June 17, 2018

Emirates has launched a new daily service from Dubai to Auckland via Bali.

The new service offers travellers a total of three daily services to New Zealand, complementing Emirates' existing non-stop daily A380 service between Dubai and Auckland and its current daily A380 service between Dubai and Christchurch via Sydney.

Travellers will now also enjoy a choice of three daily services between Dubai to Bali in the summer, as the new flight adds to Emirates' two existing daily services which are currently operated by a Boeing 777-300ER in a two-class configuration.

The inaugural flight was welcomed at both Denpasar and Auckland airports with a water cannon salute.
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June 17, 2018

Dubai hotels achieved the highest occupancy, average room rate (ADR) and revenue per available room (RevPAR) across the MENA region during the first quarter of 2018.

According to the latest EY Middle East Hotel Benchmark Survey Report, the city’s occupancy reached 86.9 percent with an ADR of $293, which led to an overall RevPAR of $255 in Q1.

It said occupancy in Dubai increased by 0.8 percent, possibly due to international visitors of the 23rd edition of the Dubai Shopping Festival as well the favourable weather.

Driving the overall performance"...

June 14, 2018

Uber and Dubai Tourism have announced a first of its kind partnership to offer fare discounts to a range of attractions in the emirate.

Launching this Eid Al Fitr weekend and running until July 12, anyone who purchases a Dubai Pass will receive a 15 percent discount off the card, as well as 15 percent off six Uber rides to and from tourist hotspots in the city.

These include Dubai Parks & Resorts, IMG World of Adventures, Hysteria Haunted House, Dubai Mall, KidZania, Dubai Mall, Dubai Aquarium, Dubai Mall, Dubai Mall Ice Rink, Ski Dubai, Mall of the Emirates, Marina"...

June 14, 2018

The Abu Dhabi Executive Committee has approved a proposal to reduce tourism fees from 6 per cent to 3.5 per cent and municipality fees from 4 per cent to 2 per cent, a report said.

The decision came during a meeting on Tuesday, which was presided over by Jassim Mohammed Buatabh Al Zaabi, chairman of the Committee, reported Emirates news agency Wam.

The Committee also sanctioned a proposal to reduce municipality fees for hotel rooms from Dh15 ($4) to Dh10 ($2.7) per room, per night and to collect the fees on half-yearly, instead of monthly basis.

The move comes just a day after Dubai slashed municipality fees on sales"...

June 14, 2018

Dubai registered the highest hotel occupancy rate within the Middle East and North African market at 86.9 per cent in the first quarter of 2018, driven by local shopping festivals and temperate weather at the start of the year, according to Ernst & Young.

Average room rate in the city during the period hovered at $293 (Dh1,075.31) with revenue per available room at $255, EY said in its quarterly hospitality report released on Tuesday.

“The growth in occupancy rate was consistent throughout the first quarter, which shows a healthy traction of visitors to the"...

June 13, 2018

InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) has today launched voco, its new upscale hotel brand, alongside announcing a first signing in Australia.

Voco will focus primarily on conversion opportunities and will strengthen IHG’s offer in the $40 billion upscale segment, which is expected to grow by a further $20 billion by 2025.

Working with high-quality individual and locally-branded hotels, this distinctive brand will offer owners the ability to drive higher returns through delivering a compelling guest experience and leveraging IHG’s powerful systems. This includes best-in-class revenue management and technology capabilities and IHG Rewards Club, one of the world’s largest hotel"...

June 12, 2018

Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority (RAKTDA) has further strengthened its position in Europe with targeted industry initiatives in the first five months of the year.

The government body responsible for promoting the destination in key international and regional markets said the first half of 2018 has seen visits to more than 4,000 travel agents in 45 European cities.

This has resulted in a 28 percent jump in European visitors to the emirates this year compared to the same period in 2017.

Last"...

June 12, 2018

Emaar Development has taken possession of the land for construction of Beach Vista residences in Emaar Beachfront, the private island destination in the Arabian Gulf.

Site mobilisation and enabling work has commenced with the handover of homes scheduled for the third quarter of 2021, the company said in a statement.

Emaar launched the sale of Beach Vista earlier this year, recording sell-out response. All 375 residences were sold out recording total sales worth about AED1 billion, it added.

Ahmad"...

June 12, 2018

Acting upon the directives of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, H.H. Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of Dubai Executive Council, has ordered to cut municipality fees on sales at restaurants and hotels, from 10 percent to 7 percent.

The move is aimed at reducing the cost of doing business in Dubai and promoting the emirate as a favourite business destination worldwide. This is in addition to enhancing the competitiveness of the emirate's tourism industry and luring more investments to the hospitality and tourism sector.

June 11, 2018

Palm Jumeirah’s new waterfront dining and entertainment destination will now include an $18 million dancing water fountain.

The island’s developer Nakheel has inked a deal with Beijing Water Design to develop and operate the fountain that will cover a 12,000 square metre area of water at the tip of the island across from.

Situated across from Atlantis The Palm, the fountain will be part of the island’s The Pointe, a new 1.4 million square feet waterfront dining and entertainment destination being developed at a cost of $217 million.

Managed"...