Tag Archives: Kuwait

China has launched a trial policy granting unilateral visa-free entry to citizens of Saudi Arabia, Oman, Kuwait, and Bahrain, expanding its visa-free access list to 47 countries, as per the recent report. Effective until June 8, 2026, the policy allows ordinary passport holders from these four Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries to enter China visa-free for up to 30 days for business, tourism, family visits, cultural exchange, and transit. The policy has been warmly received across the Gulf region and is expected to enhance bilateral exchanges, strengthen cultural and people-to-people ties, and drive broader cooperation between China and the GCC. Currently, around 20 direct flights operate weekly between key Chinese cities—including Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen—and Saudi cities like Riyadh and Jeddah. The UAE is connected to 13 cities across mainland China through direct flights. This expansion marks a significant step in building economic and cultural relations between China and the Gulf states.

The Jordan Tourism Board (JTB) highlighted the country’s growing reputation as a premier medical and wellness tourism destination in the Middle East and North Africa region reporting significant growth in international visitations for medical care and wellness therapies. The country’s medical tourism sector witnessed a remarkable increase with 224,740 medical tourists in 2024, building on consistent growth from 191,532 in 2022 and 202,592 in 2023. The first quarter of 2025 has already recorded 51,448 medical tourists, underlining another strong year for the sector. Jordan’s comprehensive healthcare ecosystem, comprising 69 private sector hospitals with approximately 5,500 beds, has positioned the country as a preferred destination for patients seeking advanced medical treatments, particularly from GCC nations and neighboring countries. “Jordan’s medical tourism sector has demonstrated remarkable growth, led by theworld-class healthcare services the country offers, the natural therapeutic sites with first class resorts, and our famed hospitality,” said Dr. Abdelrazzak Arabiyat, Managing Director of the Jordan Tourism Board. “Our healthcare facilities maintain international standards while providing cost-effective treatments, making Jordan an attractive destination for patients seeking high quality medical care.” Jordan’s strong position in regional medical tourism is highlighted by Iraq leading international demand at 257,396 visitations, followed by Saudi Arabia (216,256) seeking both inpatient and outpatient services. More than 31,920 visitors from Kuwait arrived in Jordan for medical tourism followed by Qatar at 15,524, Bahrain (13,856), Oman (8,828), and the UAE (6,584). GCC visitors particularly value Jordan’s cultural resonance, shared language, and understanding of their healthcare preferences. Recent studies show that Saudi and Kuwaiti patients primarily seek comprehensive diagnostic tests, weight loss surgeries, advanced dental care, and cosmetic dermatology. Omani visitors showed strong interest in vision correction and eye health treatments, while Bahraini …

Emirates revealed the next seven cities to be served by its A350. The airline’s summer schedule will include A350 services to Tunis, Amman, Istanbul, Dammam, Ho Chi Minh City, Baghdad and Oslo as the new seven cities. With the latest tranche of planned Emirates A350 deployments, the airline is expanding the list of its short to medium haul destinations served in the Middle East/GCC and Europe. For the first time, the Emirates A350 will make its debut in Africa and Southeast Asia. Adnan Kazim, Deputy President and Chief Commercial Officer, Emirates Airline said: “Our strategic A350 expansion across diverse geographies in the Middle East/GCC, Europe, Africa and Southeast Asia leverages the aircraft’s operational flexibility and efficiency, while offering more customers expanded premium travel options and the opportunity to experience our latest generation interiors like Business Class and Premium Economy along with plenty of thoughtful touches throughout every cabin, now available in more cities than ever before.” He added: “The introduction of this aircraft and layering it on existing route schedules also enables Emirates to maintain a compelling competitive position as the airline of choice for discerning travellers looking for a unique slate of connectivity options and elevated onboard experiences they can’t have with any other carrier.” The airline’s latest A350 fleet additions will start scheduled operations to the following destinations: Emirates will operate the A350 six times weekly (all days except for Tuesday) to Tunis on EK 747/748 from 1 June.* Amman’s EK 905/906 will be served daily by the Emirates A350 from 1 June.* Emirates’ A350 featuring the latest cabins will land in Istanbul for the first time to commence daily operations on EK 117/118 from 1 July.* The …

In a special interview with TravTalkME, Dr. Abdelrazzak Arrabiyat, Managing Director of Jordan Tourism Board shared that Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is their source market in the region and last year had seen 1.2million visitors, standing in its second position was Kuwait, followed by the United Arab Emirates. ” Last year, almost 60% of our tourists came from GCC. Number one market is Saudi Arabia. We received more than 1.2 million, because of the proximity and especially as Jordan is a family destination. Kuwait stands at number two with over 50,000 travellers and the United Arab Emirates at 25,000. Internationally United States of America is among the top markets where we received over 200,000 visitors and 100,000 from the Italy. In the summertime, the weather is very nice. People come to Jordan to enjoy the summertime where they can do outdoor activities. The temperature is about 19degrees in the night, which is very comfortable for people and most importantly there is no humidity. You must experience Jordan weather as its fresh and people love to go out and do activities, especially at night.”

Emirates is bringing forward the deployment of its Airbus A350 to Kuwait and Bahrain. Services will start 8 January, making them the second and third destinations to be served by the airline’s newest aircraft. Emirates will operate its Airbus A350 on the following services to Kuwait and Bahrain. Kuwait: The Emirates A350 will operate on EK853 and EK854. EK 853 departs Dubai at 0125hrs, arriving in Kuwait at 0215hrs. The return flight, EK 854 leaves Kuwait at 0340hrs, arriving in Dubai at 0625hrs. Bahrain: The Emirates A350 will operate on two of the three daily flights to the Kingdom – EK837/838, and EK839/840. EK 837 departs Dubai at 0820hrs, arriving in Bahrain at 0840hrs. The return flight, EK 838, departs Bahrain at 1000hrs, arriving back to Dubai at 1215hrs. The second flight operated by the Airbus A350, EK 839, takes off at 1600hrs, arriving in Bahrain at 1620hrs. EK 840 leaves Bahrain at 1745hrs, arriving back to Dubai at 2000hrs. The three-class aircraft features 312 seats, with 32 next-generation Business Class lie-flat seats in a 1-2-1 layout, 21 Premium Economy seats in a 2-3-2 configuration, and 259 generously pitched Economy Class seats in a 3-3-3 arrangement, offering more space and comfort in every cabin. The Emirates A350 operating to both cities boasts a suite of next-generation features in every cabin class, including high ceilings and wider aisles, new technology touches, faster Wi-Fi, and the latest version of the ice inflight entertainment system featuring a cinematic experience for customers to enjoy the airline’s vast media and channel selection of on-demand entertainment. Emirates has been serving Kuwait since 1989, and today operates 29 weekly flights. Emirates’ A350 to Kuwait is the second aircraft …

IndiGo enhances connectivity between Mumbai and Kuwait from 29 October 2024 by adding frequencies, focusing on both business and leisure travellers. This new frequencies aim to enhance international connectivity and bolster mobility between the commercial hubs in Tamil Nadu, and Maharashtra, considering the increased demand for business and leisure travel from the states. The addition of these flights will provide travellers with more options to explore these vibrant tourist and economic hubs in Southeast Asia and Middle East during the upcoming festive season and holiday travel months. With the launch of these new routes and frequencies, IndiGo now provides 908 direct flights a week from Chennai to 48 destinations, 141 weekly flights from Coimbatore to 7 destinations, and 1292 weekly flights from Mumbai to 72 destinations. Mr. Vinay Malhotra, Head of Global Sales, IndiGo, said, “We are pleased to further enhance our international connectivity with new / direct additional flights to Singapore, Colombo and Kuwait. With introduction of these flights IndiGo now offers increased connectivity to Singapore (72 flights a week) from 9 cities in India, to Colombo (37 flights a week) from 4 cities in India, and to Kuwait (34 flights a week) from 5 cities in India. These new routes and additional frequencies foster stronger economic and cultural ties and unlock new avenues for trade, tourism, and collaboration. As India’s preferred carrier, we are committed to offering on- time, affordable, and hassle-free travel experiences across our extensive network.” Singapore, also referred to as the “Lion City” and the “Garden City,” boasts a unique fusion of culture, continental cuisine, customs, and traditions. The well-known Merlion Park, Gardens by the Bay, Universal Studios, SEA Aquarium, Marina Bay Sands Skypark, Botanical …

According to the Ministry of Tourism 2023 annual tourism statistics report, over 8.6 million tourists from GCC countries visited the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in 2023, spending over SAR 15 billion. Bahrain ranked first among GCC countries with 3.4 million tourists, followed by Kuwait with over 2.3 million, UAE with nearly 1.4 million, Qatar with around 1.1 million, and Oman with 455,000. Saudi Arabia welcomed over 27 million international tourists in 2023, with spending surpassing SAR 141 billion. Additionally, the total number of both domestic and international tourists in the same year exceeded 109 million.

IHG Hotels & Resorts introduces its first collection brand to Kuwait as Arabella Beach Hotel Kuwait, Vignette Collection opened on 6th May 2024. Prominently positioned on the Arabian Gulf shoreline, the 195 room property joins IHG’s growing Luxury & Lifestyle portfolio – now the second largest in the world – to mark the GCC region’s second Vignette Collection, following Th8 Palm Dubai Beach Resort Vignette Collection’s opening in Summer this year. Central to Vignette Collection is the balance of individuality and belonging. A family of like-minded hotels, each Vignette Collection property is entirely individual in its identity yet unified by the vision to offer a more authentic way to travel. Arabella Beach Hotel, Vignette Collection gives a glimpse into Kuwait’s rich heritage to capture the breathtaking allure of the region. Its location embodies the political, cultural, and economic pulse of the nation with the governorate houses of Seif Palace, government offices, and headquarters of many Kuwaiti corporations and banks within reach. Haitham Mattar, Managing Director, India, Middle East & Africa at IHG Hotels & Resorts, said: “We are thrilled to announce the second Vignette Collection hotel opening in the Middle East, in Kuwait, as we continue to expand our luxury and lifestyle portfolio in the region. The partnership with Aqarat marks an important milestone for IHG Hotels & Resorts, singling a shift in the local hospitality market as we cater to the growing number of guests seeking curated hotel experienced driven by luxury and personalised services. As a group, IHG Hotels & Resorts remains dedicated to the delivery of unique, immersive, and authentic stay experiences that anticipate guest needs at every touchpoint of their personal journeys.” Talal Jassim Al-Bahar, Vice …

Emirates will be expanding its schedules across the region with 19 additional flights during the upcoming Eid Al Fitr holiday period. This year, more than 150,000 customers are expected to fly with the airline during Eid Al Fitr across the region, with additional flights planned from Jeddah, Kuwait, Beirut and Amman. Emirates will add an extra seven flights to Jeddah from 7-13 April. The additional flights will provide Emirates customers with more flexibility to venture out to popular destinations like Dubai, London, the Maldives, or visit family and friends in Colombo and Karachi. In Kuwait, Emirates will be layering on six extra flights between 7-20 April, catering to the significant travel demand during that time to popular leisure gateways like Dubai, Bangkok, Osaka, as well as providing the opportunity for travellers to head home to Chennai, Hyderabad, Sialkot and Peshawar. Emirates’ flight schedule to Bahrain will also expand to 22 weekly flights starting 2 May to meet increased demand for travel to/from the Kingdom. With families coming together to celebrate after the Holy Month, the airline will also be adding four additional flights onto Amman and two additional flights for Beirut scheduled to accommodate for more travellers. Upholding Eid traditions and keeping in with its proud Middle Eastern heritage, the airline will be serving a specially crafted Eid menu for customers for flights departing from Dubai. Favourites like chicken biryani and lamb kibbeh labanieh, machbous and vanilla and rose mousse cake will be served onboard, among other savoury and sweet dishes. A variety of content will be available on ice for those travelling over Eid al Fitr, from up to 6,500 channels of on-demand entertainment and more than 2,000 movies from around …

According to Wego’s data, there is a 17.2% YoY increase in international flight searches originating from Kuwait for travel during the National Day and Liberation Day holidays. February in Kuwait is typically a highly anticipated travel season with the annual dual celebrations. Wego has so far recorded a 23.5% uptick in bookings compared to the previous month’s figures for the same period. Wego shared insights on Kuwait National Day travel trends for this year. An exciting travel opportunity awaits Kuwaitis, as this year’s National Day and Liberation Day coincide with a long weekend. Wego found that Kuwait travellers respond to this 4-day government holiday by jetting off to popular destinations. Per Wego’s data, Kuwaiti travellers made their National Day trip bookings a little earlier this year. On average, flights scheduled around the holiday were booked 33 days in advance, compared to an average of 29 days in 2023. MENA cities are top destinations With ample days off this year, Kuwaiti travellers still opt to enjoy vacations at relatively nearby destinations. Wego found that the prime cities booked from Kuwait for travel during the holiday include Cairo, Jeddah, Amman, Abu Dhabi, and Istanbul. Notably, all these places grant visa-free entry to Kuwaiti passport holders, serving as a compelling incentive for travellers seeking to enjoy their vacation without much hassle. Slight rise in ticket prices Average airfares to the aforementioned top destinations have collectively experienced an increase of 13.4% compared to the corresponding period in the previous year. One-way ticket price to Istanbul on average, for example, has more than doubled for the February holiday season this year, while tickets to Jeddah and Amman are now pricier by 29.3% and 61.1% respectively.