Tag Archives: Dubai

Air Canada is expanding its offering to Dubai with the addition of a fourth, weekly non-stop flight from Toronto, to its regular three-times weekly, year-round service. The seasonal flight will operate between November 2, 2018 and January 2019 using a Boeing 777-300, which offers a best-in-class cabin interior, featuring lie-flat Signature Class seats and a dedicated Premium Economy cabin. From Toronto, Air Canada’s global hub, customers can connect to the US destinations with the ability to pre-clear US customs at Pearson Airport. When departing from Toronto, eligible Signature Class customers can enjoy the Air Canada Signature Suite, which features a la carte dining with a menu created by celebrated Canadian Chef David Hawksworth.

In response to an increased travel demand during autumn school holidays, Emirates today has announced it will operate its A380 between Dubai and St. Petersburg, temporarily replacing the Boeing 777 aircraft, which is currently operating on the route. From October 25, 2018  to October 29, 2018, flights EK 175/176 will be operated by Emirates A380 between Dubai and St. Petersburg’s Pulkovo International Airport, offering 14 Private Suites in First Class, 76 fully flat-bed seats in Business Class and 429 seats in Economy Class. Flight EK175 will depart from Dubai at 15:45 and arrive in St. Petersburg at 20:50, while the return flight, EK176 will leave St. Petersburg at 23:55 and arrive in Dubai at 06:55 the next morning. This will be the first time an A380 has operated to St. Petersburg, demonstrating the extensive work and preparation the airport has undertaken to receive the double-decker aircraft. During this period, passengers departing from St. Petersburg will have the opportunity to experience a wide range of tourist and business destinations on the Emirates network, including Mauritius, Bangkok, Singapore, Hong Kong, Sydney, Melbourne and others. Through its partnership with flydubai, Emirates also provides customers in St. Petersburg with convenient and seamless access to a number of destinations beyond Dubai, including Zanzibar and Kathmandu.

Emirates Holidays has partnered up with the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) to become the official tour operator for the AFC Asian Cup UAE 2019. The 17th edition of the continent’s prestigious football tournament will take place in the United Arab Emirates between January 5, 2019 and February 1, 2019.  Through the partnership, Emirates Holidays offers a broad range of excellent value packages to football fans traveling to Abu Dhabi, Al Ain, Dubai and Sharjah to support their teams. Each package includes match ticket(s), accommodation and return flights with Emirates Airline. Robin Parry, Vice President, Emirates Holidays, said, “We are thrilled to become the official tour operator of the AFC Asian Cup UAE 2019. Starting from today, supporters can seamlessly book match ticket, flight and accommodation with Emirates Holidays and enjoy the excellent travel experience our award-winning airline and reputable hotel partners offer. We see exciting opportunities for the company in sport tourism and continue to seek ways to accommodate the growing demand. We look forward to welcoming our football fan customers in the UAE.” Dato’ Windsor John, General Secretary, Asian Football Confederation, said, “Asian football continues to make giant strides on the world stage and the remarkable growth and stature of the AFC Asian Cup exemplifies the undeniable progress of football in the Continent. Emirates have been a long-standing partner of the AFC and we would like to thank them for their firm belief in the development and ever-improving proposition of Asian football.

For the first time, Rwanda Consulate in Dubai will be the exclusive partner at the second edition of Luxury Outbound Travel Market to be held on September 6, 2018 at Sheraton Abu Dhabi Hotel and Resort. The event is being organised by Luxury Connections with  exclusive media partnership by TravTalk Middle East, Tourism Breaking News and TravelTV. News. Rwanda Consulate in Dubai will provide an in-depth presentation of various offerings especially for clients of this region. The new ease of visa facility open to all countries is a sure step in the right direction for development of tourism in Rwanda. Safety is another key component essential for travellers and this is a feature which the consulate iterates for all travellers. Conservation is part and parcel of Rwanda’s rich tourism strategy; hence all what travellers need to know about the rich nature, cultural heritage and maintain the environment will be disclosed to all travel agents and tour operators present at the event. Some of the offerings that will be presented will be the famous Gorilla trekking, volcanoes, hiking and forest trails.

Emirates has announced that it will introduce five additional flights per week from Dubai to Amsterdam. These additional flights will complement its existing double daily services, offer an earlier departure option from Amsterdam that is convenient for visitors to Dubai, and provide enhanced connectivity to destinations on Emirates’ global network. Four additional weekly services will be started effective December 1, 2018 and the fifth will be added from January 1, 2019, increasing frequency to the Dutch capital city to 19 weekly flights. Outbound, flight EK145 will depart early morning from Dubai on Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday, and arrives at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol in time for breakfast, allowing customers to make the most of their day in the city*. The flight schedule is conveniently timed for passengers connecting from Emirates global route network to Amsterdam and will be popular for business travellers to the Netherlands from Johannesburg, Cape Town, Sydney and Bangalore as well as for Dutch leisure travellers returning to Amsterdam from Bangkok, Bali, Mauritius, Maldives and Sri Lanka. The return service, EK146, will depart from Amsterdam on Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday late morning time, and arrives in the evening in Dubai*. This service adds more convenience to those visiting Dubai, and offers enhanced connectivity to Phuket and Johannesburg. The new service will be operated by an Emirates Boeing 777-300ER in a three class cabin configuration, with eight private suites in First Class, 42 lie-flat seats in Business Class and 310 spacious seats in Economy Class. This complements the two existing services between Dubai and Amsterdam, flights EK147/EK148 and EK149/EK150, operated by an Airbus A380.

Emirates has recently announced adding two more flights to Lyon, France, raising the frequency between the two cities to seven per week.  Linking the two cities with daily flights is a big move and a powerful boost to the bilateral exchanges between the two nations.  The attractiveness of Lyon as a metropole is thus stronger than ever and the partner cities are boosting their close relationship. “Daily air links towards Dubai is an excellent news for both Lyon Airports and the Metropole of Lyon. Now, more than ever, travel is becoming more flexible with optimum transit between Lyon, the Middle East and Asia. Thanks to those daily flights, Lyon is becoming a valuable international hub.” says David Kimelfeld, President, Metropole of Lyon. Flights from Lyon to Dubai will increase to seven flights per week, from August 2nd 2018, boosting the ever-strengthening ties with Dubai, initiated over the past years. The increasing frequency of flights also helps raise awareness towards economic players and partners of OnlyLyon who have invested in the promotion of Lyon as a destination. The cooperation agreement with the City of Dubai, signed in 2006, aimed to boost exchanges between the two communities in diverse fields, ranging from urban transit, public lighting, services to individuals, smart cities and mobility.  In 2017, a cooperation agreement was signed between the Metropole of Lyon and the Road and Transport Authority of Dubai (RTA).  .

Emirates and  flydubai have announced that flights between Dubai and Zagreb in Croatia will be operated by flydubai from December 2018 to March 30 next year after which flights will be operated by Emirates. The move will ensure that capacity is deployed to best serve customer demand by maximising the frequency for passengers during the winter season. This further illustrates the passenger benefits of the strategic partnership between the two Dubai-based airlines. During this period, flight FZ1793 will depart from Dubai at 10:00 and arrive in Zagreb at 13:15 local time. The return flight FZ1794 will depart from Zagreb at 14:30 and arrive in Dubai at 23:00. flydubai will operate the route with its new Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft, which offers customers an enhanced travel experience including lie-flat seats in Business Class, the latest Economy Class seating, in-flight entertainment via HD touchscreens and Boeing’s innovative Sky Interior throughout the cabin. Emirates and flydubai will continue to offer a travel experience reflective of each other’s brand. flydubai’s Zagreb flights will operate from Terminal 3 at Dubai International (DXB), allowing seamless connections for passengers flying Emirates to Dubai’s ultra-modern airport.

Dubai has been announced as the winner of the bid to host the 2019 edition of the biggest annual international gathering of destination wedding industry, the Destination Wedding Planners (DWP) Congress, which is set to take place at the iconic Atlantis, The Palm hotel. Dubai overcame stiff competition from several countries to win the bid to host the 6th Annual of the Destination Wedding Planners (DWP) Congress, the premier business-to-business networking event in the USD 300 billion global wedding industry. More than 500 delegates from over 70 countries are expected to attend the three-day conference from March 27th to 29th 2019, to be held in Dubai’s iconic five-star hotel and luxury resort, Atlantis the Palm. Commenting on the upcoming congress, Issam Kazim, Chief Executive Officer of Dubai Corporation for Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DCTCM), said, “Dubai already holds a strong appeal for destination weddings, and hosting an event like the Destination Wedding Planners Congress will give us the opportunity to familiarise more of the industry with the city. It will also place Dubai at the forefront of the sector’s development and enable the city’s stakeholders to be involved in discussions about the key issues affecting it and shaping its future.” “We at Atlantis, The Palm see great value in the Destination Wedding Planners Congress and look forward to welcoming global wedding and events companies to collaborate and develop this important sector during the 2019 event,” comments Ian Renton, Director of Group Sales at Atlantis.

Dubai has seen a surge of 41.4 per cent in overnight Chinese visitors from 2016 to 2017 combined with a number of key agreements signed with major players in China. Now one of Dubai’s fastest growing source markets, closing the first five months of 2018 with a record 400,547 visitors, this growth is predicted to continue in 2018. Speaking ahead of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to the UAE this week, HE Helal Saeed Almarri, Director General of Dubai Tourism, said, “Our approach to engaging Chinese tourists is two-fold, with landmark partnerships, investments and marketing activities undertaken in 48 cities across China, partnered with a city-level China-readiness strategy in Dubai to enhance the experience of Chinese tourists. The introduction of visa-on-arrival for Chinese nationals in 2016, working in conjunction with the increase in air capacity by national carriers from China – currently standing at 30 flights a week, a 13% increase in non-stop seat capacity in 2017- has also contributed to rapid growth.” Earlier this year, Dubai Tourism signed an agreement with Huawei, one of China’s leading smartphone manufacturers, in January which pre-loads devices with both user-generated and official cinematographic content of Dubai.

Emirates has announced that it will introduce two additional flights to Lyon and one to Paris per week, complementing its existing schedule and providing more choice and convenience to travellers. The increase in frequency from five to seven between Lyon and Dubai will see the route become a daily service, while the extra flight to Paris brings to 21 the number of flights per week to the French capital, offering travellers three flights per day. The Lyon flights will start on August 2, 2018, and will operate on a Tuesday and Thursday at the same time as the current flights, which depart Dubai as EK081 at 1435hrs and arrive in Lyon at 1930hrs. The return flight, EK082, leaves Lyon at 2155hrs and arrives in Dubai at 0615hrs the next day. Both flights will be operated by an Emirates Boeing 777-300ER in a three class cabin configuration, with eight private suites in First Class, 42 lie-flat seats in Business Class and 304 spacious seats in Economy Class. The additional Paris flight will start on August 7, 2018, and will operate as the third daily every Tuesday morning. Flight EK071 will depart Dubai at 0405hrs and arrive in Paris at 0925hrs, while the return flight leaves Paris at 1125hrs and arrives back in Dubai at 2000hrs. As with Emirates other flights between Dubai and Paris, the airline’s flagship A380 will be used on the route. It will also have a three class cabin configuration, with 14 privates suites in First Class, 76 lie flat seats in Business Class and 429 seats in Economy Class.