Turkish Airlines will now add Kharkiv, the second largest city in Ukraine, to its extensive flight network from March 30, 2017. Kharkiv flights will be operated 4 times weekly on Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Sundays and will increase to 7 times per week as of May 30th. Round trip fares are available from Istanbul to Kharkiv starting from $109 (including taxes and fees). Additionally, for the first six months of operation to the new destinations, there is a special offer for Miles&Smiles members, with a 25% reduction in the miles needed to redeem either award tickets or upgrades.

Royal Continental Hotel has launched its first hotel in Deira, Dubai, with 168 rooms and suites with modern leisure facilities and multi-cuisine dining options spread over 11 floors. The four-star luxury hotel with a unique combination of traditional Arabic design and urban elements of modern architecture offers an unmatched technologically-advanced experience through innovative in-room facilities. Strategically located minutes from Dubai International Airport, the hotel aims to target business travellers and tourists alike. Sultan Al Menhali, CEO, Royal Continental Hotel, said, “We are delighted to announce the launch of our first hotel in the Middle East. Aligning ourselves with His Highness’ vision of focusing on family, Royal Continental Hotel is Sharia compliant and designed keeping in mind the importance of families spending leisure time together. Accelerated towards Dubai’s vision for 2020 and with our expansion plans we are positively looking forward to contribute to the key objective of attracting 20 million visitors per year by 2020 and position Dubai as the ‘first choice’ for the international leisure and business traveller.” Wajeed Bagwan, General Manager, Royal Continental Hotel, said, “Royal Continental Hotel is introduced to the Middle East region with an aim to cater to the growing numbers of guests looking at the region for business and holiday needs offering them with a relaxed contemporary surrounding, perfectly suited to both a short city break or an extended vacation. We are enthusiastically looking forward to our regional growth in the coming years.”

The latest addition to the 204-roomed property located in close proximity to Mall of the Emirates is the launch of the new meeting room with its title “Rendezvous”. It can accommodate up to a maximum of 55 guests for a cocktail reception, 35 theatre style, 28 classroom style, 24 boardroom and 21 in U shape. Provided with state of the art technology with wireless audio visual facilities, Wi-Fi connection, 84 inch LED TV display presented with VGA and HDMI connection and the general material such as flip charts, note pad, name card and an innovative range of food and beverage offerings for the guests. As the area is 75m2 all participants at the meeting can engage themselves in discussions and would be ideal for companies who would prefer to book a boardroom away from their own office in order to generate new ideas or have a small function for staff or a specialized training programme, etc., in this very modern space.

Marriott International, Inc is gearing up to launch its second Marriott Hotel brand property in Abu Dhabi, Marriott Hotel Al Forsan developed by Al Forsan Hotels LLC, under the leadership of the property’s Executive team who will drive the new opening. Positioned in Al Forsan International Sports Resort, located within Khalifa City, Abu Dhabi, the 400-bed five-star Marriott Hotel Al Forsan showcases the Marriott Hotels brand innovation by offering sophisticated design, modern services and amenities that enable the next generation of travellers to ‘Travel Brilliantly’ through every aspect of their stay. From modern guest rooms, high-tech meeting rooms, six signature culinary offerings to extensive sports facilities including an equestrian centre and polo field, a waterski and wakeboarding lake and two indoor paintballing areas – it really does offer something for everyone whether a leisure or business traveller. Richard Bleakley, General Manager of the Marriott Hotel Al Forsan, Abu Dhabi stated ahead of the hotel’s opening:  “We are extremely proud to open Marriott Hotel Al Forsan in Abu Dhabi, a property that we believe offers facilities unlike any other resort, not just in the capital but the entire UAE. I am fortunate to be leading an incredibly experienced and diverse team made up of more than 50 nationalities, who bring their strengths and expertise to position the property as a destination within a destination. We can’t wait to open our doors and welcome guests to experience a combination of sophisticated design and innovation, as well as delivering an unrivalled hospitality experience in the capital.”

Fourzone Décor, a UAE-based interior contracting and fit-out company, has recently signed a AED30 million hotel apartment project with Shine Properties, a leading construction company in the region. The hotel apartment project located in Business Bay will be managed by a leading international hospitality brand once completed and will target luxury travellers from the Middle East looking for premium furnished apartments. Ajish Nambiar, Marketing Director, Fourzone Décor, said: “We are proud to begin 2017 with a new project for Shine Properties. We are extremely proud to be associated with Mr Mohammed Salem Al Menhali who is such a reputed builder in the market. We look forward working him in other projects in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Dubai.The construction sector is booming in this part of the world with Dubai being the most active construction market so we are optimistic that the region’s interior and fit-out contracting industry will also grow. This is a situation that will continue this year as investors pushes ahead with projects to ensure delivery before Expo 2020 so we are on track and we plan to keep it that way till the years to come.” Recent reports indicated that the region’s interior and fit-out contracting industry will grow by nearly 20 percent and the market is expected to cross $12.5 billion by end of 2017. Hospitality segments hold majority of the total spends on interiors, followed by commercial and residential sectors.As the fit out contracting company for the hotel apartment project, Fourzone Décor will be handle all interior finishing work like flooring, ceiling, woodworks, furniture, furnishing and decorative lights.

The global wellness industry grew 10.6 per cent to become a $3.72 trillion market in 2015, with the spa market a key driver according to new research from the Global Wellness Institute (GWI). The research mirrored the growth in the MENA region of the tourism-related industry with the UAE at the forefront of growth. The burgeoning sector will be showcased once again at this year’s Arabian Travel Market (ATM) as the dedicated Wellness & Spa Lounge returns for 2017. Over 35 exhibitors representing some of the world’s most recognised health and wellness hospitality destinations will attend with an increase of 40 per cent on last year’s numbers. According to research from Colliers Experiential Travel Series: Wellness, Spa and Medical Travel 2017, the UAE spa industry is estimated to be valued at AED1.7 billion, accounting for 14 per cent of the MENA spa market, and expected to surpass AED1.85 billion by 2020. Dubai currently has more than 200 spas in operation, with 25 new hotel spas expected to open this year. Furthermore, the Dubai hotel spa market continues to experience increasing demand according to the Colliers report with a 9 per cent increase in the average number of treatments sold per day in H1 2016 compared to the same period in 2015. “The global wellness industry has witnessed incredible growth in recent years as more and more people incorporate healthy habits into holidays and corporate travel, with an increasing trend of travelers willing to commit their time and money to wellness proving to be a major driving force when making vacation decisions. The surge of interest in this specialist tourism industry vertical has resulted in a 40% increase of exhibitors and dedicated wellness and spa …

Saudi-based travel agency Mosaid Travel and Tourism Services has renewed its 10-year exclusive relationship with global travel technology provider, Sabre Corporation, to support its vision to expand regionally, provide more personalised travel experiences and improve customer satisfaction. Nadir Kazalbash, General Manager, Mosaid Travel and Tourism Services said,  “The travel industry is fast-evolving with new trends and rapidly-changing traveller expectations. Over the years, Sabre has been a trusted and innovative technology provider that understands the challenges we face, and anticipates trends and technology needed to meet the expectations of today’s connected travellers. Their technology investments help us differentiate our offerings, and contribute to our growth and success in the market. We look forward to start using the New Sabre Red Workspace that will help us provide more personalized offerings and differentiate our services.” Mosaid Travel will continue to access Sabre’s marketplace of more than 400 airlines, 750,000 hotel properties, and hundreds of tour operators, rail, car and cruise providers, giving Mosaid Travel the opportunity to sell personalized travel packages from suppliers all over the world. The agency accesses the marketplace through the Sabre Red Workspace platform, which provides quick and easy access to shop, book and manage travel content including low-fare carriers, as well as travel management capabilities.

Qatar Airways has announced it will commence four times weekly, non-stop service to Las Vegas, Nevada, starting 8 January 2018. The new route will be the airline’s 11th to the United States, connecting McCarran International Airport to Hamad International Airport in Doha, making Qatar Airways the first Gulf carrier to provide regular scheduled service to Las Vegas. “Las Vegas is a thriving leisure destination and adding the city to our route map has been long overdue. Growing our western United States network is important to the airline as we are seeing exponential growth in passenger demand from the East via our state of the art hub in Doha,” said Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive, His Excellency Mr. Akbar Al Baker. “Our passengers appreciate the glamour, style and allure of Las Vegas and beginning in 2018, we are going to give our passengers from around the world direct and convenient access to this unique capital of entertainment.” The new route also provides US-based flyers with an additional point of departure, when travelling abroad to Qatar Airways’ global network of over 150 destinations. It will be Qatar Airways’ second route from the American west, after the airline launched their popular Los Angeles to Doha route, in January 2016.This year, Qatar Airways is celebrating its 10th anniversary of serving the United States, having started serving New York/Newark in 2007. Qatar Airways currently serves 10 American cities. Las Vegas will join Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York City/JFK International Airport, Philadelphia and Washington D.C. The new route will operate with a Boeing 777-200LR.

UAE developer Nakheel and Thai hotel group Centara Hotels and Resorts have signed a joined venture agreement to create a 550-room, AED500 million beachfront resort with waterpark at Deira Islands in Dubai. Under the agreement, cemented in Bangkok by Nakheel Chairman Ali Rashid Lootah and Centara Chairman Suthikiati Chirathivat, the two companies will deliver an upscale resort on a prime stretch of beach on Deira Islands – Nakheel’s new, 15.3 sq km, world-class tourism, leisure, retail and entertainment hub that will contribute significantly to the Government of Dubai’s tourism vision. Nakheel’s joint venture with Centara is the latest development in the company’s aggressive expansion into Dubai’s hospitality sector and its second international joint venture for Deira Islands. The first, an 800-room, AED900 million all-inclusive resort and waterpark with Spain’s RIU Hotels & Resorts, was confirmed in February last year. As the first Centara establishment in the UAE, the new resort will cover an area of 295,900 sq ft. Features include a waterpark, dining facilities, business centre, kids’ club, spa and fitness centre. The resort is anticipated to have soft opening in 2019 and grand opening in 2020. Centara Hotels & Resorts is part of Central Group, one of Thailand’s most prominent family-owned conglomerate holding companies that is involved in merchandising, real estate, retailing, hospitality and restaurants. Centara’ s portfolio currently includes around 14,000 room keys across 65 hotels and resorts under six distinctive brands in Asia, Indian Ocean, and the Middle East.

Akbar Travel has selected global technology company, Sabre Corporation, to enhance its online customer experience offering, drive operational efficiencies and support its global growth, which will see the Middle East agency expand into new markets across GCC. Akbar Travel will also invest in new technology such as mobile, online, data and automation capabilities to provide clients with a more personalized travel experience. “Akbar Travel has a clear growth strategy, and their roadmap to use the latest technologies to create a more personalised travel experience aligns completely with the investments Sabre is making in data, merchandising and mobile technology to help agents deliver a more seamless traveler experience,” said Ramzi Al Qassab, commercial director for GCC and global partners, Sabre Travel Network Middle East. “Sabre’s global expertise, extensive knowledge and understanding of the dynamic global travel ecosystem helped us take the right steps when expanding in the region. Their team’s extensive industry network across all GCC countries and their accessibility has been valuable in supporting our strategic roadmap for this vital travel region across the Middle East,” said K.V. Abdul Nazar, founder and chairman of Akbar Travel.