#Travel

etihad airways adds flights to shanghai as travel demand to and from china grows

UAE’s Etihad Airways to increase flights to Shanghai from February 2023

Eihad Airways has add a second weekly passenger service to Shanghai following the further relaxation of Covid-related travel measures

Pandemic travel

Pandemic travel has reached a tipping point

The pullback in restrictions is “an acknowledgment that we’re in a new phase of this pandemic, where things are more stable

UAE has the world’s best passport in a top ten dominated by Europe

With a UAE passport, travellers can enter to 180 countries hassle-free — seven more than European countries such as Germany and Sweden

Dnata

UAE’s dnata announces partnership with Amex GBT

As per the agreement, dnata will provide full end-to-end travel and meetings management services to Amex GBT’s customers in the region

Japan

Emiratis can travel to Japan without a visa from November 1

The decision coincides with the launch of the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between the UAE and Japan

Wizz Air Abu Dhabi launches Turkistan flights

Wizz Air launches its first flight between Rome and Dammam

Flights between the two destinations will operate twice a week

IndiGo commences new direct flights between Mumbai and Ras Al Khaimah

Indian carrier IndiGo launches daily direct service between Mumbai and Ras Al Khaimah

Ras Al Khaimah is IndiGo’s 100th overall destination and 11th in its Middle East network

Wizz air bus service

Wizz Air: New bus service to transport passengers from Dubai to Abu Dhabi airport

The service will connect Abu Dhabi International Airport with Dubai’s Ibn Battuta Bus Station on an Express Bus Route

oanne Chehab- head of business partnerships for Managed Services, GBX MENA, TikTok

Why TikTok is the platform of choice for travellers across the region

TikTok has become wildly popular for showcasing immersive travel moments, ranging from creators interacting with nature in many ways, exploring various cultures, simply tasting street food, or trying their hand at uniquely local experiences

Travel demand returns and so does luggage woes GettyImages-1297964713

UAE, Saudi Arabia travellers prefer premium travel experiences, reveals study

According to Collinson, the most popular travel benefits among respondents were loyalty rewards, airport lounge access and frequent flyer rewards

Emirates to invest $2bn to enhance customer experience

Emirates to invest over $2bn to enhance inflight customer experience

Emirates’ latest initiatives include a new vegan menu, a ‘cinema in the sky’ experience, cabin interior upgrades and sustainable choices

Air India announces special ‘Independence Day’ travel offer for Gulf and Middle East

The promotional tickets are on sale between August 8-21, with travel valid until October 15

Airbnb readies $2bn buyback on surge in travel demand

Airbnb readies $2bn buyback on surge in travel demand

The San Francisco-based home-rental company said that nights and experiences booked in the second quarter rose 25 per cent to 103.7m

Etihad Airways records $296m first-half profit

Etihad Airways reports core operating profit of $296m in H1 2022, as travel demand recovers

Eithad Airways carried 4.02 million passengers in H1 2022, over 3 million more than last year, with an average seat load factor of 75 per cent

Sleep 'n Fly T3-B new lounge at DXB

Airport Dimensions opens flagship sleep ’n fly concept at DXB

Sleep options include a range of cabins and sleep ’n fly’s signature FlexiSuite Pods and a dedicated ‘Power Nap’ area

Emirates statement on operations at London Heathrow

UK-UAE travel: Emirates to start third flight to London Gatwick to meet demand

The third daily flight will help serve high demand from customers travelling to and from London this summer

Dr. Simon Worrell Global Medical Director Collinson

Insights: The journey from pandemic to endemic and what it signals

Collinson’s global medical director says countries will increasingly move away from community testing and instead require only symptomatic individuals to be tested, particularly with virus variants become less potent

Emirates rejects LHR request to cut capacity

UAE-UK Travel: Emirates refuses London Heathrow request to reduce flights

Emirates plans to operate services as scheduled to and from London Heathrow until further notice

Airbnb readies $2bn buyback on surge in travel demand

Dubai ranks as 10th best Airbnb destination globally in 2022

According to the latest data from Inkifi, Dubai has 15,948 Airbnb active rentals

Abu Dhabi International expects 2.8 million travellers in July and August

The airport is expecting around 414,000 travellers during the Eid Al Adha travel season between July 7 and 15

UK

UAE citizens will not require visas to visit UK from 2023

The directive has been extended to other GCC countries as well

Dubai's successful tourism

Tourism recovery sees Dubai welcome 6.17 million visitors from January to May

The latest tourism data was revealed by Dubai’s Department of Economy and Tourism at its first ‘City Briefing’ for 2022

Twitter survey on travel 2022 _luggage Getty Images

Travel trends: More than 50% people in UAE and Saudi Arabia are seeking new experiences

Results from a new Twitter Insights Survey showed that around 33 per cent of the respondents in Saudi Arabia didn’t know how they felt about travel in 2022 against 31 per cent who were confident to hop on a plane and travel

Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia lifts Covid-19 precautionary measures

The kingdom registered 905 new Covid-19 infections on June 12

Musafir Mastercard

Mastercard, Musafir partner to enable seamless travel bookings

The partnership will see new payment products introduced to offer travel benefits to both consumers and corporates

courtesy NEOM twitter Saudia

Saudia, NEOM to start regular international flights from NEOM Bay Airport

Saudia will operate direct flights to select regional and international destinations, with weekly flights to Dubai set to start by the end of June

Revealed: UAE tourism sector’s performance in Q1 2022

According to tourism figures for Q1 2022, the country’s hotel establishments attracted nearly 6 million visitors who spent 25 million hotel nights

in-destination

ATM 2022: In-destination experiences to shape the future of global travel and tourism

Topics discussed at the one-day forum included the role of sustainability in driving the in-destination business forward

Ras Al Khaimah Airventure

Ras Al Khaimah offers new hot air ballooning experience

The RAK Airventure attraction is open daily at Manar Mall and is part of the emirate’s sustainable tourism initiatives

Flydubai suspends flights to Sri Lanka till end of August

Budget carrier flydubai restarts flights to Saudi Arabia’s Ha’il and Tabuk

The resumption of these flights will take flydubai’s network in Saudi Arabia to ten destinations, including Dammam, Gassim, Jeddah, Taif and Riyadh