#tourism

Saudi wealth fund PIF announces oil platform themed tourism project, ‘The Rig’

According to PIF, it is the world’s ‘first tourism destination on offshore platforms’ 

Israel plans to reopen to vaccinated tourists in Nov, hopes to attract many from the UAE

Israel is hoping that its pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai will serve as a platform to attract visitors

Formula 1 heads to Qatar in latest win for 2022 World Cup host

The tournament will help boost the tourism sector

In pics: Saudi reveals new luxury mountain resort as part of the Red Sea project

Work on the 60-key property began in July 2021

Abu Dhabi’s Etihad Airways adds more flights to Seychelles

The airline will offer five weekly flights on the route from October 7

Dubai companies including Emaar, Emirates hiring again as Covid crisis eases

Businesses in Dubai’s travel and tourism industry in August saw the sharpest increases in activity and new work in over two years

Hotels

UAE records 62% hotel occupancy rate in H1 2021

The country’s hotel and tourism establishments attracted nearly 8.3 million guests during this period

Dubai tourism

Dubai received 2.85m international overnight visitors from Jan-July 2021

Hotels in Dubai recorded overall occupancy levels of 61 per cent in the first seven months of the year

UAE’s Air Arabia, Lakson Group partner to launch Pakistan’s new low-cost airline

Details about the launch date, fleet, and destination network will be announced in due course

Abu Dhabi airport

Abu Dhabi revises green list, adds 23 destinations including Qatar and Oman

The updated green list, effective September 1, will include a total of 55 destinations

Hatta Dubai Tourism

Sheikh Mohammed approves six new development projects for Hatta

Tourists in Hatta have increased from around 60,000 in 2016 to a million in 2020

Pics: Work continues on SeaWorld Abu Dhabi, marine park on track for completion in 2022

Once complete, the park is set to be home to the world’s largest marine-life aquarium

How user experience is instrumental to developing sustainable smart cities

Cities are complex, networked, and continuously changing social ecosystems, shaped and transformed through different technologies and human interests

Saudi Arabia airport

Saudi Arabia: Vaccinated tourists can now enter without having to quarantine

Saudi recognises the Pfizer-BioNTech, AstraZeneca, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines

Covid-19: Saudi citizens will need to be fully vaccinated to travel outside the country from Aug 9

The only exemptions include children aged under 12 and those who have recovered from Covid-19 less than six months prior to the date of travel

Etihad begins operating direct flights to Vienna

The new service will be operated on Thursdays and Sundays using a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft

Abu Dhabi updates travel green list with France, Seychelles and Canada among new additions

The green list now includes 35 countries, with 12 countries added and eight removed since the previous update

Qatar reopens to fully vaccinated international travellers with no quarantine

The decision will only cover travellers inoculated by vaccines approved by Qatar

Bahrain adds 16 countries to travel ‘red list’ including the Philippines, Indonesia

Only citizens and residents of Bahrain are permitted to enter from the red list countries

Abu Dhabi hotel occupancy rises to highest since pandemic began

Hotels in the UAE capital were 68.5 per cent full last month

Saudi’s Tourism Development Fund deploys Oracle Cloud to automate processes

The implementation is designed to drive automation and integration of TDF’s core functions including banking, finance, HR and procurement

Ras Al khaimah

Ras Al Khaimah offers overnight guests guaranteed prizes as part of new summer campaign

The emirate’s summer tourism campaign, WANASA, which offers discounts and complimentary passes to Dubai Parks and Resorts, is currently underway until September 15

How financial inclusion is a pathway to reviving tourism

Financial inclusion can contribute to tourism development in many ways

Abu Dhabi clarifies that free Covid-19 vaccines will not be given to tourists

The emirate stressed that vaccines are only available to those holding expired residency visas or expired entry visas

Saudi wealth fund weighs new airport in Riyadh for tourism drive

The crown prince’s economic transformation plan has identified Islamic pilgrimage as a key source of non-oil revenue

Abu Dhabi adds five new European countries to its ‘green list’

Cuba and Kyrgyzstan have been removed from the list, effective from June 24

Abu Dhabi to welcome back cruise liners from September

Only vaccinated passengers will be allowed to disembark in the emirate

In pics: Madame Tussauds to open in Dubai’s Bluewaters this year

The attraction will feature 60 global stars, including 16 brand new wax figures from the Middle East

Martin Nydegger, CEO of Switzerland Tourism

How Switzerland’s tourism industry is gearing up for a comeback

Switzerland has been the bellwether and thermometer for the health of Central European tourism. It’s beginning to climb out of one of its most challenging years ever, with Switzerland Tourism CEO Martin Nydegger bullish about a strong recovery

Intelak Hub

Dubai’s Intelak Hub announces 2021 programmes for aviation and tourism startups

Startups that wish to participate in the incubator and accelerator programmes can be based anywhere in the world