Tag Archives: Dubai

Emirates launched a $15 million promotion campaign to inspire travel and highlight the airline’s extensive network of global destinations including its home and hub, Dubai. The campaign highlights seamlessly transitions between key destinations and Emirates’ onboard features. The campaign is backed by the iconic soundtrack ‘Don’t stop me now’ by British rock band Queen. Boutros Boutros, Emirates’ Divisional Senior Vice President for Corporate Communications, Marketing and Brand, said: “Emirates and Dubai have always been inextricably linked. Each day, Emirates operates more than 500 flights that connect Dubai to the world, and the world through Dubai.  Since day one, Emirates has proudly and actively promoted our hub. Dubai offers a great experience at our world-class airport, and the city has become a top global destination because it continually invests to bring new attractions and supporting infrastructure for international visitors.” He added: “At Emirates we believe that people, regardless of their backgrounds, have a strong desire to travel and experience the world for themselves. They want to be inspired, to discover, and to have fun. That is why we chose to use the Queen soundtrack, and a creative approach that was uplifting and energetic, to remind people of the excitement of travel.” The campaign will run in key markets around the world starting from 15 October.  It was conceptualised and scripted in-house and shot by award winning director Vaughan Arnell. The “no-cuts” continuous camera transitions were supported by cutting-edge CGI (computer generated imagery) work from MPC in London, the studio responsible for the Oscar winning SFX (special effects) work for the Jungle Book.

Dubai’s growing business events offerings and increasing support for associations were key developments at IMEX America, the leading exhibition for incentive travel and events, held at the Sands Expo in Las Vegas, USA in October 10-12. Dubai Business Events (DBE), the city’s official convention bureau and a division of Dubai Corporation for Tourism and Commerce Marketing, once again had a strong presence at the show. DBE was joined by 10 co-exhibitors, including Emirates Airlines, Jumeirah Hotels, JW Marriott Marquis and Arabian Adventures, to showcase the city’s opportunities available for planners and organisers seeking to host small, medium or large-scale business events. DBE also highlighted the upcoming Dubai Association Conference, scheduled to take place in Dubai from December 11-12. Themed ‘Building a Community’, it is set to welcome association executives from around the world, in addition to government representatives, university faculties and students, as well as professionals seeking to develop associations.

Kempinski is set to come up with two openings along with additional projects in the United Arab Emirates, Oman, Saudi Arabia and Africa. Kempinski Hotel, Muscat is slated to open in Q1 2018 with 310 rooms amongst 40 suites and two presidential suites, each with a private swimming pool. Emerald Palace Kempinski Palm Jumeirah, Dubai is scheduled to open by Q2 2018. The palace hotel will feature 389 rooms and suites. Rooms start at a size of 67 square metres and are thus the largest rooms in this category on the Palm. “Our hotels in the Middle East and Africa feature some of the most iconic luxury properties in the Kempinski portfolio and our upcoming openings, including Emerald Palace Kempinski Palm Jumeirah Dubai Hotel and Kempinski Hotel Muscat, are sure to fulfill this brand promise,” said Henk Meyknecht, COO Middle East and Africa.

Leading Russian tour operator Natalie Tours held its 12th Annual Congress at Atlantis The Palm in Dubai. The event brought together over 200 CEOs and owners of Russian travel agencies with the best sales performance in UAE during the past year. The meet was hosted under the patronage of Gocha Buachidze, Consul General of Russian Federation in Dubai; Ahmed Khalifa Al Falasi, CEO of Support Services, Dubai Corporation for Tourism and Commerce Marketing; Vladimir Vorobiev – President, Natalie tours; among other dignitaries. The event awarded the best sellers, discussed further cooperation with top managers of retail companies, motivated its partners to promote the travel direction and increase sales of Natalie Tours’ services in the UAE. The top players of the Russian tourist market expressed confidence that the plans had every chance to be implemented. According to the tour operator, the major factor driving up the demand for UAE tours is the abolition of entry visas for Russian citizens that came into effect last February.

Uber, in partnership with Dubai Taxi Corporation launched UberONE. Around 50 brand new premium electric cars will be added to the Uber app, giving riders across Dubai the chance to request the fully-electric, smart and sustainable transport option at the touch of a button. Starting from October 10, riders will be able to choose from a dedicated fleet of electric vehicles exclusively via the ‘UberONE’ option on the Uber app. The joint initiative comes as part of Dubai Taxi Corporation and Uber’s commitment to helping Dubai become the smartest city in the world in support of the Green Economy for Sustainable Development Initiative. Chris Free, General Manager for Uber, UAE said, “At Uber we are constantly innovating our offering and looking for ways to provide new and progressive experiences at the push of a button. We are tremendously excited to be the exclusive ride-hailing partner for the clean vehicle technology to deliver our driver-partners and riders with more efficient, less-polluting mobility. We will continue to work hand in hand with Dubai Taxi Corporation to bring innovative infrastructural solutions to Dubai and grow the city’s smart mobility ecosystem.”

Emirates carried over 3.9 million passengers in its 15 years of service to Japan. In October 2002, Emirates became the first airline to link Japan and the Gulf region with non-stop flights when it introduced its four-times-per-week service to Osaka. The number of passengers carried in Emirates’ first year of operations–roughly 66,000 in 2002—has grown to nearly 530,000 passengers carried between Dubai and Tokyo (Narita and Haneda) and Osaka in 2016. Adapting to demand in terms of both quality and volume, the airline continues to enhance passenger experience in Japan. The opening of the Emirates Lounge at Narita (Tokyo) in 2015 and the introduction of the A380 to Narita in 2017, which increased capacity by more than 135 passengers per flight, are most notable.

With an aim to attract high-end travellers, Marriott will open doors of its 300-room Renaissance Downtown Hotel, Dubai, on October 15, offering a clear view of the iconic Burj Khalifa. This will be followed by the debut of The Bulgari Resort & Residences Dubai slated for December, 2017. W Palm is scheduled to open early next year and the second W in Amman Jordan by Q1 next year. The St. Regis Cairo is the next big property to open by December and the sophisticated Edition Hotel Abu Dhabi will see the light of day next year, reveals Neal Jones, Chief Sales and Marketing Officer, Middle East and Africa, Marriott International. In terms of mid-scale brands, two Aloft properties will come up one next to Deira city center and the other at the Palm.

Emirates is increasing its flight frequency between Dubai and Tunis from six to seven times a week starting October 30, 2017. The additional Dubai-Tunis flight, an Emirates Boeing 777-300ER aircraft, will operate every Monday. The aircraft offers eight luxurious private suites in First Class, 42 lie-flat seats in Business Class and 310 seats in Economy Class. The added flight will give passengers in Tunis greater access to Emirates’ global route network, particularly destinations in the Middle East, GCC, West Asia, Asia Pacific region and the US, with just one stop in Dubai. The added frequency will also offer importers and exporters an additional 23 tonnes of cargo capacity in each direction.

Emirates will commence a fourth daily service from Dubai to Sydney, Australia, on its iconic A380 aircraft from March 25, 2018. The new daily service will complement Emirate’s existing three daily A380 services and improve connections globally. The move will provide passengers travelling from Europe and North Africa greater connectivity to Australia. It also builds on Emirates’ partnership with Qantas, meeting continued demand for services to Dubai and complementing Qantas’ re-routing of its current Sydney to London service via Singapore (instead of Dubai). Emirates’ new service will offer passengers an afternoon departure from Sydney and a convenient arrival in main European cities the following morning. It also introduces a new option for passengers to depart London and main European cities in the morning with an afternoon arrival in Sydney the next day with a short connection in Dubai. Between March 25 -30, 2018, the inbound service EK416 will depart Dubai at 20:40 hours, arriving in Sydney at 17:20 hours, the following day. Due to daylight savings from March 31, 2018, the arrival time changes to 16:30 hours, the following day. Between March 26-31, 2018, the outbound service EK417 will depart Sydney at 17:05 hours, arriving in Dubai at 00:25 hours the following day. Due to daylight savings from April 1, the outbound service EK417 will depart Sydney 16:15 hours, arriving the same time the following day. All services will be operated by an A380 aircraft. The A380 aircraft offers 489 seats in a three-class cabin configuration with 14 private suites in First Class, 76 flat-bed seats in Business Class and 399 spacious seats in Economy.

Majid Al Futtaim celebrated the topping out milestone for the new Aloft City Centre Deira, Dubai. Announced in collaboration with Marriott International, the hotel development began in June 2016 and has now completed the installation of the final concrete pour for the project. Set to open in Q1 2018, the hotel spans an area of 28,800 square meters and aims to redefine the upscale hospitality offering in the GCC. Located in the historic heart of Dubai, the Aloft City Centre Deira, Dubai, will offer tourists and local community access to an all-star line-up of hotels surrounding the iconic City Centre Deira. The hotel development marks the 13th addition to the Majid Al Futtaim Hotels portfolio and sixth hotel development in Deira and; introducing a distinctive destination experience to the vibrant heart of the city. Designed to meet the needs of diverse audiences, with a special emphasis on millennials, the cinema-themed hotel is intended to extend a novel experience through the integration of intelligent technologies, vibrant interiors and ambience, and memorable dining, leisure and entertainment options. Aloft City Centre Deira, Dubai, features 304 spacious guest rooms, including 29 suites and offers direct connectivity to the shopping mall via a direct link on Level 2. Guestrooms on Level 5 of the hotel, comprising of four suite rooms, 25 standard rooms and associated public circulation areas, will immerse guests in a ‘world cinema’ and experiential journey.