March 11, 2020

Emaar Hospitality will stop taking bookings at three hotels in Dubai for more than five months as it temporarily “refocuses” on certain assets amid the ongoing coronavirus epidemic, according to the company.

In a statement, an Emaar spokesperson said that “following the recent global impact on the travel industry drawing us into a state of force majeure, Emaar Hospitality Group has taken the decision to temporarily refocus on a selected number of assets”.

It is understood that the hotels are Address Fountain Views, Vida Creek Harbour and Vida"...

March 11, 2020

Dubai's Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (Dubai Tourism), in cooperation with the Department of Economic Development (Dubai Economy), held a meeting with leading retailers in the emirate to discuss market issues and recent developments.

The meeting reaffirmed the importance of public-private partnerships across sectors and its key role in accelerating the emirate's economic development.

Various developments in the sector, including recent challenges arising from the global outbreak of the Novel Coronavirus (Covid-19) and worldwide efforts to contain"...

March 9, 2020

Airports Council International (ACI) World has today revealed the winners of its world-renowned Airport Service Quality Awards. The awards recognize those airports around the world that deliver the best customer experience in the opinion of their own passengers. This year, 140 awards have been won by 84 individual airports. The full list of winners can be found here. Consistent winners Indianapolis International Airport, Beijing Capital International Airport, Singapore Changi Airport, and Toronto Pearson, Aeroporto di Roma-Fiumicino, Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport, Delhi’s, Indira Gandhi International Airport, Shanghai Pudong International Airport, and Sheremetyevo International Airport have this year been joined by first time recipients from all regions. First time recipients include Kotoka International Airport (Accra, Ghana), Mangalore Airport (Mangalore, India), Supadio Airport (Pontianak, Indonesia), Aalesund Airport (Alesund, Norway), Aeropuerto de Hierro (Valverde, Spain), Aeropuerto de Melilla (Melilla, Spain), Aeropuerto de San Sebastián (San Sebastien, Spain), Bodo Airport (Bodo, Norway), Izmir Adnan Menderes International Airport (İzmir,......

March 8, 2020

It’s fair to say Radisson Blu Hotel, Ajman stands out — not least for an elegant facade that has more of a European than a UAE feel.

The second reason, perhaps, is that corporate guests account for 40 per cent of the clientele at this central, five-star property.

General manager Francisco Giles says they’re mostly from shipping and oil and gas sectors, including project consultants.

These can include long-stay guests on contract work, while developments such as the Sharjah"...

March 8, 2020

Emirates NBD has reduced its bank charges in a bid to support business in the UAE.

In line with recent government and UAE Central Bank initiative, the bank’s 'Transaction Banking' unit has announced reduced tariff offers over the next three months.

In particular, it applies to customers using its revamped 'Smarttrade' platform, which replaces the need for physical branch visits.

The bank will also offer clients new smartTrade activation at no cost for the next three"...

March 7, 2020

As the novel coronavirus continues to spread rapidly, the International Air Transport Association (Iata) has updated its analysis of the financial impact of the COVID-19 crisis, painting a bleak picture of the outbreak’s impact on the global air transport industry.

Previously, Iata estimated that the global air transport industry would lose revenues of $29.3 billion in 2020 due to the coronavirus, based on a scenario that would see the impact of COVID-19 largely confined to markets associated with China.

Since then, the virus has spread to over 80 countries and forward bookings have been severely impacted on routes beyond China.

Iata now predicts 2020 revenue losses for the"...

March 5, 2020

The upcoming Arabian Travel Market event in Dubai is scheduled to go ahead, despite a wave of postponements of other events as a result of the ongoing coronavirus epidemic, according to its organisers.

The event is scheduled to take place at the Dubai World Trade Centre between Sunday, April 19 and Wednesday, April 22.

In a statement to Arabian Business, the show’s organisers said that the event “is scheduled to go ahead as planned”.

“The safety of all our participants"...

March 4, 2020

ABU DHABI, 3rd March, 2020 (WAM) -- The launch of Wizz Air Abu Dhabi will attract more international visitors and boost local economy, according to a top UAE official.

'The launch of Wizz Air Abu Dhabi later this year is very much welcomed by the Department of Culture and Tourism, DCT Abu Dhabi. Having another dedicated low-cost airline operating from Abu Dhabi International Airport will undoubtedly allow more visitors to travel here to experience for themselves what our exceptional destination has to offer,'' said Saood Al Hosani, Acting Undersecretary at DCT Abu Dhabi, about the launch of Wizz Air Abu Dhabi.

''Also,"...

March 2, 2020

Lapita Hotel Dubai in Dubai Parks and Resorts has joined forces with Motiongate Dubai and Adventure Inc. to create the ultimate team building experience with a Polynesian twist.

Forget boring brainstorms and boardroom meetings and experience something inspiring and engaging at Lapita, Dubai Parks and Resorts, Autograph Collection where you will be transported into another dimension with fantasy-like adventures and exciting challenges for the ideal Polynesian business escape.

Strengthen relationships, train or bond with colleagues in the calming surroundings of Lapita, Dubai Parks and Resorts, Autograph Collection with daily team building challenges such as the Survivor Game in Lapita with problem-solving"...

February 27, 2020

An additional three million international visitors are expected to visit the UAE during Expo 2020 Dubai, with arrivals from India, Saudi Arabia, the Philippines, the United Kingdom and Pakistan driving this influx, according to the latest data released ahead of Arabian Travel Market (ATM) 2020.

The research from Colliers International, in partnership with the ATM, predicts that the number of Indian visitors travelling to the UAE will increase by 770,000 between 2020-21, while arrivals from Saudi Arabia will rise by 240,000, the Philippines and UK both by 150,000 and Pakistan by 140,000.

Looking"...