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Local media reported Sunday that Libya stopped issuing visas to Canadian citizens as tensions rose between the two countries. The move follows Libyan leader Moamer Kadhafi’s cancellation of a recent stopover in Canada in September. Kadhafi was returning from summits in the United States and Venezuela. Foreign Minister Lawrence Cannon was instructed by Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper to communicate…
An international medical association says the medical industry in Dubai should do more to promote its healthcare facilities in order to boost medical tourism. Dubai has invested millions of Dirhams to create the world’s first free zone for medical care. Dr. Prem Jagyasi, chief executive of the medical services company ExHealth in Dubai Healthcare City, said “Perception of the destination is very good over…
The Tourism Development and Investment Company (TDIC) said the Qasr Al Sarab Desert Resort by Antara officially opened to its first paying guests today. TDIC is the developer of the five star resort project, which is located on the world’s’ biggest stretch of uninterrupted desert – the-Empty Quarter (Rub Al Khali). The resort features a fort inspired design, and has 154 rooms, 47 villas, 10 royal villas, and is…
The number of UAE visitors to the United Kingdom increased 13 per cent in the first half of 2009 compared to the same period last year, according to a Visit Britain official. Director of Strategy and Insights, Patricia Yates, said “We expect this trend to continue through to the end of the year.” She said the number of UAE visitors account for 13 per cent of total visitors to the UK. The number of UAE…
A senior executive with Emirates Hotels said they are moving cautiously forward with their expansion plans. Senior Vice President of resorts and projects at Emirates Hotels and Resorts explained a lot of brands make the mistake of setting a target of a certain number of properties, then, “What invariably happens is if you start saying you’re going to have 50 properties..then slowly you erode against the brand…
Emirates Airlines announced it will start thrice weekly flight service between Dubai and Luanda, Angola, from October 25, 2009. Emirates’ senior vice president, commercial operations, said “Africa is such an exciting continent for us and such an important part of the world in terms of world trade.” This is the airlines second new destination in Africa this year, and its 18th destination in Africa in total.…
A new report by Business Monitor International (BMI) predicts the number of tourists visiting the UAE in 2009 will decline by 3 per cent due to the ongoing economic problems in the US and Europe, which are key markets. The number of visitors to Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Northern Emirates increased 10 per cent in 2008 compared to 2007. BMI’s UAE Tourism Report Q3, published this month, said “Our forecast of…
Director General of Business Development and Properties at Domestic Airports, Ala Samman, said the first phase of the huge expansion project at Prince Muhammad bin Abdulaziz International Airport in Madinah will be finished in 2014. Samman said that after reviewing best offers, the contract for implementing the project will be awarded to the winning company in October 2010. After the project is finished, the…
‘Airport City’ projects were launched in major airports in the Kingdom by the General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) which is increasingly moving towards private sector partnerships. GACA President Abdullah Rehaimi spoke about the projects at the Kingdom Aviation Financiers Symposium organized by GACA at the Jeddah Hilton on Monday. The symposium was organized in conjunction with Boeing. Rehaimi said…
The ‘Woman Investors and Tourism Opportunities’ forum opened at the Abha Palace Hotel on Tuesday. The forum is held by the Abha Chamber of Commerce and Industry and is the Chambers second women’s forum. More than 60 participants from across the Kingdom participated. Issues discussed included Saudi tourism, investment in the tourism sector, vocational training, and cultural protection. Reem Al-Farian,…
The Singapore Tourism Board (STB) said the growing cruise industry will boost tourism relations between Singapore and the UAE. Both countries are building terminals to meet an expected increase in demand. Dubai Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing said their new cruise terminal will be ready for business in January 2010. The terminal can hold four ships at once and is expected to increase the number…
Passenger traffic at Dubai International Airport increased 19.5 per cent in September compared to the same period last year. This is the highest monthly growth rate since October 2007, when passenger traffic increased 25.9 per cent, and the fourth consecutive month of double digit passenger growth. Dubai International handled 3,190,408 passengers in September 2009, bringing the year to date passenger…
ProChile, the Chilean Trade Commission launched a ‘Chilean Week’ in Dubai from October 18-24, to mark the opening of its first diplomatic mission in the UAE and GCC. The Chilean Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mariano Fernandez Amunategui, opened the country’s embassy in Abu Dhabi on Saturday evening. Investment opportunities, export capabilities, and culinary and cultural diversity will be showcased at different…
Sri Lankan government officials say the number of visitors from the Middle East has surged 41 per cent, with August alone seeing a 104 per cent surge. Sri Lanka’s Ministry of Tourism is aiming to increase the tourism sectors contribution to GDP to 10 per cent. The tourism sector generated $400 million in revenue in 2008, only 2 to 3 per cent of the country’s GDP. A target of 2.5 million tourists to Sri…
The Mirbat Beach project in Dhofar is scheduled for a soft opening on December 15 of this year. The RO1 billion project was developed by the Dhofar Tourism Company SAOG in Mirbat in Dhofar. Chief executive officer of the company, Sultanate of Oman, Osama Miriam, spoke about the project at a signing ceremony with Marriot International. He said the five star, 234 room Marriot Resort in Mirbat “is an important…
A senior official for Aldar Hotels and Hospitality said Yas Hotel in Abu Dhabi will be full on F1 race weekend. The hotel straddles the F1 racing circuit in Abu Dhabi. Other hotels there are also full with very long waiting lists. Paul Bell, managing director for the hotel, said “We are full in the hotel over the race weekend; there are no rooms available in the hotel.” Mr. Bell said Aldar Developments had…
Low cost carrier flydubai announced Tuesday they will begin daily flights to Khartoum, Sudan, on November 8th. CEO of flydubai. Ghaith Al Ghaith, said he believes this new service will meet the demand of another under serviced route. Khartoum is 1,600 miles from Dubai and will be the longest route on flydubai’s network. Ghaith said Sudan is a country with great potential for economic development and…
Marriot International signed a contract yesterday with Dhafar Tourism Company to manage the 234 room Salalah Beach Marriot Resort in Oman. The resort will open in December and be located about 75 kilometers from Salalah. It will be part of a mixed use beachfront development. The resorts dining options will include an all day restaurant, seafood outlet, English pub, and Arabic café. There will be a lounge and a…
