Category: Middle East

The Dubai Opera hosted legendary Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli and a troupe of renowned Israeli singers including Idan Raichel as part of a historic concert held at the Dubai Opera. The event, titled ‘A Celebration of Peace’, was held in celebration of the growing momentum for peace in the region. The concert, which featured the participation of musicians from the UAE, highlights Dubai and the UAE’s global reputation as a beacon of tolerance and peaceful coexistence and a model for intercultural harmony and diversity. It also reinforces Dubai Opera’s rising profile as a unique international hub for performing arts and world-class entertainment. ... Read more

Indians travelling home from UAE no longer need to register with the local consulate, the Consulate General of India in Dubai said in a statement. The registration was required for those traveling on the repatriation flights introduced from May under the Vande Bharat Mission. But “since a number of flights are operational by both UAE and Indian carriers along with flights operated by Air India/Air India Express from Dubai/Sharjah, tickets for which are available online, the process of registration at the website of the Indian Consulate, has been abolished with immediate effect,” the statement said. UAE was among the first ... Read more

Middle East airlines Emirates and Etihad Airways have again asked cabin crew to take voluntary unpaid leave as they try to manage the impact from the COVID-19 pandemic, said a Reuters report. Aviation has been one of the worst-hit industries during the pandemic and Emirates and Etihad of the United Arab Emirates have cut thousands of jobs, sources have said. In an internal memo, Emirates crew are told they can take unpaid leave for between one and three months from September 1 to November 30 owing to expected staffing requirements, the Reuters report said. Emirates, which in July asked pilots ... Read more

Emirates will operate repatriation flights to Bengaluru, Kochi, Delhi, Mumbai, and Thiruvananthapuram till August 31. These special flights will facilitate travel for Indian citizens in the UAE wishing to return home, and for UAE residents who are currently in India. Only Indian citizens stranded in the UAE will be allowed to fly from Dubai to the five Indian destinations. All flights will be operated with the Emirates Boeing 777-300ER and can be booked on emirates.com or via travel agents. Passengers must meet all the entry requirements of the destination to be allowed to board the flights. Flights will be available for UAE nationals ... Read more

Effective August 21, Etihad Airways will operate a series of special passenger flights from Abu Dhabi to Bengaluru, Delhi, and Mumbai. The flights can be booked through Hala Travel Management, Etihad’s travel management arm, by calling +971 2 511 7777, or via email at support@htm.ae . Flights must be booked at least 24 hours in advance. The mandatory documentation required will be collected and processed by Hala travel consultants.  Travellers leaving Abu Dhabi to India are required to show a negative COVID-19 PCR test result from a government accredited medical facility, received within 96 hours prior to departure. This negative result certificate will exempt ... Read more

Dubai’s extremely popular desert safari has been ranked as the world’s top tourism experience along with leading travel company OceanAir’s camel riding and desert BBQ in Tripadvisor’s 2020 Travellers’ Choice Awards. The awards recognise the world’s top experiences featuring tours and activities as decided by Tripadvisor and Viator travellers. Winners are determined using a system based on the millions of reviews and ratings of travellers around the world over a 12-month period. Dubai is popular with international travellers for desert safari featuring the adventures in dunes, riding camels, handling falcons, traditional Bedouin hospitality and barbeque buffet dinner under a night ... Read more

Dubai is likely to benefit the most in aviation from the United Arab Emirates’ historic deal to normalize relations with Israel, Bloomberg has reported, gaining a new stream of travellers that can help the Gulf travel hub bounce back from the coronavirus crisis that has decimated air traffic. The agreement between the two countries sets aside decades of enmity, opening ties through air travel, tourism, investment, security and telecommunications. Delegations from the two countries are set to meet soon to work out the details. The opening will give the UAE’s biggest carriers – Emirates and Etihad — an opportunity to feed Israeli passengers through ... Read more

Emirates airline will resume passenger services to three more destinations in the coming weeks, taking its network to 74 cities.  The Dubai carrier will resume operations to Birmingham (September 1) four times a week, Cebu (August 20) two times a week, and Houston (23 August) three times a week. The addition of Houston will see Emirates resume flights to six US destinations in total, in addition to New York JFK, Washington DC, Boston (15 August), Chicago and Los Angeles, with a total of 27 weekly flights to the country. All inbound and transit passengers arriving to Dubai require a negative ... Read more

Dubai’s Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM) has extended the deadline for implementation of their sustainability requirements. Titled the “19 Sustainability Requirements and Carbon Calculator”, the requirements look at how a hotel performs across a number of metrics, while the Carbon Calculator looks at a hotel’s carbon footprint in a month. The department announced that the deadline for these practices has been moved forward by 12 months. In a statement, DTCM said the decision will not only help hotels finalise their compliance, but also give them time to focus on recovery amid the pandemic. The 19 Sustainability Requirements include ... Read more

The Luxury Collection, part of Marriott International, Inc., today welcomed Al Wathba Desert Resort & Spa to its unique ensemble of iconic hotels, marking the debut of the portfolio in Abu Dhabi. Just a 30-minute drive from the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, Al Wathba Desert Resort & Spa is located deep within the expansive landscape of the UAE capital. With a design reminiscent of a historic desert village, it is an intimate retreat suffused with natural beauty, unique tranquillity, and rare experiences, the hotel chain stated in its press release. “We are delighted to welcome Al Wathba, Desert Resort & ... Read more

Indian nationals with any type of valid UAE visas can now travel to the country, India’s Ambassador to the UAE has said. Taking to Twitter, Ambassador Pavan Kapoor referred to an Indian Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) notification, “as per which both Indian and UAE airlines” can carry Indian nationals holding any type of visa from India to the UAE, Khaleej Times has reported. Previously, only residency visa holders were allowed to travel to UAE on flights operated under  India’s repatriation mission called Vande Bharat. This development means UAE residents of Indian nationality who were stranded in India can now ... Read more

Dubai’s tourism and hospitality sectors are seeing a “rapid rebound” after the July 7 reopening, in a positive turn of events which has surprised the travel industry. Bookings by Emirates Airline and flydubai are also on the upswing, with the former now confirming 70 destinations, while flydubai will cover 66 destinations over summer, says a Gulf News report. “Since then (July 7), we have been greatly encouraged by the market’s response in the second phase of our recovery strategy, which was activated along with the gradual resumption of economic sectors, as well as the staggered and tentative restart of travel ... Read more

The iconic Emirates A380 will begin serving travellers on flights to Toronto starting August 16. The airline has already resumed A380 operations to Amsterdam, Cairo, Paris, London Heathrow and Guangzhou.  Customers can fly the Emirates A380 from Dubai to Toronto five times a week. Flights can be booked on emirates.com or via travel agents. Emirates flight EK 241 will depart Dubai at 9:10 and arrive in Toronto at 15:05 local time. The return flight, EK 242 will depart Toronto at 21:45 and arrive in Dubai at 18:30 local time, the following day. The Emirates A380 experience remains a favourite amongst travellers for its spacious ... Read more

Etihad Airways, the national airline of the UAE, has launched an innovative new protective wear for First and Business class guests. As part of its new health and hygiene programme, Etihad Wellness, premium passengers will receive a snood style face mask for use throughout their journey and beyond. The soft reusable snood has been treated with MicrobeBARRIER™ fabric treatment, a broad spectrum antimicrobial treatment, laboratory tested and proven to reduce the presence of germs in fabrics. With this long-lasting protective layer, the snoods are washable and reusable, making them environmentally friendly. Travellers can choose to wear the snood around their ... Read more

Dubai’s medical tourism sector is bouncing back from the effects of Covid-19, with a recent resurgence in numbers of visitors seeking medical treatment as restrictions on travel are gradually lifted. With more countries than ever out of reach to medical tourists in neighbouring nations, many are looking to Dubai for the level of treatment they require, The National has reported. “Dubai is quite an attractive prospect given its ease of access for those from neighbouring countries,” said Christian Schumacher, chief executive of King’s College Hospital London, Dubai. “We are seeing an upturn in the number of visitors from countries with ... Read more