met potential partners and buyers.

Jet Airways has launched a fourth daily service from Dubai to Delhi, and has also rescheduled the flight to Mangalore from Dubai. The new schedule provides a more convenient night flight, arriving early in the morning in Mangalore. Shakir Kantawala, Vice President, Gulf, Middle East and Africa, Jet Airways, said, “The new service will further enhance the strong economic ties between the UAE and India and support the increase in demand for tourism for both the cities. The new flight timings are also of interest for business travellers, who now have the convenience of day return flights. We look forward to providing greater convenience and choice to our guests travelling to Delhi.”

The Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority (SCTDA) attended the 4th South Asia Travel and Tourism Exchange (SATTE), South Asia’s leading travel trade show, in New Delhi, India where they showcased the emirate’s best tourist  spots, popular leisure activities and unique culture and traditions. SATTE was held from January 31 to February 2, 2018 at Pragati Maidan and saw over 12,000 visitors worldwide. H.E. Khalid Jasim Al Midfa, Chairman, SCTDA, said, “India is undisputedly one of the largest key markets for the tourism and travel industry around the world. In fact, 138,000 Indian guests stayed in Sharjah hotel establishments during 2017. As the South Asian nation is one of our priority markets, this year’s SATTE is an opportunity to encourage more Indian tourists to explore Sharjah’s beauty. We also hope to utilise SATTE’s popularity to enhance the emirate’s brand in major markets worldwide as well as achieve growth in terms of the number of international tourist arrivals in the coming years.” Over the last two decades, SATTE has become the launch platform for many countries from across the globe to conduct business in and with India. SATTE has been working closely with the Ministry of Tourism, the World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO), and the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA), among many other leading associations.

India has emerged as the fourth largest market for global visitors to Sharjah, according to the figures revealed by the Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority (SCTDA). The Authority led a marketing campaign targeting India’s outbound tourism over the past few years, attending key travel events and visiting cities across the country. In a first, the SCTDA led a delegation of Sharjah-based tourism and hospitality organisations to the 23rd edition of the SATTE travel trade show, in New Delhi, India. Sharjah’s delegation to SATTE and India International Travel Mart in Mumbai included Ramada Sharjah, Golden Tulip Sharjah, Sheraton Sharjah Beach Resort & Spa, Sharjah National Hotels, Air Arabia, SATA (Sharjah Airport Travel Agency), Cozmo Travels and Auras Tours. According to the Indian Ministry of Tourism, 18.33 million Indians travelled overseas during 2014 and the World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) expects that Indian outbound travel could grow to 50 million by the year 2020.

Oman Air, the national carrier of the Sultanate of Oman is growing its capacity to India whereby it will increase its weekly frequencies from 126 to 161 flights per week between Oman and its 11 destinations in India. Effective February onward, Bombay, Delhi, Calicut and Hyderabad will be operated with 21 weekly flights each, and Lucknow with 14 weekly flights. The growth in capacity follows the recently signed agreement between the Governments of Oman and India, where both sides agreed to increase the weekly seats. Chief Executive Officer of Oman Air, Paul Gregorowitsch, commented: “India is a key destination for Oman Air and we are delighted to be offering thousands more guests the opportunity to travel between Oman and India (and beyond). The demand for all 11 of our Indian destinations has always been high and the increased frequencies offer yet more choice and convenience to our guests. Oman Air first launched flights to India in the 1990s and the demand for seats has grown exponentially amongst both business and leisure travellers, not only increasing tourism traffic and revenue but also promoting vital trade agreements between the two countries. The extended traffic entitlements will give a further boost to the tourism sector, prompting many discerning tourists to visit magnificent Oman as well as India’s beautiful touristic spots. The bilateral trade and investment opportunities between the two countries are even further encouraged. This growing commitment in India is part of Oman Air’s ambitious and dynamic programme of fleet and network expansion. This has included the delivery of new aircraft and the introduction of a range of exciting new destinations and new products and services which contribute to a seamless passenger experience. …

Qatar Airways will introduce additional capacity to its two South American gateways from December 1, 2016, when the airline upgrades its existing aircraft operating on the route, a Boeing 777-200LR, to a Boeing 777-300ER. The upgrade to the Extended Range aircraft will provide an additional 99 seats per day from the airline’s capital in Doha to Sao Paulo and Buenos Aires. Qatar Airways’ existing aircraft operating on the route is the Boeing 777-200LR with 259 seats, which will increase to 358 seats. Commercial passenger traffic from the two cities to Qatar Airways’ network of more than 150 destinations via Doha provides travellers with some of the  shortest travel times from South America to popular destinations such as Bangkok, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Tokyo, Beirut, Singapore, Delhi and Maldives, and many other places can be conveniently reached via Qatar Airways’ Doha hub. All flights to South America feature three full meal services with three cuisine options in Economy Class, including vegetarian meals and complimentary beverages. In Business Class, Qatar Airways offers a bespoke dine-on-demand service where premium passengers can select a five course meal at their leisure. Qatar Airways’ Boeing 777 offers 42 seats in Business Class and 316 in Economy Class. The airline was recently voted World’s Best Business Class and features a state-of-the-art inflight entertainment system, Oryx One, with up to 3,000 options including the latest movies, TV series, music and games.