Leaders of transport in the MENA region discussed a host of vital topics relating to transport during the sessions of the 4th MENA Transport Congress 2022 held at the World Trade Centre, Dubai. Among events that took place in the Congress was a session entitled (Transport Leaders in the MENA Region) moderated by His Excellency Khalid Al Hogail, President of UITP, CEO & MD of SAPTCO (KSA). His Excellency DR. Rumaih Al Rumaih, President, Transport General Authority (KSA), and His Excellency Dr. Yousef Al Shawarbeh, Mayor of Amman, Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, took part in the discussions. Al-Hogail kicked off the session by pointing out that the MENA region is witnessing vibrant activities and racing against time to undertake a portfolio of giant transportation projects costing more than US$100 billion. He added that those in charge of these projects had access to generous support from governments of the region. Al-Rumaih started by thanking and greeting the organisers of the congress and paid tribute to the outstanding achievements made by Dubai highlighted by transport and infrastructure projects undertaken by RTA. He reviewed the transport sector of the region from inception up to the phenomenal growth currently in progress, thanks to the astonishing improvements associated with the use of high technology, which accelerated during the coronavirus pandemic. “We, at SAPTCO, have set out a clear vision aligned with the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 to guide us to the global destinations that had preceded us in this field. We have also charted out several plans targeting improved living standards, logistical services and services for pilgrims. We have also identified clear goals such as increasing the share of mass transit from 1% to 15% by …

Philippines’ Pavilion ‘Bangkóta’ unveiled Puerto Princesa Underground River, one of the new seven wonders of nature. In his opening, New 7 Wonders Director Jean-Paul de la Fuente shared, “Palawan is an area with lots of coral reefs. Today we are unveiling one of the 7 wonders of nature, “the puerto princesa” which was voted by over six hundred million across the world in a global voting campaign as one of the 7 wonders of nature in the world. ” The occasion was graced by Philippine Ambassador to the UAE H.E. Hjayceelyn Quintana, Philippine Consul General to Dubai Honorable Renato Dueñas Jr., Philippines’ Department of Trade and Industry Assistant Secretary for the Trade Promotions Group and PH Expo 2020 Dubai Alternate Commissioner General Rosvi C. Gaetos, and New 7 Wonders Director Jean-Paul de la Fuente. Philippine Ambassador to the UAE H.E. Hjayceelyn Quintana, in her remarks welcomed those who joined in person at Expo 2020 Dubai and the many others who joined online over social media. “Expo truly has an amazing way of bringing people together to celebrate the wonders of the world both man made and natural. We are standing at the plaza of the Philippine pavilion, this is named the “Bangota” which in our language means coral reef. With the back drop of the bangota, we unveil one of the seven wonders of nature, “the puerto princesa underground river joining other marvelous wonders of nature in the world.” The Puerto Princesa Underground River – an 8.2-kilometer natural subterranean river with limestone karst landscape – is one of the New Seven Wonders of Nature – and a new “Wonder Marker”. The unveiling activity honors and celebrates the Philippines’ distinct status …

Radisson Hotel Group is forging ahead with the expansion of its resort portfolio in some of the most exquisite leisure destinations in the Middle East. As international travel once again begins to accelerate globally, Radisson Hotel Group plans to debut at least five additional resort locations by 2025. Following the recent opening of its second resort in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) – Radisson Resort Ras Al Khaimah, Marjan Island – Radisson Hotel Group had also announced its first beach resort property in Dubai – Radisson Resort Dubai Palm Jumeirah – set to open on Palm Jumeirah Q2, 2022. The upscale hotel will have 389 rooms and is set to house five impressive Food & Beverage dining outlets and bars overlooking the Dubai Marina skyline and the Gulf. The resort is the Group’s first beach resort in Dubai and third Radisson branded hotel to open in the UAE. It is perfect for both leisure and business travelers and is ideally located on the trunk of the Palm providing travelers with easy access to the city and Dubai Media City, the region’s leading media hub, and a 30-minute drive from Dubai International airport. This opening will bring the Group’s total number of hotels in the UAE to 17 in operation and under development. The opening of the two UAE resorts, in addition to the existing Radisson Blu Hotel & Resort, Abu Dhabi, reaffirms Radisson Hotel Group’s commitment to growing its resort portfolio in the region and globally, and aligns with the rising demand for beach resorts, catering to the ever-changing travel trends of guests opting for more laidback and retreat-style vacations. All properties offer access to top tourist destinations and serve …

Emirates will make a full return of passenger services to and from Casablanca from 8 February. The return of Casablanca in Morocco marks a full restoration of Emirates’ pre-pandemic African network including 21 cities spread across the continent. Customers flying to and from Casablanca can safely travel on Emirates to Dubai, and enjoy an array of onward connections to Europe, the Middle East and GCC, the Americas and West Asia. Emirates will operate to Casablanca with daily flights using its modern Boeing 777-300ER. EK 751 will depart Dubai at 0730hrs, arriving in Casablanca at 1315hrs. EK 752 will depart Casablanca at 1505hrs, arriving in Dubai at 0130hrs the next day.* Tickets can be booked on emirates.com, the Emirates App, Emirates sales offices, via travel agents as well as online travel agents. *Subject to government approval

Khimji’s House of Travel has signed a multiyear agreement with Sabre Corporation, the leading software and technology company that powers the global travel industry, to expand its operation and fuel its growth. The agreement has reaffirmed more than a decade of partnership between the two companies. Under this agreement, Khimji’s House of Travel will leverage Sabre’s broad portfolio of technology solutions, and deploy its industry leading platform, Sabre Red 360, to deliver an intelligent and consultative service to travellers and create highly personalised offers for its customers. It will utilise its management solutions, such as automated exchanges and refunds, to drive operational efficiency and excellence. “This challenging travel landscape has not deterred us from moving forward,” said Cashio Vettom, General Manager, Khimji’s House of Travel. “Our renewed partnership with Sabre will help us enable our growth and expansion plans, while deploying intelligent solutions to respond to the evolving market trends.” Sabre has been working to realise its long-term vision for a personalised travel marketplace and have announced last year the development of Sabre Travel AI ™, an industry-first technology that will utilize state-of-the-art artificial intelligence and machine learning capabilities to deliver highly relevant and personalized content that better meets the demands of today’s traveller. “The current traveller demands a new level of personalization, increased choice, control and flexibility. We believe that Sabre has the experience, technology, innovation and support to help us better respond to these expectations”. Vettom added. Khimji’s House of Travel operates in both leisure and corporate sectors and will use Sabre’s marketplace of more than 400 airlines, 750,000 hotel properties, and hundreds of tour operators, rail, car and cruise providers, to sell customized travel packages from suppliers …

The Philippines invites all UAE residents and tourists, Expo visitors, and Filipinos from across the world to join the Philippines National Day on Feb 11 at Expo 2020 Dubai and to take part in its month-long festive celebrations. On February 11, Expo 2020 Dubai will host the Philippines National Day with the grandest presentation of music, dance, and colorful performances. The day-long celebrations will witness a country business briefing, a Philippines-UAE bilateral meeting, Country Pavilion tours, as well as its official flag hoisting ceremony both at the Philippines Pavilion and the Al Wasl Plaza in honor of the country’s National Day attended by delegations of notable officials from the Philippines and the UAE. The Philippines will also take its colorful parades and joyous dances in a superb and striking performance during the Philippines National Day Parade at the Avenue of Nations. Expo 2020 Dubai visitors will imbibe the fun-filled spirit of the Filipino ‘fiesta’ across back-to-back performances by skilled and talented Filipinos based across all parts of the UAE. Join thousands of Filipinos wave the Philippine’s flag at the Jubilee Park at 6:30 PM as they culminate the day-long celebrations with an awe-inspiring cultural and musical presentation titled “Tides of our Soul,” or “Daluyong ng Diwa.” Ten (10) lucky audience may also win a trip to the Philippines at the onset of the grand show with free roundtrip tickets (Dubai-Manila-Dubai) via Philippine Airlines.

Emirates signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Turespaña, Spanish Tourism Institute, to help boost trade and tourism to Spain. His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman and Chief Executive, Emirates Airline and Group welcomed Her Excellency María Reyes Maroto Illera, Spanish Minister of Industry, Trade and Tourism, at the Emirates Group Headquarters. The MoU was signed by Sheikh Majid Al Mualla, Divisional Senior Vice President, International Affairs at Emirates and Miguel Ángel Sanz Castedo, Director General of Turespana. The ceremony was also attended by Juan Ignacio Diaz Bidart, Cabinet Chief to the Minister, Ministry of Industry; Iñigo de Palacio, Spanish Ambassador to the UAE; Andres Salinero, Trade and Economic Counsellor, Embassy of Spain; and  Daniel Rosado Bayon, Director, Spain Tourism Office, Tourism Counsellor, Embassy of Spain. Sheikh Majid Al Mualla, Divisional Senior Vice President, International Affairs at Emirates, said: “Emirates launched operations to Spain more than 12 years ago and the country remains an important market in our global network. We’re very happy to be exploring mutually beneficial initiatives that will drive tourism to Spain, and also offer Emirates more opportunities to serve the market. Thank you to our partners for their ongoing support and we look forward to continue growing our long-standing partnership.” Mr. Miguel Angel Sanz, Director General Tourspain Madrid said: “Spain and Emirates are strategic partners of the recovery of travel. Spain, as one of the most visited countries in the world, and Emirates, one of the world’s leading airlines, will work together to improve the connectivity and generate confidence, which are key factors for recovery.” Mr. Daniel Rosado Bayon, Director Spain Tourism GCC & Iran said: “We are happy to sign this MoU …

Dubai’s key international markets regain momentum with positive performances led by No.1 source market India with 910,000 visitors, followed by KSA, Russia and UK. Dubai welcomed 7.28 million international overnight visitors between January and December 2021, representing 32 per cent year-over-year growth (YoY), establishing a momentous marker in the global tourism recovery, and setting the city firmly on course to achieve sustainable growth on its way to becoming the world’s most visited destination. According to the latest data published by Dubai’s Department of Economy and Tourism (DET) international visitation to the city surpassed 3.4 million visitors in the fourth quarter of 2021, achieving 74 per cent of the total pre-pandemic tourist arrivals of Q4 2019, and paving the way for hotels in Dubai to deliver a stellar fourth quarter performance that surpassed pre-pandemic levels. A positive trend which is expected to continue throughout 2022 and beyond, the 2021 visitation figures underline the resilience and resurgence of the city’s travel and tourism sector and reaffirm the role of tourism as a key driver of economic growth, while further validating Dubai’s recent selection as the world’s most popular destination in the Tripadvisor Travellers’ Choice Awards 2022. HE Helal Saeed Al Marri, Director General, Dubai’s Department of Economy and Tourism, commented: “Under the visionary leadership and guidance of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of UAE and Ruler of Dubai, our ability and agility in achieving a remarkable turnaround amid continuing global challenges has cemented Dubai’s position as the destination of choice for international travellers. The outstanding performance also advances our journey towards becoming the most visited destination and the world’s best city to live and …

flydubai announced the start of flights to Al Ula in Saudi Arabia, becoming the first UAE carrier to operate this route from Dubai. The carrier will also resume its operations to Yanbu growing its network in the Kingdom to six points including Dammam, Jeddah, Madinah and Riyadh. Flights to Yanbu International Airport (YNB), also known as Abdul Mohsin bin Abdulaziz International Airport, start on 24 February with a three times weekly service. Flights to Prince Abdul Majeed bin Abdulaziz Airport (ULH) will start on 02 March 2022 and will operate twice a week from Terminal 2, Dubai International (DXB). Hamad Obaidalla, Chief Commercial Officer at flydubai, said: “we are pleased to be able to offer passengers from the UAE and our network the opportunity to visit and explore one of the world’s most beautiful and untouched destinations. We are also looking forward to the resumption of our operations to Yanbu in the Al Madinah Province. flydubai is dedicated to further strengthening the cultural, trade and tourism ties between our two countries by making travel more accessible. I would also like to take this opportunity to thank the authorities for their ongoing support.” Sudhir Sreedharan, Senior Vice President, Commercial Operations (UAE, GCC, Subcontinent and Africa) at flydubai, added: “we are looking forward to the start of our twice weekly service to Al Ula from March. This route will be popular for our passengers from the UAE, as well as for travellers from the GCC, Russia and Central Asia. Al Ula offers passengers great options for seeking immersive cultural and historical experiences as well as outdoor adventure activities, especially in the cooler winter season.” Al Ula is an unseen wonder of the …

The first ever 25hours Hotel in the Middle East has finally opened, overlooking the stunning Museum of the Future and just a stone’s throw away from Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC). Relaxed, fun and packed full of things to do; guests of 25hours Hotel One Central will experience ancient traditions of the Bedouins brought back to a modern life. Boasting 434 rooms and suites, 25hours Hotel One Central seamlessly blends nomadic yet contemporary design, masterminded by world renowned interior design firm, Woods Bagot. Unapparelled gastronomy and eclectic experiences making it the perfect playground for travelers and residents of the city to enjoy and revel in. Commenting on the launch, Christoph Hoffman, CEO 25hours said, “We are thrilled to be finally opening doors to the 25hours Hotel One Central playground and welcoming the local community and travelers from all across the globe. All our experiences and offerings have been carefully curated to make this property truly multi-dimensional – a living room, a party paradise, a romantic getaway or simply the go to destination for creative business meetings and co-working. This is one of the most exciting projects I have worked on, and me along with our incredible team are looking forward to paving the way for a new hospitality experience standard in Dubai.” The urban tale starts in the 25hours Hotel One Central lobby where guests will be greeted by the ‘Fountain of Tales’, a colossal fountain with seating spaces and bookshelves featuring over 5,000 books. Adorning the top of the fountain is a rotating lit up globe showcasing artwork created by a number of local artists around the concept of modern nomadic lifestyle. As guest scan upwards, they will find …