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Emirates renewed its support to Mauritius and the Seychelles by extending a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) which outlines joint activities to promote the two countries. His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman and Chief Executive, Emirates Airline and Group met a VIP delegation from Mauritius and Seychelles at Arabian Travel Market 2019.  An MoU was signed  by Orhan Abbas, Senior Vice President—Commercial Operations for Africa, Emirates and Sherin Francis, Chief Executive Officer, Seychelles Tourism Board and Arvind Bundhun, Director, Mauritius Tourism Promotion Authority, in the presence of the Didier Dogley and Anil Kumar Gayan, Tourism Ministers of Seychelles and Mauritius respectively. “We have enjoyed long and fruitful partnerships with both Mauritius and Seychelles, and have taken an active role in boosting the tourism industry of the island nations. Our commitment to these destinations and the partnership forged with the respective government authorities, have seen great success. The renewal of our agreements underpins our confidence that the growth of tourism to both Mauritius and Seychelles can be further developed, and we remain confident that we will continue to see these numbers grow,” said Abbas. “The signing of this MoU with Emirates underpins the long-standing strong relationship, developed over a decade, between the Government of Seychelles and the leadership of this global airline. We value the services Emirates has provided and continues to provide to the Seychelles and its tourism industry. We look forward towards further deepening this relationship towards our mutual benefits”, said Didier Dogley, Minister of Tourism, Civil Aviation, Ports and Marine of the Seychelles. “I am happy that we are renewing this Memoradum of Understanding with Emirates as this is the basis on which we have built …

The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) Dubai & Middle East Office in partnership with Royal Thai Embassy in Manama, Bahrain and The Gulf Hotel, Bahrain and Gulf Air will launch the Thai Festival 2019 on March 26 at The Gulf Hotel, Bahrain. The EATHAI VISITHAI 2019 promotion will run from March 26 to April 25, 2019 and will see the city come to life as people celebrate Thai culture and cuisine with incredible discounts on offer at 13 of Bahrain’s finest dining establishments. The participating venues will showcase their appetizing special Thai dishes with tasting and a live cooking show at the exclusive launch event on March 26. These include The BF Food Bahrain, Shada Restaurant, Tom Yum Kung Restaurant, Honey Restaurant, Monsoon Restaurant, Royal Thai-Gulf Hotel Bahrain, Wang Thai Restaurant, Thong Eak Restaurant, Som Tum Thai Restaurant, Thai Seafood Restaurant, Wok This Way Restaurant, Top Thai Restaurant and Ayothaya Restaurant. H E Thanis Na Songkhla, Ambassador, Royal Thai Embassy Manama, Bahrain, said, “We are thrilled to bring The Thai Festival 2019 to the Kingdom of Bahrain. Thai food is incredibly popular in the region and we are excited to showcase it further at this exciting festival.” Pichaya Saisaengchan, Director, Tourism Authority of Thailand Dubai & Middle East Office, added, “The Thai Festival has been an ongoing success in the Kingdom of Bahrain and we’re excited to see it return for another edition. It’s an incredible way to showcase our world-renowned cuisine and guests will be able to avail incredible discounts and win fabulous prizes.”

Avis Budget Group has announced a global partnership with Etihad Aviation Group to become the exclusive car rental provider for Etihad Airways, Etihad Holidays and Etihad Guest. The partnership will see the Avis, Budget and Maggiore brands offered across the various Etihad booking channels worldwide. Etihad Guest members will benefit from the Avis Preferred programme and an improved earning proposition. Julia Kemp, Director of International Sales & Partnerships, Avis Budget Group said, “We are delighted that we have extended our partnership with Etihad to be the exclusive global mobility provider. Whilst offering deals on Avis Budget Group car rentals, we will be looking at tri-party campaigns with hotels, tourist boards and credit cards.” Yasser Al Yousuf , Vice President of Commercial Partnerships, Etihad Airways said, “This partnership gives our guests a seamless travel experience door-to-door. We chose Avis Budget Group as an exclusive partner for their wide-ranging fleet of cars and their global reach which suits the needs of our guests and plays a big part of our ‘Choose Well’ campaign empowering customers to make their own choices.” To celebrate the new partnership, Etihad Guest and Avis Budget are offering Etihad Guest members the chance to win flights for two, with Etihad Airways anywhere across the Etihad network – plus 7 days car rental. To be eligible, members need to book a car rental before April 30, 2019.

The Dubai Maritime City Authority (DMCA) has joined in a wide range of discussions to support global efforts promoting the luxury yacht sector during its participation at International Superyacht Summit 2019. Themed on ‘Sailing for the Better’, the talks were attended by a host of decision makers, regional and international experts, industry leaders and maritime pioneers who provided in-depth insights on the emerging challenges and promising local, regional and international opportunities of the luxury yacht industry. DMCA officials also reviewed the competitive essential components of Dubai – an influential force in shaping the future of the global yacht sector. Hamed Hassan, Director – Registration and Licensing, DMCA, highlighted the rapid developments in the luxury yacht sector as a key component in driving the maritime sector in Dubai; pointing out that the significant growth of the local maritime cluster has enhanced Dubai’s leadership position as one of the world’s five most competitive and attractive maritime clusters based on pillars of innovation, excellence and technology. He noted that Dubai has always been an attractive destination for luxury yacht owners from around the world, and that sustained national efforts and unlimited support from the leadership has led to the development of legislation and infrastructure that upholds the city’s strong position on the global maritime map as one of the world’s best maritime capitals. Hassan also reviewed the progress made in upgrading the components’ competitiveness of the local maritime sector, which currently enjoys high international confidence as a safe and attractive environment for maritime investments related to maritime leisure, under the proactive initiatives of the DMCA. Hassan said, “Our success comes as a result of our ongoing focus on the modernization of maritime and …

Millennium Hotels and Resorts, Middle East and Africa has announced the addition of Millennium Place to its diversified portfolio of hospitality brands. A modern hotel concept that will cater to the new generation of business and leisure travellers, Millennium Place is slated to open in the first half of 2019 and will stand within the bustling district of Dubai Marina. The hotel features 453-rooms and suites that are designed to deliver a compelling guest experience offering views of the Dubai Marina and the Palm Islands. Its strategic location will allow guests walking access to The Walk, Jumeirah Beach Residence and nearby metro stations. “The Millennium Place Marina will focus on things that make a difference to our guests’ stay. It could be the in-room entertainment, the pillow, our hotel facilities, food and of course our excellent service. We want our guests to call their room a place of their own when staying at Millennium Place,” said Atef El Eskndarany, the newly appointed Director of Sales and Marketing of the property. Eskndarany will serve as an integral part of the pre-opening team and will be responsible for leading the sales and marketing efforts for the property. He brings almost nineteen years of sales and marketing experience in UAE, Oman and Egypt.  Prior to this role, Eskndarany was the Cluster Director of Sales and Marketing for Radisson Blu Dubai Marina and has participated in the pre-opening phase for six hotels of various international hotel brands such as InterContinental Hotel Group, Movenpick and Radisson Hotel Group.

Dubai’s Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (Dubai Tourism) is strengthening its bilateral ties with the China market by endorsing Alipay, a mobile payment and lifestyle platform, through a series of activations and promotions during the upcoming Chinese New Year. The inaugural campaign, launched to mark Dubai’s growing popularity among Chinese tourists and Alipay’s continuous efforts to connect them with overseas merchants, will take place annually across the city with the goal to transform the emirate into a cashless destination for Chinese travellers. As part of the ongoing partnership, Dubai Tourism will continue to amplify Alipay’s prominent role in the market to bring further awareness to the industry’s network of stakeholders, facilitating future collaborations with a wide range of retail partners. Underlining the remarkable growth and the importance of tourism from China to the emirate, the city welcomed 779,000 visitors between January and November 2018, representing a 12 per cent increase on the year before. Issam Kazim, CEO, Dubai Corporation for Tourism and Commerce Marketing, said, “Our ongoing partnership with Alipay is testament to our commitment to providing seamless payment and travel experiences to our guests, and is underpinned by the emirate’s China Readiness Strategy with the shared goal of further enhancing the visitor experience of Chinese tourists in Dubai.” Li Wang, Director, Alipay, said, “Chinese New Year is the most important holiday for the Chinese as well as the biggest campaign for Alipay. We are keen to work with Dubai Tourism to provide seamless payment and travel experiences to Chinese tourists. Together with our partners in Dubai, we are committed to create value for merchants and retailers in Dubai, better connecting them with Chinese tourists.”

Dubai Cruise Tourism, a department of Dubai’s Department of Tourism & Commerce Marketing (Dubai Tourism), alongside its public and private sector partners welcomed cruise ship Oceana into Dubai for the debut of UK-based, P&O Cruises into the region as it homeports for the season. With Dubai as its official winter hub, the luxury vessel has recently commenced the operation of regular Arabian Gulf itineraries. The ship is scheduled to make six round-trip programmes, bringing in over 20,000 tourists to Dubai during the 2018-19 season. At 261.30 meters long and weighing over 77,000 tonnes, Oceana will remain in-port in Dubai for over 48 hours at a time giving guests the chance to explore the city’s diverse tourist experiences and varied attractions before setting sail on an exciting itinerary across the Arabian Gulf. The luxury liner will offer three different itineraries as part of its Arabian Gulf fly-cruise programme ranging from seven nights covering ports in the UAE and Bahrain; 10 nights covering UAE, Oman and Bahrain; and a 13-14 nights between Dubai and Malta on its repositioning voyages till March 22. Jamal Alfalasi, Director, Dubai Cruise Tourism said, “Our partnership with P&O Cruises is testament to the robust growth of Dubai’s cruise industry and further highlights the emirate as a significant destination for cruise tourists worldwide. We are grateful to our valued network of public and private sector stakeholders for their continued cooperation and support, which has led to an ever-increasing number of cruise operators looking to anchor in the emirate.” During the 2019-2020 cruise season, the liner will have an extended deployment in Dubai with 14 calls offering a variety of itineraries to an anticipated 40,000 tourists.

Wego and Airbnb have announced a partnership to include properties listed on Airbnb in Wego search results in a move to offer Wego users more accommodation choices. With the addition of listings on Airbnb, travellers using the Wego metasearch apps and websites will have easier access to a wide range of local homes and other unique types of accommodation in destinations worldwide. Wego users simply have to enter their destination city and dates of travel, and to follow the recommended filters to search for a wide array of Airbnb vacation rentals. This announcement comes at a time when MENA based travellers and inbound visitors to the MENA region, have demonstrated an appetite for innovative travel experiences and cost-effective holiday options. As the leading travel metasearch player across the MENA region, Wego helps users to quickly compare the widest possible range of accommodation options available in the marketplace, including hotels, serviced apartments, homes and villas and to compare rates across local and global travel agencies, hotel direct websites and other merchants. Anna Trushkina, Director, Hotels at Wego, commented, “We are excited to be entering into this partnership with Airbnb which will significantly expand the supply of alternative accommodation on Wego and which is perfectly matched with types of demand we see from Saudi Arabia and the other GCC markets. Analysis of search and booking data from across the 60 countries worldwide that Wego operates, shows that users from GCC countries have the longest length of stay, highest spend per night and most frequent instance of multiple room bookings to accommodate family groups. We also know that many families from the GCC place a premium on privacy when travelling.”

As corporate travel behaviour continues to evolve in the Middle East, Amadeus has launched a new corporate self-booking tool to support business travellers in the Middle East and North Africa in managing busy schedules while reducing travel costs. The engine was designed taking into account feedback from travel management companies and business travel trends in the region, recognising that today’s business travellers require the latest technologies to keep them connected, productive and on the move. Amadeus Online Corporate Traveller uses automated processes to integrate all phases of travel management, thereby uniting the business traveller, travel management companies, travel managers, and financial officers with one ultimate shared destination – business success. It is being launched in partnership with BirdRes, a leading B2B application developer including automation tools, which is also a reseller of Amadeus products in India. Antoine Medawar, Vice President, Amadeus MENA, said, “Corporate travellers in the region require quick and convenient tools that meet their business needs—and often demanding schedules. The Amadeus Online Corporate Traveller fulfils these requirements by connecting the traveller with every person involved in the booking process, from the finance team through to the travel management company. This will deliver a seamless experience to the end user while enabling all involved to benefit from more streamlined processes.” Ankur Bhatia, Director, BirdRes, said, “One-stop solutions are in demand in the MENA region as travel management companies seek the most convenient way of meeting the varied needs of their customers. The Amadeus Online Corporate Traveller is suited to the region’s latest travel policies, demonstrating a deep understanding of consumer preferences and needs.”

The Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi), in partnership with Abu Dhabi Sports Council (ADSC) and key golf stakeholders, recently concluded the first Abu Dhabi Golf Tourism Week event, held at key hotels and attractions across Abu Dhabi and Al Ain. The five-day event welcomed current and prospective golf tour operators supported by significant media coverage from 15 countries across Europe and Asia to the UAE capital to showcase Abu Dhabi as a destination of distinction and outline its unique offerings, in particular the Championship Golf. Abu Dhabi is very proud to have four unique yet complementary Championship golf courses to offer; Abu Dhabi Golf Club hosts the European Tour every January, Al Ain Equestrian, Shooting & Golf Club is home to the Faldo Series, Saadiyat Beach Golf Club is designed by the famous Gary Player and is the host venue to the Ladies European Tour, whilst Yas Links has been ranked No. 46 in the world by Golf Digest USA. Mubarak Al Nuaimi, Director, Promotion & Overseas Offices Department – DCT Abu Dhabi, said, “We are delighted to have organised Abu Dhabi Golf Tourism Week in partnership with Abu Dhabi Sports Council and other stakeholders. Through these events, we aim to strengthen and promote the capital as a premier golfing destination and educate tour operators across the globe about Abu Dhabi’s luxurious golf courses.”