Category Archives: Agents

As part of their shared commitment to highlight Oman as a preferred tourist destination, Oman Air and the Ministry of Heritage and Tourism have joined forces for a special stopover promotion for passengers transiting through Muscat. Available until 30 November 2024, the offer provides a free one-night hotel stay for premium class passengers when booking a stopover in Muscat, while those traveling in Economy Class can enjoy two nights for the price of one. In addition, guests have access to exclusive discounts on tours, car hire, and other services, making it the perfect opportunity to explore Oman’s charming capital and beyond. Launched just in time for the winter season, visitors can experience Muscat at its very best, with warm weather, stunning landscapes and cultural activities promising an unforgettable retreat. Committed to promoting the natural beauty, rich heritage and friendly, genuine hospitality of its home-base, Oman Air remains dedicated to serving as a gateway for tourists to Oman, providing them with seamless connectivity, convenient flight schedules, and award-winning onboard products and services. Passengers who hold a return ticket to any destination on Oman Air’s network with a transit through Muscat can take advantage of the limited-time offer. Guests can simply fill out the online request form and make their stopover booking by 30 November 2024. It is important to note that the complimentary hotel stay includes the room only and is subject to availability. A maximum of one stopover per return ticket applies. For full terms and conditions, please contact Oman Air Holidays at holidays@omanair.com.

McArthurGlen Group, Europe’s leading developer and manager of Designer Outlets with presence in eight countries across Europe and Canada, proudly sponsored the recent “Empowering Generations, Strengthening the Nation” event. Held on August 28th in SLS Dubai Hotel, this inspiring event brought together pioneering Emirati women from various fields to celebrate their remarkable achievements, exchange valuable insights, and discuss the bright future of women in the UAE. Inspiring keynote speeches and dynamic panel discussions took center stage with accomplished Emirati women sharing their remarkable journeys, challenges, and successes. Established in 2015 by Her Highness Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak, the Mother of the Nation, this prestigious annual celebration highlights the UAE’s unwavering commitment to gender equality and the vital contributions of women in shaping the nation’s future. “Emirati Women’s Day is a celebration of the strength and resilience of women driving change and progress in the UAE,” said Sabina Piacenti, International Markets Manager at McArthurGlen Designer Outlets. “We are honoured to have been a key sponsor of this significant event, which resonates with our commitment to empowering individuals at every level. The celebration perfectly embodied McArthurGlen’s values by honoring the contributions and leadership of Emirati women across diverse sectors, from business and government to arts, education, and beyond.” Sumeera Bahl, Director, DDP Group, shared, “We extend our heartfelt gratitude to McArthurGlen Designer outlets for joining us in celebrating Emirati Women’s Day and recognizing the remarkable women who have shaped this great nation. This event honoured the resilience, strength, and achievements of Emirati women, who inspire us daily. Our Chief Guest, the world’s first Emirati female wildlife photographer, along with the leading women in fields such as business, travel, tourism, and hospitality, who …

The Jamaica Tourist Board has appointed Buzz Travel Marketing Middle East as its new Trade Representative office for the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region. This partnership marks an exciting milestone in Jamaica’s efforts to expand its presence and strengthen relationships within the GCC travel market. Buzz Travel Marketing Middle East’s extensive experience and deep understanding of the GCC travel landscape, make them an ideal partner to achieve Jamaica’s overarching tourism goals and communicate its diverse tourism offerings. The appointment reflects the Jamaica Tourist Board’s investment in its strategic focus on enhancing visibility and engagement with travelers from the GCC countries. “Selecting Buzz Travel Marketing Middle East to represent Jamaica in the GCC region is a commitment to our strategic ambitions to attract more visitors from this lucrative market said Minister of Tourism, Hon Edmund Bartlett. “The GCC region holds great potential for Jamaica’s tourism industry, and we are confident that having a team on the ground with such expertise will help us reach and resonate with travelers seeking unique experiences in our beautiful island destination.” In 2023, Jamaica achieved a 17% increase in tourist arrivals from the previous year recording more than US4.2 billion in revenue, proving its resilience amidst global challenges. Building on this momentum, Jamaica continues to push the boundaries by receiving investments valued at US4 to US5 billion in tourism development which is projected to bring 20,000 new rooms in the next 10 to 15 years, including the much-anticipated debut of 2,000 new rooms in 2024 and a total of 8,500 rooms by 2025. “Jamaica is ready to welcome more visitors from the GCC region which will build a stronger relationship through our diverse culture and tourism offerings. …

DubaiDestinations 2024 summer campaign wrapped up with 20 million video views across social media platforms and drew impressive engagement among both local and global audiences. This year saw many new visitors from Eastern European destinations visit Dubai over the summer. Launched under the directives of His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Second Deputy Ruler of Dubai and Chairman of the Dubai Media Council, the year-round campaign highlights the exceptional activities and experiences that make Dubai a one-of-a-kind destination across all seasons. The vibrant finale of the collaborative campaign, implemented by Brand Dubai, the creative arm of the Government of Dubai Media Office (GDMO), utilised the power of storytelling to enhance the city’s profile as a top global summer destination. Shaima Al Suwaidi, Director of Brand Dubai, said: “The summer phase of the 2024 #DubaiDestinations campaign brilliantly captured the essence of Dubai’s diverse and exciting experiences, further cementing its status as a leading global destination. This year’s campaign achieved impressive engagement from both local and global audiences, with captivating content shared across various platforms that inspired millions to discover Dubai’s diverse summer destination offerings. The overwhelming response, with tremendous public engagement and more than 20 million video views across social media platforms, including Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, Facebook and X, underscores the campaign’s success in showcasing Dubai’s multifaceted appeal. More than 3,000 pieces of content were also shared across digital channels, reflecting the campaign’s widespread impact.” Featuring interactive storytelling and visually engaging content, this phase of the campaign highlighted beach destinations, waterparks, indoor activities, and hotel pools, showcasing the city’s wide array of attractions that appeal to people of all ages and backgrounds. Some of the emirate’s most …

Travelport announced that agency customers can now access content from Greater Bay Airlines (GBA), Hong Kong’s newest carrier, through the Travelport+ platform. This new collaboration will support GBA’s aggressive expansion plans as Travelport+ connects the Hong Kong-based carrier to Travelport’s global network of travel retailers. With this multi-year agreement, Travelport is providing agents the ability to easily search, compare and book GBA’s fares and ancillary services. The agreement also includes GBA’s use of Travelport’s rich content and branding merchandizing solutions for ease of use and driving incremental sales. “We have partnered with Travelport to support our growth strategy and connect with more travel retailers, so that we can make it easy for agents and travelers to shop and book with GBA,” said Stephen Loh, Chief Operating Officer at Greater Bay Airlines. “We are impressed with Travelport’s vision to enhance traveler experiences by modernizing the retailing process and making it easier for agencies to consume our dynamic content and sell our product offerings and ancillaries.” “We’ve enhanced the multi-source content that our agency customers can search, sell and service in Travelport+ with this new partner agreement that will also support GBA in reaching more travel retailers and customers as GBA expands into additional markets,” said Damian Hickey, Global Head of Travel Partners at Travelport. “Our ability to make it easy for agencies to access and compare multi-source content from brands like GBA alongside other carriers is essential to modern travel retailing, so that travelers know they are presented with the best options and book with confidence.” GBA operates in seven destinations across the Asia-Pacific region, including Chinese Mainland, North and Southeast Asia.

Sabre Corporation has initiated a hiring plan in response to new customer wins and increased demand in the Europe, Middle East, and Africa region. This expansion focuses on strengthening Sales, Strategy, and Customer Support departments to enhance service delivery and support for Sabre’s strategic initiatives. Sabre is focused on its strategic initiatives and efforts to leverage next-generation technology across the travel ecosystem. To support these actions, Sabre is expanding its team in the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Saudi Arabia, Spain, and Portugal, among other countries in the region. Richard Addey, Senior Regional Director for Western Europe and Africa, said “We have a growing customer base in France, and our expansion efforts will help ensure we continue to meet and exceed their expectations. By strengthening our team, we are reinforcing our commitment to delivering top-tier service and innovative solutions to our valued customers in the region.” Andreas Syrigos, Senior Regional Director for Southern Europe & Nordics, commented: “Countries like Spain and Portugal are rapidly expanding for Sabre, while others, such as Italy, show consistent progress. Our teams are being reinforced with positions covering Technology Consultancy, Product Support, and Sales & Account Management.” “With our commitment and new expansion plans, this is an exciting time for Sabre, particularly in the Middle East,” stated Ramzi Al-Qassab, Managing Director of Sabre Middle East. “We are expanding our highly specialized, customer-focused teams, advancing innovative technology, and providing impactful travel solutions in Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Oman.” “These expansion plans support our ongoing focus on our strategic initiatives,” said Sean McDonald, Managing Director and Vice President of Sabre in EMEA. “The recent launch of various Sabre solutions marks a new era for the industry, …

At a recent interview with TravelTV, Tara Naidu, Vice President International Business, Air India Express she explained that travel agents are most important as 80% of their business come from them and they are looking at a new way to incentivise travel agents. “Travel agents are the most important source for us, about 80% of our bookings are through travel agents and within that what we see is that the segment of online travel agents is growing so online travel agents could be B2B or B2C, they could be operating through a network of sub agents or they could be operating directly to consumers. We offer commissions to them which are called transaction fees, but we have been looking at the models operated by the airlines and have seen that transaction fees are not very popular and agents may prefer to get some incentives.”

The General Authority for Small and Medium Enterprises (Monsha’at) is planning to host a series of events during “tourism week” in Madinah, to be held from 25 to 29 August 2024. Monsha’at will conduct eight workshops as part of the week-long event, covering topics such as innovation in tourism, tourism routes, tour guides, and showcasing successful local tourism businesses. The event is part of a nationwide efforts to boost the tourism sector; similar events will take place simultaneously in Riyadh, Jeddah, and Al-Khobar. According to Monsha’at, this aims to help local entrepreneurs and investors by highlighting investment opportunities and government support programs for small and medium-sized enterprises.

At a special interview with TravelTV MiddleEast, Kaizad Postwalla, Head – International Sales North America, Canada and GMEA, Air India, shared the two most recent initiatives taken by Air India. He commented, “We recently introduced branded fare families, aligning with the global industry standards. This was rolled out on August 13th, the key attributes and other details of which are being shared with our travel partners. Another key development is our work on the Code Share partnership with Air India Express. This will allow agencies to use Air India Document to cover both Air India and Air India Express sectors through GDS. We already have a Code Share Agreement & Special Prorate Agreement (SPA) with Vistara, enabling Air India flights to be sold on international routes paired with Vistara’s domestic sectors. These initiatives are designed to significantly expand the network available to our agents, providing them with more options to sell, not just within/to/from India, but beyond. We are particularly focused on promoting International-to-International connectivity, which we aim to highlight to and seek support from our travel partners in the Gulf.”  

Sri Lankan Airlines announced operations to Gan International Airport in Southern Maldives, a secluded getaway with luxurious resorts via Sri Lanka especially suited for high-end travellers from the Middle East. This route will have an opportunity for Middle East travellers to explore two destinations at their convenience.  Speaking with TravTalk MiddleEast Jayantha Abeysinghe – Regional Manager Middle East shared, “we wanted to introduce a new experience to our discerning clientele from the Middle East to discover serene, secluded and tranquil areas which appeal to their requirements to enjoy a private luxurious getaway. Adding Gan to our Middle East operations will further enhance connectivity between key destinations in the region and capitalise the growing demand for travel between the Middle East and the Maldives. Our product offering is well suited for our customers from the Middle East such as United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Oman and over the years they have made Maldives their much loved destination, hence we wanted to bring in what we do best, ensuring that our customers have new and personalised luxury experiences.” Speaking on the campaign just launched Abeysinghe further reiterated, “If customers fly to Gan with Sri Lankan, their stay is complimentary for three nights. Middle East travellers can book through their travel agents in order to reap more benefits of this exclusive offer tailor made for the region. We know that our Middle East travellers constantly seek exclusive and less crowded holiday destinations, hence this will be a good fit for the entire family.” The introduction of this new direct service from key Middle Eastern cities to Gan will boost tourism between Sri Lanka, Middle East and Maldives. For Maldives this would …