Category: Middle East

Abu Dhabi, in partnership with Yas Island, conducts roadshow in Kuwait to facilitate dialogue with businesses and operating bodies in the Kuwaiti travel and tourism sector to explore the Emirate’s diverse cultural and touristic offerings. Together with Yas Island, DCT Abu Dhabi will host the event on March 14 at The Sheraton, Kuwait. The event will showcase Abu Dhabi’s dynamic cultural and touristic assets to key travel players in Kuwait, spanning leisure, events, accommodation, entertainment and events in the city, with a focus on family travel. “Through this roadshow we hope to engage with travel agents and other industry players ... Read more

Dubai Police has announced its latest project – ‘Police Without Policemen’ – as part of the Dubai 10X initiative. It will make Dubai a city of the future, using three specific activation that ensure security using futuristic solutions. The plans include setting up fixed cameras on fences and homes, the launch of a surveillance blimp and creating a Station in Patrol which aims to provide rapid response to emergencies and replace the need to build traditional police stations. The project was launched by Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of Dubai Future ... Read more

Abu Dhabi has won accolades in the best ‘personal security’ category in the Destination Satisfaction Index at the ITB Berlin. “Winning the award is an important addition to the achievements of the Capital. Thanks to the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, and the embodiment of his interest in ensuring that the Abu Dhabi Police are at the forefront of global policing,” said Major-General Mohammad Khalfan Al Rumaithi, commander-in-chief of the Abu Dhabi Police. Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi) has also picked up the ... Read more

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) – Saudi Arabia rail link will be operational by December 2021. The 2,100 km (1,300 mile) passenger, cargo network, once completed, will connect six GCC states. “By the end of December 2021 we will have a connection between us and the Saudis,” Abdullah Salem Al Kathiri, director general of the Federal Authority for Land and Marine Transport. Phase 2 of Etihad Rail will be linked to Mussafah, to the Khalifa and Jebel Ali Ports, respectively in Abu Dhabi and Dubai, and to the Saudi and Omani borders.    

The Retreat Palm Dubai MGallery launched a one-day retreat on the Palm. The retreat costs Dhs999 per person and comes with a night’s stay in one of the hotel rooms. The retreat is designed especially for busy city dwellers to disconnect from an ‘always on’ lifestyle and reconnect with themselves, through a series of experiences expertly created by the properties DHA approved doctors and specialists. Priced at AED 999 per person, the package comes with a complimentary night’ stay in one of the beautifully appointed rooms. Tucked away on the exclusive coastline of Palm Jumeirah’s East Crescent, the beachfront destination houses ... Read more

Dubai opens its first smart park with electric car charging stations and parking lots that can harness solar energy Al Barsha South. The Al Barsha South Park is considered to be the first smart park in Dubai that has applied modern sustainable technologies. The park, spread across an area of seven hectares, has completed at a cost of Dh15 million. Al Barsha is the first neighbourhood park in Dubai with electric car charging stations in the parking lot. Dubai Municipality has a plan to provide electric car charging stations in all the upcoming neighbourhood parks with parking lots. “This is the first one to implement it,” said ... Read more

XDubai has launched a new playscape for children under 12 years of age with an aim to give children a platform to explore forest life and play in a safe environment. XPark Jr, located opposite Kite Beach in Jumeirah, is open to children aged 1-12 years old. The park offers free play options with wooden forts, climbing ropes, trees and streams. Within a supervised environment, the park will teach the students about small animals and plant life and allows them to build tents, campfires and to connect with nature. The park is designed to ignite the spirit of adventure in children, ... Read more

Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority (RAKTDA) has announced that considering the visitor response, it will open the phase II of world’s longest zipline in the third quarter of 2018. The phase II will feature two new cables and will increase the capacity of the Jebel Jais Flight to 400 people per day, around 200,000 per year. Night time ziplining will commence this summer, giving visitors the opportunity to enjoy a different experience during the summer months, said the authority at ITB Berlin 2018. RAKTDA has plans to attract a million visitors by the end of 2018 and 2.9 million by ... Read more

The Emirates A380 aircraft was piloted by Captain Patricia Bischoff from Canada and First Officer Rebecca Lougheed from the UK with cabin crew led by the purser Weronica Formela from Poland. In addition to the flight crew, an all-woman team worked on all ‘above wing’ and ‘below wing’ activities in the lead up to flight departure. This included women in roles spanning customer service in the airport such as the Passenger Duty Service Manager; ramp operations monitored by the Ramp Duty Controller and Ramp Operations Team Leader; technical services carried out by Licensed Aircraft Engineers and Technicians; and a myriad ... Read more

According to a proposal put forward by the Dubai Airports, it would soon allow the transit passengers to Dubai to leave the airport to experience the city in no time. “Dubai Airports proposes “Microcosm of Dubai” as part of @Dubai10X Initiative overseen by Dubai Future Foundation… In Dubai transit time will become tourism as passengers are encouraged to leave the airport to experience the city,” tweeted the Dubai Media Office through their official twitter handle. Around 4.5 million passengers transit through the Dubai International Airport every month, reaching more than 50 million a year. Of these, an estimated 46 million ... Read more

Malaika Arora is Bollywood actress, performer, fitness, yoga enthusiast, and  what not! She has been making waves in the country and across the globe with her yoga pictures. Malaika is now joining a line-up of over 35 international and local experts at XYoga Dubai on March 16-17, at Dubai’s Kite Beach. More than 60 classes will be conducted at different zones, with the opening day featuring a mass yoga session at 8am. The registration to  over 60 complimentary classes & workshops designed can be accessed at www.xyogadubai.com. With 60 classes, 25 yoga styles and 35 yogis, the organisers are expecting over ... Read more

With an aim to familiarize Abu Dhabi tourism to the travel partners and tour planners in Kerala, the Department of Culture and Tourism has conducted a training workshop in Kerala’s capital city Thiruvananthapuram. The training workshop, conducted in association with Travel Agents Association of India (TAAI), was lead by Bejan Dinshaw, Country Manager of DCT Abu Dhabi at Fortune South Park hotel in the city. The training started by showing the official video of Abu Dhabi, which was followed by a detailed description by Dinshaw about the destination, culture, tourism opportunities and packages the country offers. “Within five years Abu ... Read more

Dubai Airports concluded the Month of Innovation on a high note by winning two awards at the Aeronnovation Summit, which was organised by the UAE’s General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) as part of its strategy to support innovation in the country’s aviation sector. Dubai Airports won the awards under two categories – Improving Aviation Security for its security related platform AMIN, and Improving Passenger Experience for its Airport Community App. AMIN helps maintain security of the airport by using software and systems to centralise all security data to assist airport security professionals in analysing and processes information. The Airport Community ... Read more

Photo Courtesy: SeeSaudi Saudi has long been known as a conservative nation with little or no interest in opening its doors to the foreign visitors. Gone are those days and the nation, as part of its Vision 2030 plan, is all up for major social reforms. And, as part of it, Saudi is finally welcoming globetrotters from across the world to touch, feel and experience the unexplored land. It will start issuing the tourist visas from April 1. Camel Race The electronic passes will be given to ‘all nationals whose countries allow their citizens to visit’ in a bid to ... Read more

Emirates has unveiled a brand new Business Class cabin and configuration on its Boeing 777-200LR aircraft, with new wider seats laid out in a 2-2-2 configuration for the first time. The airline has invested over US$150 million to refurbish the 10 existing 777-200LR aircraft in its fleet. The newly refurbished Emirates 777-200LR aircraft is set in a two-class configuration which offers 38 Business Class seats and 264 seats in Economy Class. While the Business Class seats are in the same design and shape of Emirates’ latest lie-flat seats, they are now two inches wider for a more comfortable journey. The seats ... Read more