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Sharjah National Travel and Tourist Agency (SNTTA) yesterday announced a three year growth strategy for the Abu Dhabi market. SNTTA said there is a projected increase in demand for outbound tourism in the UAE, and they are ready to capitalize on that in niche markets like medical tourism, golf tourism, cruises, and other leisure packages. SNTTA has 18 travel and tour outlets in Dubai, Sharjah, and Northern…
The Sharjah Summer Promotions 2009 offers attractive hotel rates and themed Sharjah Summer Breaks for tourists. The Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority (SCTDA) launched the annual promotion on 15 June 2009. It ends on 25 July. The promotional campaign is consistent with SCTDA’s strategy to diversify tourism offerings to develop the tourism sector, attract more international and national…
The Sharjah Summer Promotions 2009 offers attractive hotel rates and themed Sharjah Summer Breaks for tourists. The Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority (SCTDA) launched the annual promotion on 15 June 2009. It ends on 25 July. The promotional campaign is consistent with SCTDA’s strategy to diversify tourism offerings to develop the tourism sector, attract more international and national…
Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority (SCTDA) and Fujaira Tourism and Archeology Authority (FTAA) are planning to develop tourism ties and are exploring ways to co-operate for tourism promotion. Director General for the SCTDA – Al Noman talked with the FTAA Director about the importance of co-operation between the tourism departments in UAE government. Al Noman said “Domestic tourism is a very…
The government of Dubai launched a “kids go free” program to entice more tourists to visit during the global economic slowdown, which has severely impacted the tourism industry. New data from STR Global showed that revenue per available room in Dubai dropped by 40% compared to the same month a year earlier. The worldwide promotion will begin on 1 July according to the Dubai Department of Tourism and Commerce…
Al Jaber Engineering and Contracting (ALEC) was awarded a contract by Abu Dhabi National Hotels (ADNH) to build a five star hotel on Saadiyat Island in Abu Dhabi. The hotel will cost over Dh1 billion to build. ADNH is a hotel, tourism and catering organization in the United Arab Emirates. ADNH CEO said the new project is financed and scheduled to be ready by the first quarter of 2011. Richard W. Riley…
The Australian government announced they cut the amount of processing time for Australian visas to ensure Saudi travelers can obtain a visa in two days. Previously a Saudi national or resident could wait several weeks for the visa application to process. A spokesman for Tourism Australia said “We are thrilled that the Australian government has implemented steps to shorten visa processing times. People to…
The Ministry of Health reported yesterday that one of six newly identified swine flu cases is a 25 year old Saudi passenger who arrived from New Delhi yesterday. This brings the total number reported swine flu cases in the kingdom to 45. A spokesman for the Ministry of Health said the Saudi man arrived at Jeddah’s King Abdulaziz International Airport on Saudi Arabian Flight SV763. He was identified with…
An official report released by the Syrian Tourism Ministry showed the number of tourists visiting Syria jumped 14% to 370,000 in May compared to 326,00 for the same period last year. European visitors rose 20.8% to 29,000 in May compared to 26,000 for the same period last year. The report focused on the 1.1 million Arab tourists, 425,000 foreign tourists, and 341,000 Syrian expats over the last five…
The European Commission (EC) withdrew accusations it made against Emirates Airline last month, saying the airline is in full compliance with EC consumer legislation. The EC consumer watchdog said the Dubai carrier properly discloses fare information to customers. The director general for health and consumers at the EC said “I commend Emirates Airline as a non-EU carrier for the observance of community law and…
Air ticket sales have increased due to falling fares this summer. Emirates Vice President for Operations said there has been a big increase in ticket sales since April as they offered various promotions and increased flight services across their network. Khalid Bel Jafflah said “We have seen little impact from swine flu. As with previous years, demand has also picked up for the summer months.” A recent…
Chief Executive for Gulf Air said they are considering further expansion plans despite the global financial downturn. Bjorn Naf spoke at the expansion plans at launch of the carriers new summer season services to Alexandria, Salalah, and Aleppo. He said the global economic slowdown will not deter them from bringing in new products. Naf said their recent $8 million agreement with Honeywell Aerospace…
Saudi Arabia tourism officials say they are investing $333 million in new hotel projects in order to build on the momentum from booming religious tourism. The Elaf Group announced an expansion of its hotels with five new hotel projects in three holy cities. The Elaf Group is a subsidiary of the Saudi Economic and Development Company and serves the Saudi Arabian travel, tourism, and hotel industries. The…
The busy autumn tourist season began in Omar’s Dhofar Governate in the far south. This marks the start of the holiday season which usually attracts tens of thousands of GCC tourists. Last year about 450,000 tourists visited Saleh, the main city in Dhofar, during the Khareef season. This is 24% higher than the previous year. Most of the visitors come from the UAE or other GCC states. The three month long…
The Dubai Silicon Oasis Authority (DSOA) has signed an agreement with the Dubai Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM) to create new ventures in the DSO. The pact provides a boost to the hospitality sector because it will facilitate services and support so that companies can start new hospitality ventures. DTCM will be responsible for licensing and categorizing hotels in accordance with DTCM…
Asir Governor Prince Faisal ibn Khaled announced that starting this year, there will no longer be musical concerts at the Abha Tourism Festival. Prince Khaled, who is chairman of the Tourism Development Council, told a news conference the concerts are not an important part of the festival. However, an Operetta consisting of national songs and traditional dance will be held. The festival attracts large numbers…
Gulf travel agency associations signed an agreement to create a lobby group in order to protect and promote their interests as the tourism industry expands. The newly formed Gulf Travel Association headquarters will be based in Abu Dhabi. Sharjah, Kuwait, Bahrain, and Abu Dhabi have joined the new group, which will be headed by the Abu Dhabi Travel and Tourism Association (ATTAC). Secretary General for ATTAC…
German aerospace companies will be the first tenants to occupy the aerospace zone at Al Ain International Airport. MT Aerospace, Aerotech Peissenberg and Aircraft Electronic Engineering signed Memorandum’s of Understanding with Abu Dhabi Airports Company. The companies will build plants that produce avionic systems and aerostructures at Al Ain. Mubadala Development, an investment arm of the Abu Dhabi…
