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Oman Air is moving forward rapidly with its expansion plans while other players are struggling to cope with the impact of the economic recession. The airline is continuing with its ambitious expansion plan, expanding routes as well as its fleet of aircraft. Oman Air CEO Peter Hill took media representatives on a two hour flight over Muscat on their new acquisition, an Airbus A330-300 aircraft, and briefed them…
Oman Air received delivery of its brand new A330-300 aircraft last week and it features what is probably one of the poshest lavatories in the business. Hoteliermiddleeast.com reports the First Class cabin toilet includes a bidet. The WC is located behind the cockpit and only the pilot and First Class passengers are permitted to access it. It has luxury floors that look similar to a sandy beach and the…
The Abu Dhabi Urban Planning Council (UPC) announced details of new world class facilities and recreational amenities being developed on Abu Dhabi’s corniche. The UPC said the Office of the Brand of Abu Dhabi has developed a new identity for Abu Dhabi beaches. The enhancement program began more than a year ago and is being carried out by the UPC, Executive Affairs Authority, Abu Dhabi Municipality, Department…
Emirates Airlines launched its innovative Emirates Advantage payment system providing customers booking their flight online with more choices and flexibility. Selected credit card holders of Emirates Bank, Citybank, HSBC, ADCB, and NBD cards may purchase their ticket at 0 percent interest and pay for it in three monthly installments. Emirates vice president of commercial operations said “In the current…
The Trump hotel project on Palm Jumeirah, which was launched in 2008, will move forward despite recent rumors it was canceled completely. Vice President of the Trump Organization, Donald Trump Jr. said he would love to see the Trump International Hotel and Tower on Palm Jumeirah go ahead within the next two years. Mr. Trump talked about the project during his address to visitors on the first day of Cityscape…
State owned low cost carrier flydubai will begin twice daily flight to Doha, Qatar on October 18. This will be its first GCC route. CEO Ghaith Al Ghaith said the new service “is intended to benefit the economies of both the UAE and Qatar and help to increase passenger numbers overall by making air travel more accessible and affordable to a wider group of people.” This is flydubai’s seventh route since it…
The ‘India Tourism Road Show’ opens today in Riyadh with an event at 6 pm at the Sheraton Hotel in the Turki Hall. The road show is being organized by the Government of India Tourist Office (GOITA), Dubai in collaboration with the Embassy of India in Riyadh. Minister of State for Tourism Sultan Ahmed will head a large delegation from India’s Ministry of Tourism. GOITO executive directors from Dubai and Tokyo, and…
Prince Sultan bin Salman announced on Monday that development of the tourism industry is a strategic choice and national project for Saudi Arabia. The Prince, who is chairman of the Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities (SCTA) made the announcement in his address to the United Nations World Tourism Organization in Astana, Kazakh. Prince Sultan talked about the SCTA’s steps to improve the investment…
Jazeera Airways is offering sharply reduced air fare with 111,000 promotional seats available at only Dh139 from Abu Dhabi and Dh133 one way from Dubai. The fares include air fare and taxes. Jazeera Airways CEO Stefan Pichler said “At Jazeera we are committed to giving our guests greater freedom to fly with us across the region.” Customers can book tickets to any of the carriers 24 destinations on…
Dubai’s hotel room inventory will reach 54,000 in 2010 according to Ishraq Gulf Estate Holding, a leading regional hospitality figure. This represents a 40 per cent increase over figures for 2008. CEO for Ishraq Gulf Estate Holding said the huge increase in hotel rooms will present a challenge for the hotel sector, which has been struggling during the global economic recession. Sami Ari Ansari said 2009…
Pilots and crew of an Air India flight from the UAE to India brawled on Saturday morning, causing minor bruises to one pilot and air hostess as punches were thrown. The fighting began in the cockpit over sexual harassment claims, but then moved into the galley. One hundred six passengers and seven crew members were on board the Air India flight the UAE to Delhi. The cabin crew claim the pilots sexually…
Emirates Airlines divisional senior vice president, Richard Vaughan, dismissed criticism from the Australian press that the carrier puts profits before safety in managing pilot’s fatigue risk. He said in a statement “Emirates reiterates its absolute commitment to safety. Emirates is a world leader in the management of pilot fatigue and alertness.” The Dubai carrier strongly refuted allegations in the Australian…
India’s Minister of Tourism, Sultan Ahmad, is in Dubai promoting tourism in India and seeking investors from Dubai. The Minister opened an exhibition promoting the country’s tourism industry. The Indian government is attempting to deliver 100,000 new hotel rooms to meet demand, and expects the UAE to be a partner in developing its tourist infrastructure. Minister Ahmad said “The number of classified hotels…
The Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority (ADTA) launched six new information kiosks at the Abu Dhabi International Airport. The ADTA is aiming for over 2.3 million tourists by 2012. More than 3,000 copies of the first official guide book were snapped up by tourists at the Abu Dhabi Travelers Welcome Visitor Information Desk, which opened at Terminal 1 and will operate around the clock. The guidebook contains…
A new report by James Lang Lasalle (JLL) said Abu Dhabi is close to replacing Dubai as the hotel destination of choice for investors. The capital is moving forward with various high profile events and project such as the upcoming Formula 1 Grand Prix and the Middle East International Film Festival. Abu Dhabi also continues to develop Yas Island which will be home to the Louvre and Guggenheim museums. James…
President of the Arab Tourism Organization (ATO) kicked off joint promotional campaigns and urged stronger inter-Arab tourism flow. Al-Fehaid said the ATO has been able to overcome obstacles to tourism by signing agreements with Arab and Global bodies. This has created new avenues for investment flow. He said the agreements helped bring down the unemployment rate, develop urban communities, and increased the…
A new report prepared by the Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities (SCTA) shows that 870,000 Saudi tourists spent SR4.7bn ($1.25bn) while travelling abroad this year. The report was released by the Data Center for Tourism Research of the SCTA. Saudi tourists travelling abroad this summer spent an average of SR5,400 or ($1,440) per person. The SCTA report said Bahrain was the most popular destinations…
Candylicious will open at Dubai Mall, one of world’s biggest shopping centers. The Dubai based company says the confectionary store will be the world’s biggest. Director of Retail Is Detail said they are planning a second store in Singapore early next year. Sunaina Gill said “We are planning 10-15 stores in the Gulf Arab region over the next 3-5 years, with additional stores to open in Dubai and Abu Dhabi in…
