UAE bucks Middle Eastern post-Arab spring tourism decline

International arrivals to the UAE increased healthily in 2012, reaching an estimated 11 million tourists delegates heard today at the latest WTM Vision Conference – Dubai held at Reed Travel Exhibition’s event Arabian Travel Market.

Overall performance of inbound trips to the Middle East region were down 5% last year mainly due to the decline of arrivals to those countries hit by the Arab Spring, which took place in 2011 effecting countries such as Saudi Arabia, Lebanon and Syria. Read more

United Arab Emirates join World Tourism Organization

The UN World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) Secretary-General, Taleb Rifai, announced today that the United Arab Emirates (UAE) rejoined the organization 26 years after having left UNWTO. The announcement was made during the UNWTO & Arabian Travel Market Ministerial Forum on Tourism and Aviation in Dubai, UAE, on May 7, 2012. Read more

Bad for schools’ business, but good for hotels performance

School Holidays Increased Hotel Performance in Dubai and Abu Dhabi in March

A new report released by HotStats has found that this year’s spring school holidays had a very positive effect on the hotels’ performance in Dubai and Abu Dhabi. Hotel occupancy in the two emirates was between nearly 82% to about 90% in March 2013. According to the study, that was due the schools’ spring holiday break, as well as the different sports and cultural events that were held in the region last month.

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A new decade of opportunity for the Gulf

UAE, Oman, Qatar and Saudi Arabia leading the race for tourist revenue growth with positive outlook for industry as governments use tourism as major anchor for economic diversification

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Business Travel Means dnata in UAE

dnata has been presented with three prestigious titles at the 2013 World Travel Awards, including Middle East’s Leading Business Travel Agency; Middle East’s Leading Tour Operator and the UAE’s Leading Business Travel Agency.

The awards, presented at a gala dinner in front of the region’s leading travel groups, are voted on by travel and tourism professionals worldwide and recognise commitment to service excellence. This is the second consecutive year dnata has been recognised by the World Travel Awards as a leader in the region.

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Dubai’s Winners of World Travel Awards Revealed

The winners of World Travel Awards 2013 Middle East were revealed at a lavish ceremony, held at Le Royal Meridien Resort & Spa Dubai on 5 May 2013. The WTA was launched in 1993 to acknowledge and recognise excellence in the global travel and tourism industry. Now celebrating its 20th anniversary, it is regarded as the highest achievement that a travel product could hope to receive.

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World Travel Awards sparkles with winners at Middle East Ceremony

Etihad, Burj al Arab, Emirates, Avis, Europcar, Qatar and Rotana were among the big names to emerge victorious at World Travel Awards 2013 Middle East Ceremony, held at Le Royal Meridien Resort & Spa Dubai on 5 May 2013.

The industry’s elite, including CEOs and SVPs of leading travel companies, government ministers and tourist board chiefs, attended the glittering gala event hailed as “The Oscars of the Travel Industry”. World Travel Awards celebrates its 20th Anniversary this year and is acknowledged across the globe as the ultimate travel accolade, celebrating those brands that are pushing the boundaries of industry excellence in product and service. Read more

Tourism: Improving local and internal marketing

Tourism is not only the world’s largest industry, but also often its most misunderstood. Many people outside of the industry believe that tourism professionals are on a permanent vacation. Others complain about tourism’s negative impact. They see greater traffic on the streets, they note the waits in restaurants and cultural events, and complain that visitors often get lost, are loud, and even rude. While certainly the tourism industry has to plead guilty to some of these charges, any fair minded person will soon realize that tourism does a lot more good than harm and without it many a place would be a lot poorer not only from a monetary standpoint but also from a cultural standpoint. Perhaps one area in which tourism needs to improve is in the area of local or internal marketing. Read more

Sheikh Mohammed Approves Dubai’s Vision for Tourism

His Highness Sheikh Mohammad bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, today officially approved Dubai’s Vision for Tourism: By 2020, Dubai will welcome 20 million visitors per year, and the annual contribution made by tourism to the city’s economy will triple. Read more

Laureate Hospitality Education to Participate in Arabian Travel Market 2013

Top schools Glion Institute of Higher Education and Les Roches International School of Hospitality Management will showcase their programs and employment opportunities in the hospitality industry

Laureate Hospitality Education, a leading global education group in hospitality management, is participating in Arabian Travel Market 2013, one of the most important travel and tourism events in the Middle East for inbound and outbound tourism professionals. The event will take place May 6 through 9 at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre. At stand EU8110, Laureate Hospitality Education will showcase academic programs at Glion Institute of Higher Education and Les Roches International School of Hotel Management in Switzerland, two of the top three hotel management schools in the world, which provide students with the skills and training needed in the growing hospitality industry.

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