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Flydubai will add to its Africa network with new flights to Djibouti beginning on 1 September 2009. The one way flight to Djibouti from Dubai will cost Dh650 inclusive of taxes and one hand baggage weighing up to ten kilograms. Flight FZ601 will operate three times a week, taking off from Dubai at 8 am and landing in Djibouti at 10:15 am local time. The return flight to Dubai will depart from Djibouti at 11:00…
Thailand and the United Arab Emriates are discussing a draft of a Memorandum of Understanding aimed at increasing UAE visitors to Thailand. Thailand’s ambassador to the UAE said Thailand has initiated a number of policies to encourage tourism between the two countries. For example, from 25 June 2009 to 4 March 2009 the tourist fee is exempted. Karn Chiranond said UAE is one of the biggest markets in the Middle…
A Travelport GDS senior executive said premium and business class travel to and from African countries increased a marginal 2% in the first six months of the year. Premium and business class travel in other regions dropped 20%. GDS provider executives say the Middle East hospitality industry has fared better than others during the economic slowdown, and they are regionalizing their services to increase their…
Dubai hotels are making efforts to reduce their carbon footprint and guests are becoming more concerned about the environmental effects of hotels. The Dubai Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM) said they are planning to implement a required carbon reduction program this year, although there so far no set date. The initiative will aim for Dubai hotels to reduce their carbon footprint 20% by the…
Air Arabia profits in the second quarter increased 10% due to their expanding network and higher demand from passengers looking for more affordable fares. The carrier reported net profit of Dh90 million (US $24.5m) up from Dh82 million last year. The airline has launched two new routes from Sharjah and added a Moroccan subsidiary. Air Arabia chief executive Adel Ali said their good performance during the…
Gulf Air, the national carrier for Bahrain, announced it will start new flight services to Baghdad, Iraq beginning on 1 September 2009. CEO Samer Majali said “Gulf Air will become the first GCC Airline to offer direct flights to Iraq, adding to its pioneering legacy.” He said there are many reasons geographically and economically to include Iraq in their regional network. There is a direct demand from…
Michael Schumaker, who won the Formula 1 Championship seven times, is the newest high profile citizen to pre-book a space flight with Virgin Galactic. The news that Schumaker will fly on Virgin Galactic comes several weeks after the Formula 1 champ announced he would return to the sport – and this follows Felipe Massa’s crash in the Grand Prix qualifying event. Will Whitehorn is president of the Virgin…
Etihad Airways launched its six week long ‘Race To Gold’ promotion for Pakistan trade partners in July. The campaign celebrates its relationship with the first ever Formula 1 race to be held in Pakistan in November 2009. The carrier presented ten lucky draw winners 10 gram gold coins to mark the start of the promotional campaign. Two entrants also received two Ferrari themed gift hampers and an addition two…
The latest forecast from Business Monitor International (BMI) projects the number of tourist arrivals in the Middle East in 2009 will fall 3% compared to 2008. The BMI report said “BMI continues to maintain that the UAE will face a challenging period ahead in the tourism sector. Our forecast of negative growth in tourist arrivals in 2009 remains -3 percent year-on-year. The BMI report forecasts a small…
Hotel booking cancellations in the Saudi city of Makkah have increased dramatically in the few weeks before Ramadan starts, due to fears of the H1N1 virus. Ramadan usually indicates the beginning of high season Makah hotels. More than two million Muslims visit the city each year during the fasting month to perform the umrah pilgrimage. Bookings for the Ramadan season at the Makkah Hilton & Towers have…
IFA Hotels and Resorts acquired another 14.92% share in Raimen Land, the luxury condominium and real estate company based in Bangkok. This increases IFA’s stake in Raimen Land to 41.07%. Vice Chairman and Chief-Executive Officer said their increased ownerships shows their belief in management of the company and value it provides. Talal Jassim Al Bahar said “we will continue to support the company and benefit…
A Travelport GDS executive said global air ticket bookings fell less than expected in June, an indication the decline in business has reached its lowest point. Compared with June last year bookings dropped 12%, but this is 4% less than forecast. Travelport Vice President for the Middle East and Africa said “Statistics for June, while still indicating a decline, started to show small signs of recovery and give…
Etihad Airways added its seventh Indian destination with the launch of service to Hyderabad, the state capital of Andrah Pradesh. The Abu Dhabi based carrier will start the four times a week service in November, and it will become a daily service at the beginning of 2010. Etihad is the first carrier to offer flights between its home base and Andhra Pradesh. Etihad Airways Chief Executive James Hogan said…
The Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority (SCTDA) said hotel occupancy reached 671,662 guests during the first six months of the year. During the first quarter of 2009 there was a 15% decline in the number of tourists, but once source explained “the recent summer promotions have helped the hotel sector to record higher occupancy. As a result, the second-quarter hotel statistics reflected a growth…
A top Chinese diplomat in Amman said better promotion of Jordan’s tourism sites will help the country realize its huge potential for Chinese tourism. Yu Hongyang, Chinese Ambassador to Jordan said the government earlier this year streamlined the entry and visa procedures. He said this will greatly increase the number of Chinese tourists to the Jordan, especially after the current global economic crisis…
Movenpick Hotels and Resorts announced the creation of 2,000 new jobs in Dubai. Movenpick is on schedule to open five new hotels in Dubai over the next twelve months, as part of an ambitious expansion plan - starting with the Movenpick Hotel Jumeirah Beach this year. Thomas Tapken, MH&R General and Regional manager for Dubai said “We have taken on 10 people on board now, so there’s a fair way to go.” The…
The Geographical Information System (GIS) website for Dubai Metro was launched by the Road and Transportation Authority (RTA) on Tuesday. CEO of RTA’s rail agency said the website http://metrogis.rta.ae used GIS technology and functions to provide information about stations, runtime, metrolines, and multi-modal interchange points. An official said the system can be used to obtain information about distance…
Thai Airways returned to the UAE capital after a six year absence. The airline announced yesterday flight service between Bangkok and Abu Dhabi International Airport will begin 26 October 2009. Thai Airways will operate the new service four times a week on the wide bodied Airbus A330-300 with 239 economy class and 41 business class seats. The Abu Dhabi sales manager for Thai Airways said they will also…
