Category Archives: Govt

Oman Air applauded the efforts of Oman Golf Association, in partnership with the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Youth, the Foreign Ministry, the Ministry of Heritage and Tourism, and the Ministry of Commence, Industry and Investment Promotion for a first-of-its-kind golf diplomacy initiative between Oman and Italy, which concluded this week. As the event’s official airline sponsor, the national carrier brought in the qualifying players, who included some of Italy’s most prominent investors, into Oman for the final, held at Al Mouj Golf, Muscat. The event raised awareness about Oman’s tourism and investment potential in Italy and other key European target markets. Eng. Abdulaziz Al Raisi, Chief Executive Officer of Oman Air, said, “In line with our commitment to Oman’s 2040 Vision, Oman Air is a strong supporter of sports tourism, which is a key vehicle for promoting the country’s natural beauty and rich culture to visitors from all over the world. The Oman Golf Trophy was a huge success, leveraging golf as an ambassador to highlight Oman’s rich investment potential and strengthen diplomatic ties between Oman and Italy. We look forward to seeing more events like it in the future that showcase Oman to the world and provide opportunities for economic growth and job creation.” Oman Air’s efforts to promote investment and sports tourism in Oman are in line with the country’s vision to diversify its economy and create new opportunities for growth. The airline has been a major sponsor of numerous sporting events in Oman and internationally, including most recently the 44Cup, Oman Desert Marathon and Ironman 70.3.

Saudi kicks off its first participation at ITB Berlin, the world’s biggest travel show and convention, celebrating key milestones for Saudi’s tourism growth story and showcasing the breadth and depth of Saudi’s extraordinary destination offering. In the run up to the event, Saudi hosted members of media at the press conference session “Unexpected Arabia: Discover Saudi,” on Monday 6 March, giving a preview of Saudi’s diverse offerings and developments. During the week there will be interactive on-stand experiences, bringing to life the rich culture and heritage of one of the world’s last frontiers of tourism. Visitors will have an opportunity to immerse themselves in the authentic home of Arabia, to feel the unparalleled hospitality for which the country is known. As the largest exhibitor at this year’s edition of ITB Berlin, a record number of partners for Saudi are on the stand showcasing a record number of bookable products for the destination (200+) spanning experiences, packages, hotels, and cruises for trade partners. This presence reflects the incredible growth the country is witnessing. Since opening to tourism in 2019, Saudi has been recognized as the world’s fastest-growing tourism destination in the G20. With an extraordinary +121% increase from pre-pandemic international tourism levels, Saudi achieved 93.5 million visits in 2022 and is outpacing global tourism sector recovery as recognized by the UNWTO. As the world’s biggest investor in tourism, Saudi has committed $550bn to new destinations by 2030. Preserving heritage and history, a $50.6 billion masterplan will transform Diriyah, a 300-year-old city and birthplace of Saudi, into one of the world’s most exciting cultural sites. In 2023, Red Sea Global, the world’s most ambitious luxury tourism development, will debut its first hotel …

His Royal Highness Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, Prime Minister and Chairman of the New Murabba Development Company (NMDC), announced the launch of the New Murabba Development Company which aims to develop the world’s largest modern downtown in Riyadh, contributing to the city’s future development in line with Saudi Vision 2030. The New Murabba project will be built around the concept of sustainability, featuring green areas and walking and cycling paths that will enhance the quality of life by promoting healthy, active lifestyles and community activities. It will also feature an iconic museum, a technology and design university, a multipurpose immersive theater, and more than 80 entertainment and culture venues. The project will be situated at the intersection of King Salman and King Khalid roads to the North West of Riyadh, over an area of 19 square kilometers, to accommodate hundreds of thousands of residents. The project will offer more than 25 million sqm of floor area, featuring more than 104,000 residential units, 9,000 hotel rooms, and more than 980,000 sqm of retail space, as well as 1.4 million sqm of office space, 620,000 sqm of leisure assets, and 1.8 million sqm of space dedicated to community facilities. Inspired by the modern Najdi architectural style, the “Mukaab” will be the world’s first immersive destination offering an experience created by digital and virtual technology with the latest holographics. The “Mukaab” will encompass a tower atop a spiral base, and a structure featuring 2 million sqm of floor space that will be a premium hospitality destination with a multitude of retail, cultural and tourist attractions, along with residential and hotel units, commercial spaces, and recreational facilities. The New Murabba project …

Abu Dhabi convention and exhibition bureau (ADCEB) will educate corporates, associations, event organisers, MICE agencies, and other industry stakeholders in South Korea about Abu Dhabi’s strong MICE proposition, highlighting it as a dynamic global destination for business events. Mubarak Al Shamisi, Director of Abu Dhabi Convention and Exhibition Bureau at DCT Abu Dhabi, said: “We are excited to open our first representative office in South Korea to further establish Abu Dhabi as a premier destination for meetings, incentive travel, conferences, and exhibitions. As we remain focused on progressing the emirate, growing our network of international offices will help us expand Abu Dhabi’s reach in newer markets. With the recent easing of travel restrictions in South Korea, we anticipate great demand for outbound MICE travel, making it the best time for us to establish our presence in this market.” In recent years, ADCEB has accelerated its financial and non-financial support towards strategic business events, which includes the launch of Advantage Abu Dhabi 2.0, an enhanced subvention programme that offers event organisers an array of support throughout the event planning cycle, comprising financial assistance and destination-driven value-adds. ADCEB continues to build strategic partnerships that ensures event objectives are met with world-class experiences for both planners and attendees. Earlier this year, ADCEB formed a strategic partnership with Etihad Airways, to further bolster support for MICE travel groups travelling to Abu Dhabi. Through this collaboration, ADCEB can offer eligible Advantage Abu Dhabi applicants additional flight benefits and perks such as group booking discounts, complimentary flights for large MICE travel group bookings on direct flights, and special flight rates for site/destination inspection trips to Abu Dhabi for clients who host their business events and incentive …

Manoj Nair, Head of Government Data & Analytics at Visa, and Nur Topcu, Head of Government Services at Visa, delivered a joint presentation on ‘The Power of Data for Effective Decision-Making’. Nair presented a new Visa case study highlighting how it can be used to make better decisions in the travel and tourism industry as it rebounds from the pandemic. Topcu spoke about how financial service companies can help governments use data to inform policymaking. Nur Topcu also shared how Visa has worked with governments and banks to help them make better decisions with data solutions that can help them in predicting the market spending and consumer behavior. “If we do not engage the community, nothing will get done. We need to act as a tribe to engage youth, engage the government and engage society to press forward on urgent issues facing us all. These include quality healthcare, food security and ensuring humanity really does thrive in the next 100 years.” Micheal Moqbel, Nadeera’s Head of Operations, added: “Today there are many technological and technically intensive solutions that can solve all types of social, economic, and environmental problems, including those related to climate change. The problem is that this focus on technology warps our understanding of the problem, it pushes the ownership on findings solutions to these problems from us to machines. While technology is a main driver of change – and one that should be celebrated and supported – humans must remain at the centre of innovation.” The ‘Innovation Talks’ series, organised by The Executive Council of Dubai, concluded recently with leaders from the government, business and the community highlighting how innovation can accelerate the nation’s journey towards a …

Abu Dhabi Airports released its passenger traffic results for 2022. From 1 January to 31 December 2022, 15.9 million guests used Abu Dhabi International, Al Ain International, Al Bateen Executive, Delma Island and Sir Bani Yas Island Airports – tripling the 5.26 million achieved in 2021. Announced on the sidelines of the World Cargo Summit in Abu Dhabi, the company’s 2022 traffic results also illustrated growth in other key areas of the business, including Air Traffic Movements (ATMs) across the five airports, which totaled 194,667 for the year. These figures showcase the integral role airports in Abu Dhabi continue to play in accommodating passengers travelling for both tourism and business purposes, as well as their increasing popularity as airports of choice for people making their way to and from regional and international destinations. H.E. Jamal Salem Al Dhaheri, Managing Director & CEO, Abu Dhabi Airports, said: “2022 was a remarkable year for Abu Dhabi in passenger traffic terms. It illustrates the emirate’s vast potential as an attractive destination to visit, live and work in. Our recent airport infrastructure investments, sustained excellence across customer service, operations, and ongoing collaborations with key stakeholders and government organisations, including the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi, whom we work closely with to grow Abu Dhabi’s travel, tourism and business offering, enabling investment across industries, and welcoming new audiences to visit Abu Dhabi”. “Looking ahead, we are working towards readiness to accommodate even greater passenger traffic in 2023, which we anticipate, as higher numbers of international visitors come to the UAE for key events. Sustainability continues to play a big role in everything we do, from design to construction to operation and delivery. …

Tourism Minister Haim Katz: “Improvement of infrastructure and beautification upgrades the tourist experience and encourages returning tourism. I have asked the ministry to prepare a directive for the support budget for 2023, that will place an emphasis on budgetary efficiency alongside maximizing the tourism potential.” Ministry of Tourism Director-General Dani Shahar: “We are in the midst of preparing the tourism infrastructure in Israel to welcome  tourists, following the recovery from the pandemic. We carefully considered the many applications received, and we chose those which would bring the greatest value to tourism.” The ministry’s Development Budget Committee approved the support budget for 2022 that will assist in the establishment of dozens of projects in local authorities: parking lots, promenades, bridges, sound and light shows, renovating markets and public spaces, unique lighting, trails, parks, observation points and more. As part of the directive for support in developing public tourism infrastructure, the Israel Ministry of Tourism received in 2022 approximately 210 applications from local authorities for assistance in establishing projects in their area, of which approximately 160 applications met the threshold conditions. The budget available for the construction of tourism infrastructure in 2022 stood at about NIS 340 million. It should be noted that the cost of implementing all the projects is about NIS 700 million, of which the Israel Ministry of Tourism contributed about NIS 410 million (NIS 340 million from the 2022 budget and the remainder from previous years). In recent months, the projects were discussed in the ministry’s Development Budget committee, and were investigated in accordance with the project standard rating: Contribution to incoming tourism (35%) Project maintenance capability (15%) Matches government and ministry policy (15%) Contribution to the economic …

Sharjah Airport experienced a remarkable growth in the previous year achieving the Authority’s primary objectives of revamping the Emirate’s tourism sector as well as elevating the airport’s status as one of the top five airports in the region. Passenger traffic witnessed a growth rate of 84.73 per cent, increasing the numbers to nearly 13 million passengers in 2022, as opposed to 7 million passengers in 2021. Meanwhile, aircraft movement experienced an increase of 51.69 per cent to 87,495 flights in 2022, as compared to 57,679 by the end of 2021. Moreover, around 170,544 tonnes of freight were handled through the Sharjah Airport in 2022, indicating an increase of 21.20 percent from around 140,717 tonnes in 2021. His Excellency Ali Salim Al Midfa, Chairman of Sharjah Airport Authority, said: “The growth and achievements recorded in the previous year reflects our commitment to meeting evolving passenger expectations through our enhanced customer services. This marks a significant step in our journey towards excellence and leadership, which is in line with the visions and aspirations of His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah and are as a result of the close supervision of H.H. Sheikh Sultan bin Mohammed bin Sultan Al Qasimi, Crown Prince and Deputy Ruler of Sharjah and Chairman of the Sharjah Executive Council. The remarkable results resonate our strategic goals of reviving the travel industry in the Emirate of Sharjah, together with our ambitions to offer elevated levels of services. To satisfy the rising demand of the travel and air freight sectors, we further aim at raising our investments in expanding the airport’s capacity and enhancing the network of tourism …

Under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, UAE Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, the Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority announced plans to organise the 12th Sharjah Light Festival from 8 to 19 February 2023. The festival covers locations all around the Emirate of Sharjah over the course of 12 days, offering a busy agenda packed with light shows, art displays, and entertainment activities that cater to all visitors, individuals and families of all ages from the UAE and abroad. The Authority revealed details of this year’s edition of the Sharjah Light Festival in a press conference held last night at the Light Village, opposite University City Hall in Sharjah, in the presence of His Excellency Khalid Jasim Al Midfa, Chairman of the Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority, along with officials and representatives of various government entities, and reporters from local and international media in the UAE. Speaking at the conference, H.E. Al Midfa asserted: “Over the years, the Emirate of Sharjah has established itself as an exceptional family destination with an enormous and diverse range of tourist attractions and activities that cater to varying tastes and anticipate the aspirations of visitors to Sharjah from around the world. Guided by the forward-looking vision and directives of H.H. Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, UAE Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, the tourism sector in the emirate is moving steadily towards a bright future and sustainable economic growth.” “By constantly renewing and reinventing itself, the Sharjah Light Festival has become a leading destination of its own and a staple event on the emirate’s annual agenda,” H.E. Al Midfa added. “Every …

With an aim to maintain strong visibility in India, Saudi has announced an exciting lineup of trade engagements, including roadshows in major Indian cities and participation in prominent trade events. The strategy follows Saudi Tourism Authority’s (STA) ongoing efforts to increase awareness about Saudi as a unique, diverse, authentic tourism destination and ultimately, drive visits, as one of the key priority source markets for the country. Saudi is gearing up to take part in One World Travel Market (OTM) from 2nd -4th February 2023 at the Jio World Convention Centre, Mumbai. This will be followed by two roadshows in Mumbai and Ahmedabad on 6th and 7th February, respectively. Saudi will also mark its presence at the 30th edition of South Asian Travel and Tourism Exchange (SATTE), which will be held from 9th -11th February 2023 at the India Expo Mart, Greater Noida, Delhi-NCR. “India is a key source market for Saudi and over the past 18 months, we have both established and deepened relationships with key trade partners, to inspire them about the breadth and depth of the country’s offering and to reinforce our commitment to helping them grow their businesses,” said Alhasan Aldabbagh, President – APAC, Saudi Tourism Authority. “The Saudi destination offering is unparalleled. Authentic Arabian culture, rich heritage, unique landscapes and a rapidly expanding entertainment and lifestyle scene is at the heart of what Saudi offers the Indian traveler and our role is to support our partners, to showcase the new, undiscovered experiences and unlock the wealth of opportunity the destination presents.” “These engagements are critical in helping us achieve our ambitious goals, to drive volume and growth. The roadshow and trade events will provide a platform …