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Departure fees from Dubai International Airport have been raised to Dh75 from 1 May 2009. His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum issued the relevant amendment to Law No3 of 2004 governing departure fees from the airport. His Highness is Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and issued the ruling in his capacity as Ruler of Dubai.
Sharjah, the culture capital of the UAE, is gearing up for a higher percentage of regional tourists as it increases its cultural tourist attractions. A wide variety of holiday package deals are being offered as part of the “Sharjah Summer Breaks Campaign”. Between 15 June and 15 August this year hotels and hotel apartments are offering discounts of between 20% and 40%. Chairman of the Sharjah Commerce and…
Gulf Air will restructure again this summer to help restore the carrier after several years of losses. The Bahrain based company Mumtalakat Holdings is looking for advisors to help rebuild the airline which has spent most of the decade in and out of recovery campaigns. Gulf Air has talked with a number of different asset companies and specialist aviation consultancies including Seabury and Cesart Consulting,…
The international luxury executive flight services company Royal Jet seems to be pulling out of the economic downturn, with a 15% increase in holiday bookings compared to the same period last year. President and CEO of the Abu Dhabi based company said travelers tend now to book their flights much later than they used to – between two and four days prior to departure. Shane O’Hare said “We are finding that…
The German branch of Europe’s second largest travel agency, Thomas Cook, announced that for a fee, they will reserve poolside recliners in advance at nine hotels in Egypt, Turkey, and the Canary Islands. The travel agency has received a large number of calls about the new service Head of communications for Thomas Cook in Germany said the offer is good only for holiday makers booking their travel from…
A new report by Global Refund, the research tourism firm, shows that Saudi Arabia tourists dominate tourist spending in Lebanon, contributing about 20% of all tourist spending in the first half of 2009. Emirati and Kuwaiti travelers account for about 12% each of all tourist money spent, Egyptian tourists accounted for 8%, and Jordan tourists 7%. Beirut received most of the tourism money at about 82% followed…
Passenger traffic numbers at Dubai International Airport exceeded Hong Kong International Airport numbers for the first time last month. A new report by the Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation (Capa) said the global financial crisis has helped push Dubai faster on its path to becoming a key financial hub while Hong Kong has fallen back sharply. The Capa report said demand in Asia has been affected by the Swine…
New data shows that hotels continued to feel the impact of the economic slowdown last month. Analysts say Dubai has been hit especially hard because more hotel rooms became available at the same time that demand became weak, forcing hotels to cut rates sharply. Jones Lang LaSalle Hotel executive vice president for the Middle East and North Africa said “Because of the drop in occupancy there has been a bit of…
British Airways will begin new thrice weekly service on 25 October from Gatwick to Sharm El Sheikh in Egypt and to Male in Maldives. The new flight services will operate on a Boeing 777 aircraft with three classes - Club World, World Traveler, and World Traveler Plus. The airline has previously offered service to Sharm El Sheikh but this is the first time it has flown to Maldives. Hotels can be booked at the…
Despite Canada’s official ‘open skies’ policies, Emirates Airline is fighting with the Canadian government ministry Transport Canada over attempts to limit the carriers access to the country. Transport Canada is responsible for enforcing the ‘open skies’ policy, which is intended to encourage foreign carriers to begin services to Canadian destinations. However, Transport Canada is actively attempting to limit…
Saudi Arabia will not change the countries quota for Hajj pilgrims this year, but they will probably ban children and the elderly to reduce risk from the swine flu virus. An emergency Arab Health Ministers meeting was held in Cairo on Wednesday where it was proposed to block people older than 65 and younger than 12 from the Hajj. Health Ministry spokesman said the government is expected to implement the…
The tourism season in Abu Dhabi has been brisk according to recent news reports and this is attributed to strong efforts by the Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority, Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage, Etihad Airlines, and Emirates Palace, Hotels and Reports. The Liwa Dates Festival 2009, promotional tourism offers, and tours to palm oasis in Abu Dhabi have helped to attract tourists. Abu Dhabi hotels and…
InterContinental Hotels and Resorts have expanded their partnership with National Geographic Society (NGS) to include global geotourism initiatives. This will bring more awareness and understanding of the environmental and cultural responsibilities of InterContinental associates and guests around the world. InterContinental will also set up a business advisory board consisting of senior executives and hotel…
Passenger traffic at Abu Dhabi International Airport rose 8.1% for the first six months of the year compared to the same period last year. In June passenger traffic at the airport increased 7.9%. Aircraft movement increased 15.2% in June and the average number of passengers passing through the airport each day was 26,966. Increased services by Singapore Airlines, Lufthansa Airlines, and new Etihad services to…
Uganda may use Dubai based Dodsal Group to expand and modernize Entebbe International Airport in Kambala, including establishment of a free export-processing zone. Uganda’s economy has had healthy growth over the past six years and is expected to grow by 6% in 2009-10. State Minister for Investment told reporters “The proposal is to make integrated infrastructure development where, among others, there will…
Sports City, a unit of Dubai based Bukhatir Group, has started work on a 256 hectare development in Tunisia scheduled for completion in 2024. The project is called Tunis Sports City, will be located in the northern suburbs of Tunisia’s capital city of Tunis and cost an estimated $5 billion to complete. Earlier in the month work began on new upscale apartments that will be part of the complex. Workers are…
The Singapore Tourism Board and Emirates Holidays have partnered to offer a holiday promotion as part of the ‘2009 Reasons to Enjoy Singapore’ campaign. Senior Vice President for Emirates Holiday said “Some of the offers include a ‘Stay for 4 nights, Pay for 3’ deal at the Shangri-La Rasa Sentosa Resort and great rates for the iconic Raffles Hotel” John Felix said they have decided to extend many offers because…
Safi Airways will shift operations at Dubai International Airport from Terminal 2 to Terminal 1 this month. President and CEO of the carrier said the timing is good because they will begin distributing tickets worldwide through their reservation system. Tilmann Gabriel said the move to Terminal 1 will allow them to “serve connecting traffic from around the world via Dubai to and from Afghanistan.” IATA sells…
