Saudia inaugurates flights from Riyadh, Jeddah to Beijing

Saudia launches flights connecting Riyadh, Jeddah with Beijing

The new routes reinforce Saudi Arabia’s commitment to boost the growth of the tourism and aviation sectors

Dubai tourism numbers for H1 2023

Dubai surpasses pre-pandemic international tourism levels in H1 2023

The emirate said there were 8.55 million international tourists in the January-to-June period this year, the best first-half performance yet

Russia to issue e-visa for 19 countries including India from August 1 Image Getty Images GettyImages-877839566

Russia to issue e-visas to Indian passport holders from August 1

In February, the Russian Prime Minister signed a decree approving facilitated visa regime for citizens of 19 countries, including India and the Philippines

World Tourism Day 2023

Saudi Arabia’s PIF sets up company to boost tourism sector

The new company will invest in new tourism projects and develop attractive destinations in cities across the kingdom

affordable luxury

Summer tourism trends: UAE travellers embracing affordable luxury, says report

The luxury travel market is experiencing significant growth, characterised by a preference for 5-star stays, premium economy or business class flights, and exclusive private tours

Hajj

Saudi Arabia launches ‘personal visit visa’ for Umrah

Personal visas can either be a single entry visa valid for 90 days or a multiple entry visa valid for 365 days

UAE citizens can enjoy visa-free travel to Azerbaijan Image credit Ayhan Altun_GettyImages-993085120

UAE nationals can now enjoy visa-free travel to Azerbaijan

The agreement, enabling visa-free travel for UAE, Azerbaijani citizens between both countries, allows stays of up to 90 days

Red Sea Global Water sports

Red Sea Global, North Sails collaborate on sustainable sailing and water sports

The partnership will involve North Sails Apparel providing performance apparel for WAMA, RSG’s water sports brand, catering to the needs of their sailing and water sports staff

hotels

World’s best hotels: Multiple Dubai luxury properties in the list

On the best hotels list, the scoring system resulted in many ties, with 20 hotels sharing the No. 5 spot

SalamAir operates six A320neo, six A321neo, and one Airbus A321 freighter

Oman’s SalamAir to launch flights to 18 routes from Fujairah Airport

The destination brings Salam Air’s network to 39 destinations across 13 countries

Saudi Arabia visitors cross 100 million

Hajj season begins, over two million pilgrims expected in Saudi Arabia

The kingdom announced the lifting of Covid-19 pandemic restrictions before the start of the Hajj season

hotel

Dorchester Collection to open first Dubai hotel by year end

Dubai’s hospitality industry is seeing a boom that started during the pandemic when the city opened its hotels and restaurants as other countries were still in lockdown

abu dhabi dark sky

Abu Dhabi targets 24 million tourists for 2023

Abu Dhabi plans to build on its destination offering for international tourists from cultural and heritage venues to state-of-the-art theme parks

UAE weather rain summer temperatures

UAE’s top tourist attraction revealed

The destination holds twice the popularity compared to any other venue

flydubai summer travel 2023 Image credit flydubai

Summer travel 2023: flydubai expects over 4.5 million passengers during season

The carrier will start operating to nine seasonal summer destinations from June 21 onwards

Dubai Summer

Dubai Summer Surprises 2023 starts this month: Know the dates and what’s on offer

Spending summer in Dubai got a whole lot more fun with Dubai Summer Surprises 2023 starting this month

Dubai's DET hosts city briefing on tourism milestones Image Dubai Media Office_DET

Dubai’s DET hosts year’s first ‘City Briefing’, key tourism milestones highlighted

The event, held at the Dubai World Trade Centre, highlighted the crucial role assigned to the city’s tourism sector in driving the success of the Dubai Economic Agenda, D33

Dubai public beaches dhs93 million revamp completed Image Dubai Media Office

Dubai completes Dhs93m facelift of public beaches

Dubai Municipality said it will continue to carry out regular maintenance of its beaches and amenities as part of an annual plan valued at over Dhs15m

Saudi Arabia disburses $8bn

Saudi to invest more than $800bn in tourism sector by 2033

The ministry has developed comprehensive plans for the travel and tourism sector which comprises 3 per cent of the labour market

Travel tips from an expert - visa-free

A travel expert’s top tips: Trip planner, double-sealed bags and the best way to see a city

A road warrior’s high-end hacks, tips and off-the-wall experiences to travel right this summer

GCC citizens to gain access to UK for GBP 10 under ETA scheme GettyImages-1297964713

UK travel: GCC, Jordan nationals to pay GBP10 for multiple visits under new ETA scheme

Citizens of GCC countries currently pay GBP30 per visit to the UK under the current electronic visa wavier scheme while Jordanian nationals pay GBP100 for a visit visa

Ajman Holiday Homes

Landlords, hotel owners can rent out short-term holiday homes in Ajman

The holiday homes services create a comprehensive regulatory framework to govern and supervise the operations of short-term rentals

Hana Al Rostomani

Virgin Atlantic relaunches London-Dubai service, booking opens soon

Customers can book flights from June 7, with flights operating from October 28

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid at Jebel Ali public beach. Image credit: Dubai Media Office

Sheikh Mohammed approves master plan for Dubai’s public beaches

The proposed development forms part of the Dubai 2040 Urban Master Plan, and aims to increase the length of public beaches by 400 per cent

Red Sea Coastline. Image Credit: redseaglobal.com

Red Sea joins Virtuoso’s portfolio as a travel partner

The destination hopes to be the gold standard for regenerative and sustainable tourism when it opens its doors to travellers later in 2023

travel and tourism

Travel and tourism sector set to contribute Dhs180.6bn to the UAE economy this year

WTTC is forecasting that the sector will create nearly 7,000 jobs this year, surpassing the pre-pandemic peak of 745,100

safeguard

How to safeguard your ‘digital’ life on a vacation

With the increasing dependence on technology, the tourism industry is also becoming vulnerable to cyberthreats and therefore needs to prioritise security measures

Dubai Municipality three new Beaches for night swimming photo Duvbai Media Office

Beach tourism: Dubai Municipality opens three new beaches for night swimming

Night swimming timelines at the beaches will be from sunset to sunrise, Dubai Municipality said

Red Sea

Saudi Red Sea developer weighs public offering as soon as 2026

The firm is in early talks with banks and stakeholders, John Pagano, chief executive of Red Sea Global, said in an interview, without disclosing details on advisers, banks or valuation

Luxury travel

Insights: The new face of luxury travel

From sustainability to revenge travel, here are the key trends driving luxury tourism