Tag Archives: Dubai

UAE based loyalty and payments solutions company Infinia Services and Solutions will be launching its mobile application “Dubuy” during this week. Dubuy is the first one of a kind application in the Middle East with many benefits for tourists to Dubai at any time of the year. It is a smartphone application which can function on both Android and iOS formats for travellers to Dubai. Tourists can browse for merchant categories, apply filters and find locations near them using the simple geo-location tool, which shows all merchant offers nearby. It can be availed through hotels, DMCs or registered travel agents of Dubuy. A tourist visiting Dubai will be provided with a downloadable application link by the travel agent. Once the link is downloaded, entering an authentication code makes the application ready for use. The tourist can then view multiple options of discounts, offers and deals across various categories to explore in Dubai. Dubuy enfolds a number of options to discover Dubai like never before, with valuable discounts, offers and deals across shopping, dining, leisure & attractions, spa & wellness and many more.  The initial launch phase of Dubuy has already brought leading brands on board and plans are to build Dubuy into the ultimate experience for a tourist. With Dubuy, Infinia brings to tourists the ‘great deals more fun’ experience in one of the world’s most popular tourist destinations – Dubai. “The driving force for growth at Infinia results from putting the customer at the centre of everything we do. Instead of offering a one-size-fits all model, we invest time and effort in understanding consumer needs and go about devising comprehensive solutions with the help of best-in-class technology and innovation. …

Starting February 13 to March 15, 2017, all passengers originating from Doha, Dubai, Kuwait and Riyadh travelling to Manila with pre-purchased baggage allowance of 40 kilograms will be receiving additional 25 kilograms baggage allowance, free-of-charge on the Philippine carrier, Cebu Pacific. The extra baggage allowance will be given upon check-in of the guest at the airport. For those guests with connecting flights to other domestic destinations, the additional 25kg will be carried over up to their next flight, given that their flight itineraries were booked under one reference number only. This promotion is not valid on return flights from the Philippines to the Middle East and on bookings with Cebgo connecting flights. “With the launch of this special promotion, CEB opens up more opportunities for its travelers across the Middle East region, most especially the Filipinos, to maximize their trip to the Philippines by allowing them to bring more items for their families and friends back home. Not only is CEB able to continuously make travel accessible and affordable to everyone through our  trademark low fares, but now providing another avenue for them to get the best out of their travel,” Atty. JR Mantaring, CEB Vice President for Corporate Affairs. CEB currently offers flights to a total of 37 domestic and 29 international destinations, operating an extensive network across Asia, Australia, USA, and the Middle East. Its 58-strong fleet is comprised of four Airbus A319, 36 Airbus A320, seven Airbus A330, eight ATR 72-500, and three ATR 72-600 aircraft. Between 2017 and 2021, CEB expects delivery of one more brand-new Airbus A330, 32 Airbus A321neo, and 13 ATR 72-600 aircraft.

Residents of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) can now enroll for biometrics and submit their applications for visas to Denmark at the visa application centres, managed by VFS Global, launched by the Royal Danish Consulate General in Dubai and the Royal Danish Embassy in Abu Dhabi. The centre in Dubai was inaugurated by H.E. Mrs. Merete Juhl, Ambassador of Denmark to the United Arab Emirates and Qatar at a ceremony held on February 15, 2017. The centre is located at WAFI Mall, Level 2, Falcon Phase 2, Umm Hurrair 2, Dubai. The centre in Abu Dhabi is located at Level 25, Shining Tower, Mubarak Bin Mohammed Street, adjacent to Khalidiyah Mall, Abu Dhabi. Services in both cities commenced on 15 January 2017. Speaking at the inauguration, Her Excellency Merete Juhl Ambassador of Denmark to the United Arab Emirates and Qatar, said, “It is my great pleasure to inaugurate the new Visa Application Centres in Dubai and Abu Dhabi. VFS Global has been carefully chosen to manage the Denmark Visa Application Centres based on their recognised efficiency and professional approach. It is of utmost importance to Denmark that visa processing is handled in a top professional manner.” Vinay Malhotra, COO – Middle East & South Asia, VFS Global, said, “In our continued commitment to expanding our extensive global network of Denmark Visa Application Centres, we are privileged to bring streamlined and proficient visa application services to residents of the UAE travelling to Denmark. We are confident that the newly launched centres in Abu Dhabi and Dubai will deliver world-class services for an enhanced visa application experience to our applicants. We are honoured to be a part of the advancement of travel, …

GTA has kicked off its 2017 roadshow in the Middle East region. The first stop took place in Riyadh at the Marriott Hotel on the February 6, 2017, where over 180 key travel professionals and hotel representatives attended the event. The second stop on Wednesday, February 8, at Atlantis, The Palm in Dubai. The event connects travel agents and key shop bookers with leading suppliers and hoteliers from across Asia Pacific, Africa & Turkey. The aim is to increase product knowledge and awareness and ultimately to grow outbound traffic from the Middle East markets to these destinations by building new distribution channels and stimulating specific customer segments. Over 60 hotel partners, representing groups, chains and unique individual brands show cased their products. These included ACCOR Hotels (Platinum Sponsor), Regal Hotels Group (Gold Sponsor), Hilton Hotels & Resorts, InterContinental Hotels Group, Anantara Hotels & Resorts, Shangri-La Hotels & Resorts and many others. “By organizing this roadshow, we enable our travel associates to connect with our leading hotel partners from across Asia Pacific, Africa & Turkey, allowing them to understand their key offerings, powering global travel while focusing on the most-loved destinations where we see a growing demand from the GCC region. We also support business growth with expert advice and insights on the latest travel trends”, said Rami Mashini, Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Middle East, Africa, Turkey & India at GTA. Today 35% of GTA Middle East business is going into Asia Pacific, Africa and Turkey destinations, the ambition is to keep growing with double-digit increase year-on-year. The Middle East Roadshow 2017 welcomed hotel partners from Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia, China, Hong Kong, Japan, Taiwan, India, Sri Lanka, …

Emirates has launched an additional privilege to extend the usage of its luxury lounges at Dubai International Airport to its Loyalty Programme members and their guests at a minimal fee regardless of their class of travel. The pay-per-visit access will be available to Emirates Skywards members and their guests travelling on Emirates. Business Class travellers now also have the option to pay an upgrade fee to access the First Class lounges. Dubai International Airport is home to seven Emirates lounges spread over three concourses – A, B and C. In each of the concourses there is a dedicated Emirates First Class and Business Class lounge. Eligible guests can access the Emirates Business Class lounges in Dubai for a fee of $100 and the Emirates First Class lounges for a fee of $200. Business Class customers can also upgrade to First Class lounge access for a fee of $100. Guests who have paid a fee for entry can stay for up to four hours. Currently, First and Business Class customers as well as Silver, Gold and Platinum Skywards members receive complimentary access to the lounges in Dubai. “Our premium lounges here at our hub in Dubai are some of the best in the world and we are pleased that more of our customers can now experience them. We made the decision to expand access to our lounges in Dubai based on our customer feedback, and after a careful review to ensure that the same quality experience can be maintained. We are pleased to see many of our customers appreciate the opportunity to be able to pay for their additional guests and access the lounge which enables them to enjoy a relaxing …

This year’s Arab Health held from January 30-Feb 2, at Dubai International Convention & Exhibition Centre, was attended by 4400 exhibitors, over 120,000 visitors and over 8000 delegates from around the world. Healthcare leaders from across the globe gathered on the final day at the “Leaders in Healthcare” conference held under the patronage of H.R.H. Princess Haya Bint Al Hussein, wife of H.H. Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum; Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai. Many countries are currently offering a lot of support in order to make the health tourism sector stronger in keeping with the vision to have over 1.3 million medical tourists in Dubai. Speaking to Travel TV.News, Linda Abdulla Ali Ruhi, Consultant – Medical Tourism Council of Dubai Health Authority stated that they have seen an increased number of medical tourists especially from the African region since last year hence they will be having the first roadshow in order to promote Dubai as a medical tourism destination. Furthermore, the introduction of electronic gateways such as the Dubai health experience website, apps and you tube channel has received a positive response in terms of partnerships from 26 health care facilities to over 42 healthcare and even hotels.

Rove Healthcare City, the third property under Rove Hotels, has opened its doors following Rove Downtown Dubai and Rove City Centre. Dubai Healthcare City, the hub for medical enterprises, healthcare facilities and medical education, now has a new design-influenced, value-lifestyle hotel adjacent to it, which will appeal in equal measure to business and leisure guests as well as wellness tourists. The 286-room hotel, 30 percent of the rooms interconnected for the convenience of families, will also serve as a stimulating cultural hub, where the young and trendy can get together for a social evening, and for families to enjoy quality time with friends and loved ones. The unique selling proposition of Rove Healthcare City is its location, which is only 10 minutes from Dubai International Airport, Dubai World Trade Centre, Downtown Dubai and DIFC. In close proximity to the established neighbourhoods of Karama, Satwa, Bur Dubai and Deira, the hotel offers guests effortless access to a wide range of shopping and leisure options that are conventionally part of the tourist itinerary. Like all Rove Hotels, Rove Healthcare City’s elegant design and central location is further highlighted by hyper-connectivity – walking distance from Dubai Metro, easy access to the main motorway and a hop stop away from cinemas, Wafi Mall and Lamcy Plaza, and leisure attractions. The unique character of the location, away from the bustle of the city, yet centrally placed near major business headquarters, cultural clubs, hospitals, educational institutions and residential neighbourhoods makes Rove Healthcare City a destination of choice for tourists and for an evening out for local residents. Rove Healthcare City also serves as a venue of choice for business events and Continuing Medical Education (CME) training …

This month Dubai welcomed over 50 delegates from across the GCC in two familiarisation trips including travel and tourism industry VIPs and representatives. From January 12-14, Dubai Tourism hosted owners, CEOs and Managing Directors of the top travel and trade agencies from across the GCC. The VIPs represented leading regional travel companies including Al Muftah Travel, Marmul Travel, Yrbooking and Orange Travel. The trip gave the VIP guests and their families the chance to be amongst the first to experience the newly launched Dubai Parks and Resorts in its full capacity, as well as the opportunity to stay at the Marriott’s brand new Polynesian Lapita resort right in the heart of the parks. Dubai Tourism also held a private dinner for the city’s stakeholders to network with the 15 delegates from Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Oman and Qatar. Other key industry partners included Emirates Airlines, Alpha Destination Management and GTA. With the GCC contributing 24 per cent of all visitors to Dubai from January – November 2016, it continues to be a key focus for the Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (Dubai Tourism). The VIP and industry familiarisation trips highlight the significance of GCC outbound travel to Dubai, and form part of the ongoing efforts of Dubai Tourism to promote the emirate’s tourism offering to each of the markets in the GCC. Hoor Al Khaja, Manager, China, International Operations at Dubai Tourism, added: “The GCC remains a key priority for us as a top source market for visitors to Dubai. We are also enhancing Dubai’s tourism offering further with new attractions like IMG Worlds of Adventure and Dubai Parks & Resorts which offer new and exciting experiences for visitors, not …

Dubai tops the list of timeshare destinations for Africans, driven by its world-class shopping malls and traditional attractions. Africa represented 5 per cent of the total inbound tourism source market of Dubai in 2015 and the potential to develop this segment appears lucrative due to the government’s effort to encourage economic ties with the African continent. The survey was done by Arabian Falcon Holidays (AFH), the independent timeshare player in the Middle East. According to Arabian Falcon Holidays, the timeshare market is expected to grow strongly, surpassing the average growth rates of 15 per cent to 20 per cent per year, with 2017 heralding a new era that will witness 50 per cent growth as new tourists visit theme parks and attractions such as Dubai Opera.A recent report by Interval International, a world renowned exchange company with over 2,500 resorts worldwide, stated that Dubai has the potential to become the new Orlando or Las Vegas of timeshare. Analysing the figures in Dubai, the report found out that if 5 per cent of the emirate’s 100,000 hotel rooms and serviced apartments are converted to timeshare, with an estimated average sale price of AED73,400 ($20,000) for each week’s vacation ownership, it could result in a whopping AED18.35 billion ($5 billion) in sales volume. Mohannad Sharafuddin, Founder, Arabian Falcon Holidays, said: “Dubai is the top destination amongst our timeshare owners from Africa. Efforts of the UAE government in strengthening its economic ties with the African countries proves to yield mutual benefits. One of the vital reasons behind the dynamic UAE-African relations is the robust role of Dubai. This is reflected through an increase in a number of African tourists coming to the country …

The national flag carrier of India, Air India announced the launch of the second Dreamliner from Dubai to Kochi from February 1, 2017. AI 934 will be a daily operation with departure from Dubai at 1330 hours arriving in to Kochi at 1850 hours. The return from Kochi will be AI 933 departing at 0915 hours from Kochi and arrive in Dubai at 1200 hours. The press briefing took place at the Consulate of India presided by Consul General of India H.E. Anurag Bhushan and Melvin D’Silva, Regional Manager Air India Middle East and Africa. The Consul General reiterated that last year the national carrier has seen an increase in capacity and the regional connectivity has improved quite well. H.E. acknowledged the services rendered by Air India especially at the hour of need to evacuate at emergencies or to carry the mortal remains free of cost etc. Melvin D’Silva, Regional Manager Air India Middle East and Africa stated the reason to conduct the press briefing at the Consulate is due to the reason that His Excellency and the consulate has rendered unstinted support. “When one of the aircrafts had to land in Travzone Turkey in the middle of the night, I contacted the Consul General H.E.Anurag Bhushan at 3am and he very quickly provided the necessary arrangements through the Embassy of Turkey. Therefore, we continue to work very closely with the Consul and the team,” stated D’Silva. He further reiterated that Air India is on a very aggressive growth trajectory to become number 3 in the world after US and China with a young strong fleet of 107 aircrafts and their aim is to “fly more and fill more”. Kerala …