#tourism

Business travel

These are the world’s 10 most expensive cities for business travel

The survey was based on 2022 data for four-star hotels, meals, laundry and incidental costs

SeaWorld Abu Dhabi photo WAM Miral

World largest aquarium to open in Abu Dhabi in May

SeaWorld Abu Dhabi’s eight realms are spread across five indoor levels,spanning an area of approximately 183,000 square metres

Saudi Arabia tourism visa

Saudi Arabia relaxes tourist visa rule for all GCC residents

The announcement is the latest in a series of initiatives that seek to attract visitors coming from GCC countries

Arab Health: At the crossroads of healthcare

Arab Health: At the crossroads of healthcare

The online event, which began on January 9, will go on until to March 2

DCT Abu Dhabi signs MoYU with Inpex fpr teamlab Phenomena Abu Dhabi sponsorship

TeamLab Phenomena Abu Dhabi receives ¥1bn in sponsorship deal from Japan’s Inpex Corporation

The Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi has signed an MoU with Inpex subsidiary, Japan Oil Development, for the sponsorship deal for teamLab Phenomena Abu Dhabi

Lorenzo Jooris on UAE-China ties

Opinion: Why the re-opening of China is good news for UAE’s economy

In 2021, non-oil trade between the two countries totalled almost $60bn, resulting in a 27 per cent growth on the previous year

In partnership with RTA and Dubai Holding, Udrive has launched its Hatta fleet and service

RTA, Udrive partner to launch Dubai-Hatta fleet

The Hatta fleet has been activated with increased mileage allowances within the Udrive platform to provide affordable mobility solutions to and from the destination

Dubai receives 14.36 million international visitors in 2022

Dubai receives 14.36 million international visitors in 2022

The emirate closed in on its pre-pandemic visitor figures of 16.73 million recorded in 2019

Yalago stats photo Dubai Media Office

Emirates Group’s Yalago records 92% rise in hotel bookings in 2022

According to the wholesale specialist, travellers are spending 30 per cent more per booking, taking on more extensive meal plans such as all-inclusive, and booking five-star hotels as a majority

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Prime Minister and Chairman of the Events Investment Fund

Saudi Crown Prince launches Events Investment Fund, aims to boost culture, tourism, sports sectors

The fund will conceptualise, finance and oversee development of more than 35 venues by 2030, with the aim of delivering its first asset by 2023

Visitor

Ras Al Khaimah records highest visitor numbers in 2022

The full-year figures follow a strong December performance in which the emirate welcomed its highest ever footfall in one month, with over 128,000 visitors

Red Sea project render

Saudi Arabia: The Red Sea to join exclusive Serandipians’ luxury network

Upon completion in 2030, The Red Sea will comprise 50 resorts, offering up to 8,000 hotel rooms and over 1,000 residential properties across 22 islands and six inland sites

Qatar

Qatar launches first commercial charter flight to and from Kazakhstan

The nation has identified Kazakhstan as one of 15 target markets where tourists can relax, rejuvenate and enjoy Qatar’s vibrant culture

Vietnam

Dubai’s Sunset Hospitality Group launches Azure Beach and Attiko in Vietnam

The group sets sights on opening a further 20 venues in 2023, 15 of those internationally, as its expansion plan gathers pace

PIF adds Diriyah project to its portfolio

Saudi Arabia’s PIF announces Diriyah as its fifth giga project

The sovereign wealth fund’s other giga projects include NEOM, Red Sea, Qiddiya and Roshn 

Dubai International courtesy Twitter (Dubai Media Office)

Dubai welcomes over 23.7 million passengers in 2022

This marks an 89 per cent increase in passenger traffic compared to the previous year

Emirates signs pact to support visitor arrivals to The Bahamas

UAE’s Emirates Airline, Bahamas partner to promote tourism

The airline and the country’s Ministry of Tourism will participate in joint initiatives to boost visitor traffic into the islands from across the airline’s network

musafir travel trends 2023 -e1607842665376

International travel to see steeper growth in 2023, predicts Musafir.com

The average annual business travel spend of SMEs in the UAE is expected to grow by 15-20 per cent in 2023

Dubai welcomes 11.4 million international overnight visitors between Jan-Oct

Dubai welcomes 11.4 million international overnight visitors between Jan-Oct 2022

The emirate’s average hotel occupancy in the first 10 months of the year stood at 71 per cent

Dubai

Dubai’s GDP grows 4.6% during first nine months of 2022

The emirate hosted 10.12 million international visitors from January through September 2022, compared to 3.85 million welcomed during the same period last year

Tourism

This is how tourism must shift to actually address climate change

An estimated 11 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions are due to tourism, and that’s predicted to double by 2050

World's Coolest Winter Campaign_ WAM

Sheikh Mohammed launches third ‘World’s Coolest Winter’ campaign

In its second edition last year, the campaign generated Dhs1.5bn in revenue, with the number of local tourists increasing to more than 1.3 million

Saudi’s Public Investment Fund launches Aseer Investment Company

The new investment arm will attract local and foreign direct investment to develop the Aseer region

miral group ceo

Cover feature: How Miral is transforming Abu Dhabi with its grand vision

Mohamed Abdalla Al Zaabi, group CEO of Miral, the leisure, tourism and lifestyle brand, tells us how the company is realising Abu Dhabi’s ambitious economic, leisure and tourism strategy, one mega project at a time

Saadiyat

Saadiyat: One island, many journeys

Abu Dhabi’s Saadiyat Island features an exclusive beach lifestyle, world-class hospitality, unique cultural attractions and a spectacular natural ecosystem that will keep you coming back for more

Saudi Arabia elected chair of UNWTO

UNWTO elects Saudi Arabia as chair of Executive Council

The Saudi Minister of Tourism, Ahmed Al-Khateeb, will represent the kingdom as chair of the UNWTO Executive Council

Kuwait’s Jazeera Airways to launch new route to Turkistan

The new service will commence on December 3, and service demand for religious and cultural tourism

UAE’s GDP to grow more than 6% in 2022, says IMF

The fund expects the country’s non-hydrocarbon growth to be around 4 per cent in 2023

Almosafer

Saudi’s Almosafer partners with Visit Oman to boost sultanate’s inbound tourism

Almosafer’s consumer business will run a 360 marketing campaign throughout 2023 to promote Oman to its customer base in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and the UAE

DCT Abu Dhbai Hotelbeds tie up

DCT Abu Dhabi, Hotelbeds partner to promote Abu Dhabi in key markets

The strategic partnership will increase awareness of the emirate among Hotelbeds’ network of travel agents and partners