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2,506 reports
April 30- Residents in UAE spent a lot of money on traveling for business and pleasure despite the recession that hit the world last year, said the results of a study conducted by Market Vision, a research and consulting firm in Dubai. According to the details of the study, people spent an average of Dh7,806 on each trip that makes it an average of Dh514 per night. Outbound travelers from the UAE spent…
April 30 - Dubai Shopping Festival’s Dubai Summer Surprises (DSS) will begin from June 17 with some of the best deals in 13 years on offer, said the Dubai Events and Promotions Establishment (DEPE) yesterday. In this regard, a detailed plan has been drawn up pertaining to activities related to shopping and entertainment for the 52-day-long festival. "DSS marks its 13th edition this year and comes after…
April 30 - MSC Cruises has announced four Beirut Port calls for upcoming cruises that will increase tourism revenues for the city, it was learnt during a press conference at the Four Seasons Hotel in Beirut on Tuesday. The conference was held to launch Wild Discovery as the cruise liners’ new Lebanon general sales agent. The partnership was announced by Sandro J. Saadé, CEO of Wild Discovery and Achille Staiano,…
The Jordan River Foundation (JRF) has signed agreements with New Burma and Al Maarid, two municipalities in the Jerash Governorate. According to the agreement, the support will be provided to both municipalities by the former for the various on-going development projects in Dibeen (implemented by JRF). The current agreements are a continuation of the previous ones signed between JRF and JD Properties to…
Netherlands is planning to boost its tourism by setting up an ‘Arab village’ in the country, said Hans van Driem, Managing Director of the Holland Business Promotion Office on Wednesday. This will be an investment worth Dh39 billion, he added. This investment, he explained may bring the 2028 Olympic Games to Netherlands, 100 years after the last games took place in Amsterdam (1928). We want to develop sports…
April 27- The developers of the Legoland theme park in Dubai announced on Monday that the project will go ahead and will be complete despite the delays which are a result of the economic slowdown in the region. The project is a partnership between Merlin Entertainments (UK) and Dubailand developers Tatweer. The park was initially said to be open by 2011. “Given the current situation in the region work on the…
April 27 - Travellers from the UAE who want a Swiss visa will now be able to get one from the Swiss consulate general in Dubai from May 1. Gerhard Bruegger, Consul General of Switzerland, said that the move is “part of an overall restructuring to avoid duplication and take advantage of economies of scale, and it is in line with a general initiative by our head office to cut expenses while still maintaining an…
April 27 - Medical tourism in Jordan grew by 10 per cent last year, said the Private Hospitals Association (PHA) on Sunday. According to the details, 220,000 patients from around the world got treated in Jordan’s private hospitals, up from 200,000 in 2008. The highest number of foreign patients last year was represented by Iraqis followed by Palestinians and Saudi Arabians. "The quality and competitiveness of…
April 27 - Sea Cloud Cruise liners have their eyes set on the shores of Dubai, said the Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM) on Monday, adding that the government is holding talks with the Hamburg-based company to launch its services in the Middle East. "We have been approached by a number of cruise companies that are interested in extending their services to Dubai, of which Sea Cloud is simply one…
April 27 - The people in Middle East are inclined towards auctions once again, said Christie's Dubai on Monday. The world-famous auction house said there has been a 30 per cent increase in sale registrations from Middle Eastern clients this week. In fact, Christie’s is holding an auction of international modern and contemporary art today followed by a sale of jewels and watches on Wednesday. Reports indicate…
April 26 - A hot air balloon carrying 14 people crashed near Sweihan, a desert area some 80km east of Abu Dhabi on Sunday, killing a Frenchman and an Indian national, the General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) said. Two other people were injured in the crash, said the statement issued by GCAA. Authorities are investigating the cause of the crash. Meanwhile, the operating tourist company, Dubai-based Balloon…
April 24 - Elham Al-Qasimi reached the North Pole, arriving 90 degrees latitude on April 23, 2010 at 13:15. Elham is the first Arab woman to set foot at the northernmost tip of the world, making the trek ski-assisted and unsupported. She arrived in Longyearbyen, the northernmost inhabited area in the world, last week and from there continued her journey Northwards via Russian plane, sleds and skis. An…
April 25- Around 500 British Muslims remained stranded at the King Abdul Aziz Airport in Jeddah and complained of getting little or no help from the government or airline officials, said Charge d'affaires Roddy Drummond on Friday. Drummond said that diplomats were working round the clock to help get the pilgrims on extra flights back to Britain after being stranded at the airport for days given the shutdown of…
April 24- French holiday group Club Med cancelled a cruise to Lebanon on Thursday after Jewish groups were outraged given the ban imposed on passengers with Israeli groups. Earlier, the company had announced that all those passengers with either Israeli visas or passports could not board its boat, the Club Med II, for the Lebanon leg of the cruise given restrictions imposed by Lebanese authorities. As a…
April 23- The Middle East Cruise Forum will be held in Bahrain next month, it was learnt on Thursday. The highly anticipated event will bring together experts and leaders from the industry to deliberate on ways to increase cruise tourism in the region. Starting on May 11, the conference will cover significant topics related to cruise tourism and Hassan Ali Al Majed, director general of the General of the…
April 23- The Ministry of Tourism on Thursday announced that Egypt’s tourism sector is growing this year after witnessing a year of severe decline. According to the figures released, Egypt's tourism revenues witnessed a 24 per cent increase during the first quarter of 2010, that is, $2.7 billion for the three months ending March. Meanwhile, tourist arrivals rose 29 per cent to 3.46 million visitors.…
April 23-The 2,500 passengers who were stranded in Abu Dhabi for almost a week because of the suspension of flights in the aftermath of Iceland’s volcanic ash cloud were given complimentary tours of Abu Dhabi’s favourite tourist spots. Organised by the Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority (ADTA), various hotels and Etihad Airways put together guided tours of the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, Al Ain Wildlife Park & Resort,…
April 22- Sharjah has launched air flight service to destinations in Europe over the last 18 months, as the emirate has increased its efforts towards boosting tourism and related sectors. Sharjah’s flagship carrier, Air Arabia worked with the Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority (SCTDA) to begin flight service to Greece and Ukraine. The goal of the new flights was to attract more tourists and…
