Tourism ‘Flying taxi airports’ to get the green light in UAE The UAE is expected to issue draft regulations on so-called vertiports – micro-scale airports that can support the expected growth of vertical take-off and landing aircraft (VTOLs) – in the first quarter of 2023. Mohammed Faisal al Dossari, senior director, Air Navigation and Aerodromes Department, UAE General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) said the regulations would […] May 18, 2022
Aviation First commercial flight takes off from Yemen Yemen’s national airline operated its first commercial flight in years from the capital Sanaa today, raising hopes for renewal of a United Nations-brokered truce in the seven-year-old conflict that has pitted a Saudi-led coalition against the Iran-aligned Houthis and put Middle East security in peril. Water canons sprayed Sanaa airport’s runway as an airplane of […] May 16, 2022
Aviation Emirates should be allowed to fly to Berlin, says German exec The bilateral air service agreement between Germany and the United Arab Emirates should be expanded to allow Dubai’s Emirates airline to operate direct flights to more cities, including the capital Berlin, a senior official from the Middle East office of the German National Tourist Board (GNTB) told AGBI. Under the existing air services agreement between […] May 16, 2022
Tourism Emirates airline cuts annual loss to $1.1bn as travel rebounds Dubai’s Emirates airline today posted an annual loss of $1.1 billion, a sharp improvement on the $5.5 billion loss in the previous year, as demand for international travel was boosted by governments easing pandemic-related curbs. The airline, which only operates international services, reported a 91 percent jump in revenue to $16.1 billion for the year […] May 13, 2022
Analysis Banking & Finance New deal gives India and UAE plenty to smile about As the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement between India and the United Arab Emirates comes into force, AGBI looks at a highly lucrative co-regional relationship Of the many alliances that have sprouted out of the Middle East, the one between India and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) stands out – seemingly weathering all global political and […] May 12, 2022
Tourism Passengers hit two-year high at Dubai International airport Dubai’s main airport today reported its busiest quarter in two years as the rebound in international travel gains pace, with its chief executive predicting Dubai International could see pre-coronavirus figures by the end of 2024. The Gulf hub, one of the world’s leading gateways for international travel, handled 13.6 million passengers in the January-March period, […] May 12, 2022
Tourism Germany boosts Gulf travel budget with Russia savings The German National Tourist Board (GNTB) increased its marketing budget this year in the Gulf by 10 percent, after making savings by shutting down several of its international offices, including Russia. “We actually got a 10 percent budget increase because, as you can see, we unfortunately had to close our Russian office,” Yamina Sofo, director […] May 12, 2022
Tourism Emirates aims to start repaying Dubai $4.1bn in Covid aid Dubai’s Emirates hopes that it will soon start paying back the 15 billion dirhams ($4.1 billion) in state assistance it receive from the government during the pandemic, its chairman said on Monday. The Dubai government injected billions of dollars into its flagship airline via equity injections over the course of the pandemic that had at […] May 12, 2022
Tourism Eco-friendly, luxury ‘nest’ hospitality project opening in the desert Dubai’s Nara Desert Escapes, the team behind the luxury dining brand Sonara Camp, has launched a new eco-friendly desert hospitality offering known as ‘The Nest’ by Sonara. The company is already looking at expansion overseas ahead of its opening later this year. Designed by Italian architect and designer Gianni Ranaulo, the high-end project consists of […] May 11, 2022
Tourism Dubai sees international visitors surge 214% Dubai hosted 3.97 million overnight international visitors in the first quarter of 2022, up 214 percent from the same period last year, the emirate’s government said on Tuesday. The Expo 2020 Dubai world fair, which ran from October to March and which Dubai looked to as a to boost its economy, saw 24 million visits […] May 11, 2022
Tourism Saudi reveals post-Covid entry policy in tourism push Government white paper proposes simplifying health-related entry protocols for travellers to the kingdom Saudi Arabia is working to introduce a shared framework by which countries can share information on local and global health crises to prevent disruption in air travel to and from the kingdom. The proposed policy, called Harmonising Air Travel and set out […] May 11, 2022
Analysis Tourism Hotels swallow rising costs so guests can sleep at night Despite costs rising to a three-year high, hoteliers in the United Arab Emirates told AGBI they are not planning to increase room rates, instead opting to squeeze their existing profits as they search for ways to increase operational efficiencies. The latest S&P Global UAE Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI), released on Monday, found that costs are […] May 11, 2022
Exclusive Tourism Will Abu Dhabi’s new tourism vision drive international influx? Saadiyat Island, the cultural centrepiece of Abu Dhabi’s tourism offering, has unveiled a new vision which seeks to attract 19 million visitors and contribute AED 4.2 billion ($1.1 billion) in direct revenue by 2025. The Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi) and developer Miral unveiled the new strategy to support […] May 10, 2022
Aviation Air travellers ‘still risk Covid infection,’ study warns Passengers are still at risk of coronavirus infection while travelling on aeroplanes and in airports, researchers have warned. A study in the Journal of Travel Medicine reported that two Covid-positive passengers infected 15 other people during a 10-hour flight from Dubai to Australia in July 2020 – despite mandatory face masks for passengers, the use […] May 10, 2022
Tourism Russian visitors ‘strong’ despite Ukraine invasion “For us Russia, Ukraine, CIS, are very important,” Issam Kazim, CEO of Dubai Corporation for Tourism and Commerce Marketing, told delegates at the Arabian Travel Market. May 10, 2022
Tourism Belgian music festival launches adults-only desert glamping Belgian music festival organiser Tomorrowland has teamed up with local partners to open an adults-only desert resort, which will include luxury glamping accommodation, it was announced yesterday at the Arabian Travel Market in Dubai. The desert resort, to be named Terra Solis, will be located in Dubailand, Al Yufra, 25 minutes’ drive from Downtown Dubai […] May 10, 2022
Tech Make it happen: How to digitally transform your business Here is the first of our monthly guides to harnessing global trends with a razor-sharp regional focus May 10, 2022
Tourism 70 million tourists to visit Saudi Arabia this year Saudi Arabia aims to exceed 70 million tourist visits this year, up eight million on the year before. The kingdom has in recent years started to promote leisure travel as part of a strategy aimed at diversifying the economy away from oil, spearheaded by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Visits were up 130 percent in […] May 10, 2022
Tourism Could alcohol be allowed at Saudi’s NEOM? The issue of legalising the sale of alcohol in Saudi Arabia is “not off the table”, according to a senior executive from one of the kingdom’s most high profile giga projects. “On alcohol, Saudi has a view NEOM will be its own authority, that’s not off the table,” Andrew McEvoy, managing director tourism at NEOM, […] May 10, 2022
Tourism Air travel makes quick recovery from Covid-19 The head of the world’s biggest airline trade body said today passenger traffic was recovering faster than expected and that, on average, the industry could now see those figures return to pre-pandemic levels in 2023, a year earlier than expected. The easing of coronavirus related restrictions around the world has released demand pent up over […] May 9, 2022
Tourism New Dubai tourism plans for world famous QE2 Hospitality giant Accor on Monday announced it has added the world-renowned cruise ship, the Queen Elizabeth 2 (QE2), to its portfolio as it looks to boost its luxury offerings in the UAE. The cruise ship will undergo further upgrades and renovations prior to joining the MGallery Hotel Collection. No date has yet been confirmed for […] May 9, 2022
Tourism Cruise giant blames slow summer demand on Ukraine crisis Royal Caribbean Group on Thursday flagged slow summer demand for European cruises due to the Ukraine crisis, after a dull first quarter as it reeled under a resurgence in coronavirus infections in some parts of the world. Shares of the cruise operator fell about 5 percent to $73.87 after Royal Caribbean Group said higher fuel […] May 5, 2022
