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The number of visitors attending the Jeddah Ghair summer festival this year was disappointingly low. The city’s director of cultural affairs attributed the low turnout to insufficient funds and not enough businesses sponsoring activities at the festival. Samijr Nawar said Jeddah Mayor has been advised about how to find sufficient financing for the festival next summer. Mr. Nawar said in northern Obhur…
Reel Cinemas, LLC will open 12 m ore Reel Cinemas by the end of the year to complete a huge 22 screen megaplex project that will seat 2,800. Reel Cinemas LLC is a joint venture of Emaar Retail and Singapore based premier entertainment provider Cathay Organization Holdings, Ltd. After the new Reel Cinemas are complete at Dubai Mall it will be the biggest move complex in the UAE, covering more than 150,000…
Abu Dhabi municipality has started a month long face lift of a popular Abu Dhabi beach in order to accommodate an increased number of visitors expected this summer. The beach is popular because its entrance fee is very low compared to the exorbitant rates of private beaches and hotels. The number of visitors is expected to surge dramatically this season with the closure of a nearby public beach – Ras…
Former Bangladesh cricket captain liked the dishes at a Surrey restaurant in the UK so much, he ordered several delivered via airmail to Dubai. Captain Habibul Bashar ate at the Amish Indian Restaurant in Surrey England during the Twenty20 competition in June. Mr. Bashar made the special order for a party he his hosting for around 50 of his friends and family. The owners of the UK restaurant, Amin and Sham…
The Pakistan Tourism Development Corporation will celebrate Independence day in an appropriate manner with a number of activities. A flag-hoisting ceremony will take place at Flashman’s hotel and all motel and tourist information centers. The PTDC is also offering a tour to Islamabad for the SOS Children Village of Rawalpindi on 14 August 2009.
The UAE is one of five countries to welcome Chinese tourist parties for the first time ever beginning on 15 September. This follows signing of an Approved Destination Status (ADS) agreement last month between the UAE and China. The Dubai Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM) and Beijing Tourism Administration also signed a memorandum of tourism cooperation. CEO of Desert Adventure Tourism…
Bahrani and Qatar governments discussed buying a stake in Virgin Galactic, Richard Branson’s space tourism company. A private group from Abu Dhabi and a Saudi Arabian party also considered buying a stake in the company. Virgin Galactic president said “We had discussions with lots of people, but we are not commenting on who we had discussions with.” An industry source said at one point there were four…
Syria’s Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs said the country’s tourism and real estate sector remain strong and have not been affected by the economic crisis. Abdullah Al-Dardari spoke about the tourism sector in advance of an investment conference scheduled for tonight. The Ministry of Tourism and Ministry of Construction and Housing are coordinating the event. Areas of discussion are to include Islamic…
Hotels and major companies are seeing a big fall in demand for Ramadan tents and due to the economic slowdown. Many companies that previously sponsored large tents for community use are spending loss and others have reduced provision of Iftar for their staff. Some hotels are setting up tents indoors to eliminate the cost of an air condition plant for outdoor tents. The holy month is expected to begin on 22…
Jumeirah Group, the luxury hospitality company, yesterday appointed Clive Doble as London Sales Director. Mr. Doble will have an important role in increasing room revenues, occupancy, and market share for both the Jumeirah Lowndes Hotel and Jumeirah Carlton Hotel. Previously he worked for as a sales manager in London. He also has worked in the travel industry in New Zealand, Australia, and South Africa.
TNT Express, based in the Netherlands, said the UAE continues to be the only bright spot among global logistic hubs. TNT Express is a global logistics and freight forwarder. The emirates were the only country for which the company recorded an increase in growth so far this year – 2% compared to the same period last year. Manager of TNT Express Bryan Moulds said “The region is reasonably buoyant. We’re…
Dubai Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM) officials said the number of tourists visiting Dubai increased 5% to 3.85 million in the first half of 2009. Business Monitor International (BMI) published a report last week projecting the number of tourists visiting the UAE were predicted to drop by 3% compared to 2008. DTCM figures showed that during July the 64,102 GCC guests staying at three,…
A new survey says Abu Dhabi is the second most expensive city in the world for business travelers and will soon take the number one spot. Data provided by the Hogg Robinson Group, an international corporate travel firm, showed that hotel prices in Abu Dhabi rose five per cent. Hotel prices in most of the world’s most popular business tourism destinations fell by up to 25%. Moscow is still the most expensive…
Horizon International Flight Academy in Al Ain will offer undergraduate degrees and become a full fledged university. Horizon’s general manager Mohammed al Zaabi said “By 2016, we expect Horizon will be an aviation university.” The flight academy is now planning to offer a new “higher diploma” in aviation business this fall. Governments and militaries in the UAE and region sponsor many students attending the…
Saudi airlines and hotels are preparing for a steep fall in tourism revenues. The number of pilgrims travelling to Makkah is expected to fall because of swine flu fears. There will probably be 25% less travel on the kingdom’s airlines for the Umrah and Haj pilgrimage this year. In order to reduce the spread of the H1N1 virus, health officials from the UAE and other Arab countries have decided to ban the Haj…
Thailand and the United Arab Emriates are discussing a draft of a Memorandum of Understanding aimed at increasing UAE visitors to Thailand. Thailand’s ambassador to the UAE said Thailand has initiated a number of policies to encourage tourism between the two countries. For example, from 25 June 2009 to 4 March 2009 the tourist fee is exempted. Karn Chiranond said UAE is one of the biggest markets in the Middle…
A Travelport GDS senior executive said premium and business class travel to and from African countries increased a marginal 2% in the first six months of the year. Premium and business class travel in other regions dropped 20%. GDS provider executives say the Middle East hospitality industry has fared better than others during the economic slowdown, and they are regionalizing their services to increase their…
Michael Schumaker, who won the Formula 1 Championship seven times, is the newest high profile citizen to pre-book a space flight with Virgin Galactic. The news that Schumaker will fly on Virgin Galactic comes several weeks after the Formula 1 champ announced he would return to the sport – and this follows Felipe Massa’s crash in the Grand Prix qualifying event. Will Whitehorn is president of the Virgin…
