New connections. Fresh perspectives. The travel developments to know.
2,506 reports
Prince Sultan emphasized the importance of providing affordable domestic tourism. The Prince spokes about the issue following signature of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the University of Taif President. The Prince, who is secretary-general of the Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities (SCTA) said the high price of tourism concerns everyone, and “it should be studied and any complaint from the…
The cabinet approved establishment of the Ajoun Special Economic Zone on Tuesday. It is expected the new zone, which was launched by His Majesty King Abdullah early in the month, will bring in about JD1.4 million in tourist revenues annually, and over the next fifteen years attract billions of investment dollars, creating thousands of jobs. Twenty four tourism projects are planned for the zone, including a…
Emirates Palace is planning to build its own world class, full size football training facility for the upcoming Fifa Club World Cup which will be held in the UAE capital. The new facility will be one of eight official training grounds during the tournament which takes place between 9 December and 19 December 2009. A Local Organising Committee official said it will be the highest quality football grounds…
Tourism growth has slowed in Abu Dhabi but continues to grow at a rate of 6%, despite a 20% decrease in the number of incoming air passengers. The lower passenger numbers were first observed in January and this trend became worse after the swine flu began to spread. Travel agents have not yet encountered serious difficulties according to a senior official. Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Travel and Tourism…
Seventy Emirati students are now participating in Abu Dhabi’s three week summer youth tourism programme, which began yesterday. The Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority has partnered with the Armed Forces Officers Club to offer the program which will develop the student’s understanding of the hospitality industry, and leadership and teamwork skills. Students will receive hands on practical instruction in hospitality…
Dubai Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM) announced that its customer complaints handling system, which was first introduced in 2000, is now ISO certified (1002:1004). DTCM is the second governmental organization in Dubai to receive this recognition for managing complaints. A representative Lloyd’s Register Quality Assurance gave the certification to DTCM Director General, Mr. Khalid A bin…
Amadeus appointed Antoine Medawar the new Vice President for the Middle East region. Amadeus is a leading technology and distributions provider throughout the world. The appointment is aimed at boosting its regional growth and further expanding market share in the Middle East. Amadeus is the sole GDS provider for 13 carriers in the Arab Air Carriers Association. Mr. Medaware will be responsible for…
Travel industry sources say demand for air travel tickets and holiday tour packages in Qatar is increasing as fears of swine flu decline among the public. An official from a leading travel agency said few people are talking about the swine flu now, and “We have seen an increase in demand for air tickets and our summer package over the past two weeks.” With the initial outbreak of swine flu many potential…
Visitors arriving at Dubai International Airport (DIA) can now get information directly from the Visitor Information Bureau (VIB). The VIB is now open at DIA’s terminal 3 and can provide business and leisure visitors with information about hotels and events in Dubai. Dubai Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM) is operating the new VIB as part of their ongoing efforts to establish a one stop…
Dubai World is planning to dock the Queen Elizabeth 2 (QE2) ship at the Cape Town V&A waterfront and convert into a luxury hotel. According to a Johannesburg newspaper, the company is applying for berthing rights and in talks with a South African company to manage the hotel. A South African tourism department spokesperson said they are aware of the company’s plans, but several approvals must be made before…
Hong Kong lawmakers voted to spend HK3.63 billion (Dh1.72bn) to expand the Disneyland theme park. Attendance has not met targets, and a rival theme park is planned for Shanghai, so the government is looking for ways to increase the number of visitors over the long term. Walt Disney will invest HK$3.5bn to help finance construction costs and will also convert its outstanding loan to the park of HK$2.76bn into…
The Union Railway Company was established by the federal government yesterday. The state news agency reported the President of the UAE, Shiekh Khalifa bin Zayed, established the new railway company to develop a passenger and freight system in the seven emirates. The Union Railway Company has a capitalization of Dh1 billion (US 272m) and will oversee the planned national railway system. The railway will run on…
Five jewelry retailers reported that gold jewelry sales in Dubai dropped 30% this year due to higher prices and fewer tourists because of the economic slowdown. Many of the 8 million tourists visiting Dubai last year were attracted by the tax free gold. However the retailer Reuters say there are far fewer tourists visiting the emirate known as “the City of Gold”. A shop keeper from Al Khaledyah Jewelry said…
The Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority (ADTA) expects cruise passenger growth to the emirate to double during the next holiday season. ADTA bases their projections on “the 100% occupancy level achieved by the cruise ships using Abu Dhabi as a ‘port of call’ last season” according to ADTA deputy director general Ahmed Hussein. ADTA projects 199,113 cruise passenger visitors will arrive in Abu Dhabi between November and…
Makkaz Governor Prince Khaled Al Faizal will open the eight day Soaq Okaz festival on 19 August 2009. Prince Al Faizal said the cultural events planned at the festival are part of a huge cultural, economic, and intellectual project. Different sections of the festival will have cultural activities, traditional handicraft, and literary activities featuring poets and lecturers from throughout the…
Air Arabia is offering a round trip ticket and one month tourist visa for Sharjah for Dh975. Head of Air Arabia’s commercial department, Ak Nizar, said they are offering the special summer promotion to travelers at any of the 46 destinations they serve. The promotion began on 15 June and is valid for travel to Sharjah until 31 July. Return flights must take place between 16 July and 10 September. Ak Nizar…
Arab Air Carriers Organization (AACO) has endorsed new software that accurately measures aircraft emissions. The air transport information technology company SITA said four airlines from the Middle East, Europe, and the US are testing their newly developed Aircraft Emissions Manager. SITA claims their software tool is the world’s first monitoring, verification, and reporting software that precisely measures…
The Dubai Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM) began a new summer hospitality training course for UAE nationals. DTCM Training Solutions section and the Educational Institute of the American Hotel & Lodging Association are jointly offering the course – Introduction to Hospitality Today. DTCM Executive Director of Corporate Support said it will give a broad overview of the service industry…
