Category Archives: Agents

According to the latest report UAE travelers in 2025 would be maximizing their trips with all inclusive offers. All-inclusive resorts are far more than families looking for fun in the sun by the pool. Today’s all-inclusives are attracting Gen-Zers from across the world and similarly, UAE residents, who are looking for stress-free stays and a good deal. In the UAE, over 90% of travelers are likely to stay in an all-inclusive resort in 2025. 47% say their perception of all-inclusive hotels has changed for the better, and over half agree that an all-inclusive resort would be their preferred hotel choice. The top three reasons Gen Z globally is embracing their All-Inclusive Era are minimal stress (41%), ease of booking (39%), and because staying at all-inclusive hotels feels luxurious (38%).

Wego revealed data on the most popular destinations favored by Kuwait travelers this year and they include Egypt, India, Saudi Arabia, Türkiye, the United Arab Emirates, Jordan, the Philippines, Thailand, Pakistan, and the United Kingdom. Wego observes that Kuwaiti travelers continue to favor these same countries throughout the year for homecoming and holiday trips. Wego’s experts further forecast that this lineup will likely remain unchanged for the remainder of 2024. This steady preference is driven by several factors, including strong family ties, affordable travel options, and a familiarity with the destinations. Traveler dynamics Wego data reveals that a substantial 75% of bookings were made by solo travelers.  This trend could be driven by factors such as solo business trips, personal leisure travel, or flexible schedules that allow individuals to explore destinations on their own terms. Meanwhile, couples and families accounted for 20% of the travel bookings, highlighting varied travel dynamics within the Kuwaiti population. The remaining percentage is made up of group travel bookings. These varied travel dynamics reflect the diverse preferences within the Kuwaiti population, from independent adventurers to those seeking experiences with loved ones. Cultural familiarity boosts popularity of some destinations Further analysis by Wego indicates that cultural familiarity plays a pivotal role in destination choice. Destinations such as Georgia and Azerbaijan in Europe, along with Indonesia and Malaysia in Southeast Asia, feature prominently on the list of most-searched destinations this year. These places are noted to offer visa-free entry or easy online visa applications for Kuwaiti citizens, enhancing their appeal as hassle-free travel options. Healthy growth Mamoun Hmidan, Chief Business Officer of Wego, said: “We observe that the Kuwaiti travel market has seen a robust 14.69% year-over-year increase …

Hong Kong welcomed 19,273 visitors from the GCC region, between January to August 2024 a remarkable 124% increase from the previous year. The Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) successfully concluded its first GCC 2024 Travel Mission to the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), engaging the travel partners from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). This year’s mission showcased Hong Kong’s growing appeal among travellers from the GCC, with the city welcoming 19,273 visitors between January and August 2024 – a remarkable 124% increase compared to the previous year. The visitor numbers for the first half of 2024 alone nearly matched the total number of arrivals from the GCC in 2023, reflecting Hong Kong’s growing reputation as a premier destination for luxury travellers. Key highlights of HKTB’s Travel Mission – The roadshow featured a distinguished delegation of 30 key Hong Kong trade partners, including representatives from iconic attractions, luxury hotels and destination management companies (DMCs). The event attracted over 200 travel agents from across the GCC, providing them with an in-depth understanding of Hong Kong’s premium offerings tailored for affluent travellers. Exclusive Experiences for GCC Luxury Travellers – The HKTB’s brand-new initiative “Travel in Luxe” especially curated for GCC market captivated attendees with an array of luxury experiences, including helicopter tours over Hong Kong’s skyline, VIP access to Hong Kong Disneyland’s “Momentous Nighttime Spectacular,” private shopping concierge services, and exclusive dining experiences. Attendees were also introduced to bespoke cultural activities like private Cantonese opera at the Xiqu Centre and horse-racing events hosted by the Hong Kong Jockey Club. Puneet Kumar, Director of South Asia & Middle East at HKTB, said, “We are pleased with the strong recovery …

Travelport and Air India announced that they are accelerating the launch of NDC content and servicing for Travelport-connected agencies. Travelport is the leading distributor for Air India content globally, connecting the airline to its network of travel agencies around the world via the Travelport+ platform. Agencies using Travelport+ will be able to quickly and easily view and compare the airline’s NDC offers alongside traditional content in the fourth quarter of this year. “Globally, Travelport is the leading aggregator of Air India content for travel agencies,” said Damian Hickey, Global Head of Travel Partners at Travelport. “Our partnership is centered around our shared belief that agencies are an essential retailing channel to provide travelers with seamless, personalized experiences for every trip, even after booking. That is why Travelport’s end-to-end NDC solution will empower agencies to directly service Air India bookings, so they can manage changes across NDC and non-NDC content seamlessly.” Travelport’s latest enhancement to the Travelport+ platform, Content Curation Layer (CCL), simplifies the process of accessing retail-ready content and identifying the most relevant options from airlines like Air India. Travelport’s CCL uses artificial intelligence (AI) and machine-learning (ML) to filter through aggregated multi-source content to deliver accurate search results that are standardized, making offers easier to understand and compare. This ensures that agents can then book the best options for their travelers from any source of Air India’s content, based on their unique needs and preferences. “Travelport is one of our preferred technology providers,” said Nipun Aggarwal, Chief Commercial and Transformation Officer at Air India. “Together, we are looking to deliver a solution that makes it easy for agents to access, sell, and service Air India’s content and offers through …

Speaking at a special interview with TravTalkME, Abdulla Yousuf – Director of International Operations DCT Abu Dhabi shared that their target for this year is to reach out to 25 new countries to showcase the many offerings of their destination. He further shared that CIS and Eastern European markets are the new emerging markets that they have seen increasing over the past few years and in terms of the APAC region India and China contribute almost 25% to the market. Going further they would be looking at increasing the number of hotel keys in the emirate and look at attracting visitors to spend more time in the emirate by partaking in various activities. He reiterated that in their various market surveys they have seen different requirements from them, hence they are working to identify these and make sure that they reach out to the correct partners.

Ajman Tourism Development Department (ATDD) unveiled a suite of new digital services aimed at enhancing and supporting the tourism sector in the emirate of Ajman during its participation at GITEX Global 2024. Among the highlights is the launch of the Department’s revamped website and updated digital services system, alongside the AI-powered ‘Plan Your Trip’ service. These innovative offerings reflect the department’s ongoing commitment to delivering smart and proactive government services that leverage the latest advancements in AI technology and data analytics. The aim is to assist visitors in planning tailored trips to Ajman, offering a flexible and personalised experience. The Department also seeks to enhance the experience of visitors, starting with the website and digital services system, and extending to the emirate’s rich tourism offerings. The newly launched ATDD website and digital services system offer a more interactive and user-friendly interface, designed to meet the highest government quality standards. The updated website features an AI-powered smart personal assistant that can handle customer inquiries, service procedures, requirements, and fees, in addition to tourist guidance services such as information about the emirate, tourist sites, museums, and activities. The new website’s smart personal assistant allows users to make direct calls to customers via audio, video, or screen sharing, allowing them to talk and share their screen with the customer happiness and service staff, catering to their requirements in record time without having to visit the department headquarters. Additionally, the website provides access to all government services and tourism information, such as reports, decrees, and resolutions, along with quick services and open data. ATDD launched the ‘Plan Your Trip’ platform, another innovation showcased at GITEX, which is fully AI-based and designed to help visitors customise …

RateHawk has introduced a rail travel booking service on its platform for its partners – travel agents, operators, and other industry professionals worldwide – can now book rail tickets across various European destinations. The platform has reached an agreement with Rail Europe, the global reference brand for European train booking. The new service complements the existing travel options already available on RateHawk, which include accommodation, flights, car rentals, and transfers. The launch of the rail service allows RateHawk’s partners to book all travel components within a single system. Rail tickets are available across 13 European countries including France, the Netherlands, Hungary, Poland, Belgium, Luxembourg, the UK, Spain, Italy, Switzerland, Germany, Czech Republic, and Austria. Fredrik Bonnalt, Head of Non-Accommodation Supply at Emerging Travel Group, RateHawk’s parent company, commented: “Rail travel offers great opportunities for our partners’ businesses, enabling them to meet customer needs and attract new clients. Travel agents and professionals can now offer hotel stays with rail tickets, providing a sustainable travel option. Plus, the journey itself can be a memorable experience, with exciting routes available on RateHawk, including the stunning Bernina Express and Glacier Express trips.” “The launch of our rail product coincides with the start of the autumn business season, and we expect strong demand from Travel Management Companies (TMCs) booking business trips for their clients. Rail transportation is widely recognized as the most environmentally friendly option, and with many companies prioritizing carbon footprint reduction and incorporating Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) initiatives into their corporate travel programs, our TMC partners can greatly benefit from this new booking service,” added Fredrik Bonnalt. An advantage of the new launch is its intuitive and convenient interface, which allows travel …

The first ever promotion of Sri Lankan Indigenous medical system, `Hela Wedakama` treatment was launched in United Arab Emirates by the leading Sri Lankan traditional Ayurveda company, Siddhalepa Ayurveda at Novotel Hotel, World Trade Center, Dubai. The launch was initiated by Siddhalepa Ayurveda Health Resort as the kick-off session of the awareness campaign of targeted the GCC region. A special promotional campaign is expected its widest reach with the assistance of Sri Lankan Airlines , the travel trade and travel media of the GCC region. The expectation of present international visitor has been expanded beyond the typical holidays and the travelling for medical purpose has become a boom at present. Thus, this initiative entails enormous `healthy` results for the medical-traveller who is exploring on alternative medical treatments. The main presentation of the session was conducted by Ayurveda Ratna, Mr. Asoka Hettigoda the Chairman and Managing Director of Siddhalepa Ayurveda Health Resort (As well as Hettigoda Group of Companies). Mr. Hettigoda explained how Siddhalepa grew from the grass-root level and entered the Switzerland first in 19….. Further, he added presently Siddhalepa has attracted visitors from various parts of the world while exporting its authentic Ayurveda products to more than 40 countries. Siddhalepa Ayurveda Health Resort aided by Siddhalepa Hospital is patronized by the visitors presently not only for their relaxation treatment but also medicament for various body abnormalities. The launch was well attended by about 45 persons comprising Arabian travel trade members and media based on the region. The Arabic travel trade members commended that they are happy to hear about the efforts to promote medical tourism by Siddhalepa this way effectively. Several travel companies added that Sri Lanka should continue …

At a special interview with TravelTV Middle East Amir Golbarg Senior VP Operations MEA Region Minor Hotels shared that the travel trade partners are of paramount importance as they build destinations when opening hotels. “travel trade is of paramount importance to us and we like to be destination builders. We like to create and add new destinations onto the map, and that’s one thing we work very closely in terms of, in particular with our Anantara brand, which is all about being indigenous sustainable luxury. And when you go in and you want to penetrate and create a new destination on the map, you’ve got to work with the travel trade. You’ve got to work with the local governments and the entities. And for us, you know, it’s the whole geosystem of travel coming together. We are an anchor and an establisher that’s going to create the demand. But the demand needs to be known, and to be able to get that voice heard, that’s where the travel trade is key. And you need to bring the entire geosystem together, and one without the other cannot function. So for us, travel trade as a whole has many components that many, unfortunately, look at it in silos. And I think in today’s world, we’ve gone from global back to local. And when you go back to local, then you need to look at who do you need to work with domestically to build the destinations up or to rebuild the perception of the destinations. So for us, that’s a key component, and travel trade plays a significant role in us building destinations.”

As travelers from the GCC seek new and extraordinary vacation destinations, Jamaica stands out as a haven of luxury, privacy, and unforgettable experiences. Known for its breathtaking natural beauty, pristine beaches, and warm hospitality, Jamaica is the ultimate Caribbean destination for discerning travelers. From high-end resorts offering world-class amenities to exclusive cultural and historical experiences, Jamaica invites GCC travelers to discover a new level of luxury in the heart of the Caribbean. Luxury Stays in Jamaica For those seeking the pinnacle of exclusivity and comfort, Jamaica offers a selection of premier resorts tailored for luxury travelers: Round Hill Hotel and Villas is nestled along the coastline in Montego Bay and boasts of private villas with personal pools, beachfront views, and dedicated concierge service. With a history of hosting international celebrities, Round Hill combines understated elegance with modern luxury. Zoëtry Montego Bay is a tranquil sanctuary renowned for its holistic approach to luxury. This boutique resort offers a blend of modern wellness with timeless elegance, featuring private suites with plunge pools, gourmet dining, and rejuvenating spa experiences. With its beachfront setting and commitment to wellness, Zoetry provides a haven for travelers seeking relaxation in an opulent environment. Half Moon, Jamaica’s highest rated resort spans across 400 acres and offers unparalleled luxury with its beachfront suites, private villas, and championship gol f course. Guests can indulge in spa treatments at the award-winning Fern Tree Spa, take part in a variety of water sports, or simply enjoy the serene beauty of the Caribbean Sea. Unforgettable Cultural Experiences Beyond the luxurious accommodations, Jamaica is a place where travelers get the unique vibe and heritage that the island has to offer: Luxury travelers to Jamaica …