Opinion Tourism Dubai hospitality: poolside luxe versus Gen Z entertainments The future of Dubai tourism could evolve towards more carefree, young travellers who crave new experiences on holiday September 27, 2022
Retail McDonald’s hikes prices in Japan on higher input costs, weaker yen Japan’s McDonald’s fast food restaurants will raise prices on about 60 percent of its offerings to customers, fuelled by rising input costs and exchange-rate fluctuations, the company said on Monday. It marks the company’s second set of price increases this year as Japan grapples with inflationary pressures and a slide in the yen to a […] September 26, 2022
Business of Sport Egypt to bid for 2036 Olympic Games Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi has approved the Egyptian sports authorities to make a bid to host the 2036 Olympic Games, the Daily News Egypt reported. He highlighted the country’s efforts to develop and modernise the sports infrastructure, as well as the construction of the Egyptian City for the Olympic Games in the New Administrative […] September 25, 2022
Business of Sport Abu Dhabi-owned firm offers $190m for Brazilian soccer club City Football Group (CFG), the owner of Manchester City English Premier League soccer team, made an offer of 1 billion reais ($190 million) for 90 percent of Brazilian club Esporte Clube Bahia, CFG said on Friday. The purchase is part of a funding bonanza in Brazilian soccer, following the approval of a law that allowed […] September 25, 2022
Analysis Tourism From Bulgari to Versace: Dubai’s rich splash out on branded homes The UAE is expected to attract the largest net inflow of high net worth individuals globally in 2022 – and with that comes a growing demand for luxury housing. Catering to this income bracket, the branded residences sector has grown by 230 percent across the world over the past decade. Savills, the real estate services […] September 25, 2022
Tourism Kuwait issues runway tender as part of airport expansion drive Kuwait’s civil aviation authority has issued a tender for building works at the country’s main airport as part of a multibillion-dollar refurbishment and expansion programme. Kuwait International Airport will add a new passenger terminal and a third runway, which the government hopes will bolster the domestic aviation industry and help attract more transit passengers flying […] September 23, 2022
Tourism Marriott to add 20 hotels across Middle East, including conversions Marriott International will add more than 20 hotels and 5,000 rooms in the Middle East over the next 15 months. Announcing its expansion plans at the Future Hospitality Summit in Dubai this week, the hospitality group said its growth is fuelled by ongoing demand for its portfolio of hotel brands across Saudi Arabia, Qatar and […] September 22, 2022
Aviation Qatar Airways says not increasing flight prices due to World Cup Qatar Airways is not taking advantage of the FIFA World Cup 2022 to increase flight ticket prices and has capped the price of shuttle flights from GCC states, Reuters reported, citing group chief executive Akbar Al Baker. However, ticket prices will remain high due to lack of capacity as airline manufacturers face challenges delivering aircraft […] September 22, 2022
Tourism IATA warns demand may weaken if China stays shut next year The strength of the overall recovery in global airline passenger demand will be impacted if China continues to enforce tight border restrictions next year, the head of airline body IATA said on Wednesday. International Air Transport Association Director General Willie Walsh told a conference in Doha that China’s zero-COVID policy had “devastated” Hong Kong, and […] September 22, 2022
Retail Abu Dhabi’s IHC in bid to acquire stake in Colombian food producer Shares in companies that are part of Colombia’s largest conglomerate GEA rose on Wednesday after Abu Dhabi-based investor International Holding Company (IHC) launched a bid to buy a stake worth up to $2.15 billion in Nutresa. Grupo Empresarial Antioqueno, or GEA, is a conglomerate of more than 100 firms, including Nutresa, where many own significant […] September 22, 2022
Tourism Qatar to suspend visit visas during World Cup 2022 Qatar will suspend entry of all visitors from November 1, 2022, allowing only Hayya cardholders during the World Cup, the state-owned Qatar News agency reported, citing a Ministry of Interior official. Visit visas will resume from December 23, 2022, said the ministry’s director of public relations Abdullah Khalifa Al Muftah. The FIFA World Cup Qatar […] September 22, 2022
Tourism Abu Dhabi hotel group to build $272m resort in Ras Al Khaimah Abu Dhabi National Hotels is to build an AED1 billion ($272 million) luxury resort on a prime plot in Ras Al Khaimah, it said on Tuesday. The 1,000-room property will be on Al Marjan Island, where several international operators have opened hotels in recent years. Marjan is master developer for Ras Al Khaimah, one of […] September 20, 2022
Exclusive Aviation Private jets face backlog during World Cup Qatar authorities are putting restrictions in place to manage the expected surge in demand for landing slots from private jets flying to Doha for the World Cup. Operators have warned that wealthy football fans will need to be flexible with their plans, especially around the later stages of the tournament which takes place from November […] September 19, 2022
Tourism Israel’s El Al will begin Tel Aviv to Tokyo flights in March El Al Israel Airlines will start direct flights from Tel Aviv to Tokyo next March, it said on Monday – two years after the launch was delayed because of the Covid-19 pandemic. Israel’s flag carrier has been looking to expand eastbound flights since its second-quarter results showed a rebound from the slump in travel during […] September 19, 2022
Tourism Texas entertainment brand set to expand to the Middle East Dave & Buster’s, an entertainment and hospitality brand based in Dallas, is expanding to the Middle East. Following the signing of a 10-year franchise agreement with Saudi firm Abdul Mohsen Al Hokair Holding Group, the aim is to open the first of eleven venues next year. Founded in 1982 and headquartered in Coppell, Texas, the […] September 19, 2022
Retail Turkish florists rush to meet surge in UK demand after Queen’s death Turkish florists are resorting to cargo planes instead of trucks as they rush to send as many flowers as they can to the United Kingdom to meet a deluge of orders after the death of Queen Elizabeth. Orders for cut flowers have soared by 90 percent since the queen died, said Selcuk Celebi, a member […] September 18, 2022
Tourism Jordan’s tourism revenue jumps 162% to $3.6bn Jordan’s tourism revenue rose 161.6 percent year-on-year to $3.645 billion in the first eight months of 2022, Petra, the state-owned Jordan News Agency reported. The increase was driven by a rise in the number of tourists to 3.175 million between January and August. In August, tourism revenue posted an 82.4 percent increase year-on-year to $822.4 […] September 15, 2022
Retail Gulf investor among consortium buying 33% of Egyptian Domty A consortium has acquired about 33 percent of Arabian Food Industries Co.(Domty) in a tender offer worth about EGP512 million ($26.5 million), Expedition Investments, a special purpose investment vehicle, told Reuters on Wednesday. The deal was priced at EGP5.50 per share, up from EGP5.00 at the beginning of the tender offer, after a fairness opinion […] September 15, 2022
Tourism PIF eyes $400m investment in Saudi travel giant Almosafer Riyadh's Public Investment Fund could acquire a 30 percent stake in the tourism group, which has reported record growth in the second quarter September 13, 2022
Analysis Business of Sport Dubai plays vital World Cup role with GDP goal in its sights Germany and Japan are setting up training camps in Dubai ahead of the FIFA World Cup in Qatar. The football associations’ plans demonstrate that the emirate has adopted the same model for sports as has proven so effective in tourism and real estate. The World Cup squads are following in the footsteps of several English […] September 13, 2022
EXCLUSIVE Banking and Finance Dukkantek unveils plan to lend capital to small retailers Dukkantek, whose tech platform is used by 13 million retailers in the Middle East, has secured $10m in pre-series-A funding September 12, 2022
Exclusive World Cup 2022 Qatar 2022 will change views of Arab world, says football legend Former England and Liverpool footballer John Barnes believes the World Cup in Qatar will help change the perception of Middle Eastern countries and dismantle negative narratives in the West. The tournament, which is held every four years, is set to take place in Qatar between November 21 and December 18. It is the first World […] September 10, 2022
