Tourism Qatar Airways could revive order for 25 737 MAX airplanes Qatar Airways could revive an order for 25 Boeing 737 MAX airplanes at the Farnborough Airshow, sources told Reuters. On Monday, Qatar CEO Akbar Al Baker confirmed that a provisional deal to buy at least 25 of the Boeing planes had lapsed. Boeing and Qatar Airways declined to comment Wednesday but two sources said the […] July 21, 2022
Tourism Saudi Arabia plans lifestyle hotels in new $400m deal Lifestyle hotel brands such as Mama Shelter, The Hoxton and 25hours are set to debut in Saudi Arabia as part of a new $400 million deal. The kingdom’s Tourism Development Fund (TDF) today announced the signing of a tripartite deal with Ennismore, the world’s largest and fastest-growing lifestyle hospitality company, and Saudi-based asset manager Al […] July 20, 2022
Tourism UAE’s Rotana expands further into Egypt with Luxor property Rotana, the Abu Dhabi-headquartered hotel management company, has signed a new agreement to operate a property in Luxor, as Egypt continues to be the dominant player in Africa’s hotel sector. The five-star Luxor Rotana in Egypt’s historic city is set to open in the fourth quarter of 2023. The UAE hotelier operates around 100 properties […] July 20, 2022
Analysis Economy Sheikh Mohamed underlines ties with France on first foreign trip The Louvre Abu Dhabi is perhaps the most visible symbol of the flourishing relationship between the UAE and France. The museum on Saadiyat Island, which opened in 2017 under an agreement between the two governments, is said to be France’s largest cultural project abroad. Given this backdrop of cultural and commercial ties, France was a […] July 19, 2022
Tourism Emirates boss says travel sector must ‘tough it out’ until 2023 The president of Dubai’s Emirates, which has clashed with London’s Heathrow over its cap on capacity, said on Monday that the air travel industry would return to equilibrium in 2023 and must “tough it out” until then. Speaking at an event at the Farnborough airshow, Tim Clark criticised Heathrow managers for failing to anticipate the […] July 19, 2022
Tourism Qatar Air chief says home-working ‘epidemic’ fuels travel chaos The head of Qatar Airways has said an “epidemic” of home working has contributed to staff shortages that are being widely blamed for travel disruption in Europe this summer. The aviation sector is struggling to secure the staff needed to cope with a post-pandemic surge in air travel, prompting London Heathrow airport to impose curbs […] July 19, 2022
Tourism London-Dubai ticket sales spike despite chaos at Heathrow Ticket sales for London-Dubai flights in July and August have surged above pre-pandemic levels, even as Emirates has agreed to cap bookings from Heathrow in a bid to help the airport cope with its capacity crisis. “Current bookings, as of July 9, for July and August have climbed to 8 percent above pre-pandemic levels,” Olivier […] July 19, 2022
Tourism Airbus loses bid to use French blocking law in $1.4bn Qatar row A UK judge on Friday rejected an attempt by Airbus to invoke a De Gaulle-era law restricting the way it responds to foreign courts, as a high-profile dispute with Qatar Airways became mired in a growing debate over cross-border legal powers. Qatar Airways is suing France-based Airbus for $1.4 billion over damage to the painted […] July 18, 2022
Tourism Israel to boost Asia flights when Saudi Arabia opens airspace Israeli airlines plan to expand and open new routes to India and other Asian destinations after Saudi Arabia announced it would allow unfettered access to its airspace, a move that would save fuel costs and reduce flight times. In the absence of open relations between the countries, however, and given talks on including Oman in […] July 18, 2022
Analysis Food & Drink UAE restaurants bite back against Covid Most restaurants in the UAE are in a better financial position this year than they were before the pandemic, according to new data. Local eateries have bounced back with aplomb despite rising inflationary costs, a survey from the UAE Restaurant Group (URG) has revealed. URG, a trade body which represents around 15,000 outlets, said 69 percent […] July 18, 2022
Tourism Israeli minister foresees direct pilgrim flights to Saudi An Israeli official said on Saturday he expected members of the country’s Muslim minority to be able to fly directly to Saudi Arabia for pilgrimage by next year after the kingdom signalled new openness as it hosted US President Joe Biden. On Friday Riyadh said its airspace would be open to all carriers – a […] July 17, 2022
Tourism Saudi Arabia to open airspace to all airlines, including from Israel Saudi Arabia said it would open its airspace to all air carriers, paving the way for more overflights to and from Israel, in a decision welcomed by US President Joe Biden who is due to visit the kingdom on Friday. The Saudi General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) said the country’s airspace was now open […] July 15, 2022
Tourism Heathrow ‘incompetence’: Emirates defies capacity cut Emirates airline said on Thursday it had rejected demands by London’s Heathrow Airport to cut capacity despite being threatened with legal action, and intended to continue operating its six daily flights to Britain’s busiest airport. Heathrow this week asked airlines to stop selling some tickets for summer flights, limiting the number of passengers flying from […] July 14, 2022
Tourism UAE’s flydubai suspends operations to Sri Lanka United Arab Emirates carrier flydubai has suspended operations to Colombo in Sri Lanka until further notice, a spokesperson for the budget airline said on Monday. “We will continue to closely monitor the situation on the ground in Sri Lanka. Passengers who have booked to travel on these flights will be contacted and offered a refund,” […] July 12, 2022
Tourism UAE set to run Kabul airport in deal with Taliban The Taliban and the United Arab Emirates are poised to strike a deal for the Gulf nation to run Kabul airport and several others in Afghanistan that could be announced within weeks, according to sources familiar with the negotiations. An agreement would help the Islamist militants ease their isolation from the outside world as they […] July 7, 2022
Tourism Norwegian Cruise scraps Covid testing for UAE voyages Passengers boarding Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings ships won’t have to take Covid-19 tests from next month unless required by local law, the US cruise operator said on Wednesday as the crucial summer sailing season gathers steam. Cruises setting sail from the United States, Canada or Greece’s Piraeus will still require pre-cruise Covid testing, and all […] July 7, 2022
Tourism Uber continues global expansion with launch in Israel Uber Technologies Inc said it was launching its ride-hailing and platform in Israel by connecting to a nationwide network of licensed taxis, as it continues to expand globally. Thousands of taxi drivers — both independent and working for companies — have already joined up, with the service that also includes ride sharing mainly available to […] July 6, 2022
Tourism Airbus cancels deal with Qatar Airways for fourth A350 jet Europe’s Airbus has raised the stakes in a dispute with Qatar Airways over damage to the painted surface of long-haul A350 jets by revoking the contract for a fourth airplane, three people familiar with the matter said. The two companies are locked in a dispute over the impact of surface scars on the jets, with […] July 6, 2022
Tourism Pizza Hut to open 100 branches in Saudi Arabia Middle East franchisee Americana on Tuesday said it had reached a deal with Pizza Hut parent firm Yum Brands to open 100 Pizza Hut branches in Saudi Arabia over the next three years. Americana, which operates Pizza Hut franchised branches elsewhere in the region, will open up to 30 locations in Saudi Arabia’s largest cities […] July 5, 2022
Exclusive Tourism Munch:On makes old business model hard to swallow Low-cost meals delivered in bulk from restaurants is one of the only ways of making the food delivery business in the UAE truly sustainable. So says Dana Baki, co-founder of Munch:On, the platform recently acquired by Uber-owned, Dubai-headquartered Careem. Created in 2016 by Baki, Mohammad Al Zaben and Awn Ali, Munch:On is a subscription-based food […] July 4, 2022
Tourism Egypt shuts Red Sea beaches after tourist killed in shark attack Egypt’s Red Sea Governorate issued an order to shut down several Red Sea beaches on Friday after a 68-year-old Austrian woman was killed in a shark attack earlier that day, off the coast of Sahl Hasheesh, according to two security sources. The victim was transferred to a local private hospital right after the attack, a […] July 4, 2022
Tourism No experience, no resume – you’re hired! Hotels fight for staff Top European hotel chains are hiring workers without experience or even a resume as executives admit years of underpaying staff have come back to bite, leaving them unable to meet post-pandemic travel demand. Thousands of workers left the hospitality industry when international travel shut down during the coronavirus pandemic. Many chose not to return, finding […] July 4, 2022
