Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid at Jebel Ali public beach. Image credit: Dubai Media Office

Sheikh Mohammed approves master plan for Dubai’s public beaches

The proposed development forms part of the Dubai 2040 Urban Master Plan, and aims to increase the length of public beaches by 400 per cent

Red Sea Coastline. Image Credit: redseaglobal.com

Red Sea joins Virtuoso’s portfolio as a travel partner

The destination hopes to be the gold standard for regenerative and sustainable tourism when it opens its doors to travellers later in 2023

travel and tourism

Travel and tourism sector set to contribute Dhs180.6bn to the UAE economy this year

WTTC is forecasting that the sector will create nearly 7,000 jobs this year, surpassing the pre-pandemic peak of 745,100

safeguard

How to safeguard your ‘digital’ life on a vacation

With the increasing dependence on technology, the tourism industry is also becoming vulnerable to cyberthreats and therefore needs to prioritise security measures

Dubai Municipality three new Beaches for night swimming photo Duvbai Media Office

Beach tourism: Dubai Municipality opens three new beaches for night swimming

Night swimming timelines at the beaches will be from sunset to sunrise, Dubai Municipality said

Red Sea

Saudi Red Sea developer weighs public offering as soon as 2026

The firm is in early talks with banks and stakeholders, John Pagano, chief executive of Red Sea Global, said in an interview, without disclosing details on advisers, banks or valuation

Luxury travel

Insights: The new face of luxury travel

From sustainability to revenge travel, here are the key trends driving luxury tourism

Wellness Tourism

Why wellness tourism is the next big thing?

The wellness tourism industry has become a significant contender in the global tourism market, with a valuation of $815bn in 2022, making up 18 per cent of the total market

UAE booming tourism sector

Soaring tourism numbers bolster UAE’s economy

UAE’s tourism sector defies odds to attract record tourist numbers over the past year

Emirates, Etihad partnership

Travel to UAE on a single booking: Emirates, Etihad Airways strengthen cooperation

Customers of each airline from this summer can buy a single ticket into either Dubai or Abu Dhabi, and return via the other airport

Jordan Tourism Board

ATM 2023: DCT Abu Dhabi, Jordan Tourism Board sign MoU

The MoU represents a one-year agreement to strengthen tourism and economic cooperation and build dual-destination awareness to drive incremental leisure traffic

ATM 2023: Shurooq seeks to drive growth with new developments, upgrades

The projects are poised to continue making a significant impact on Sharjah’s economy as tourism is a key driver of growth in the region

Saudi tourism

From ancient history to modern luxury, Saudi Arabia’s tourism offerings continue to expand

Saudi tourism is set to surge with significant investments being made throughout the kingdom to enhance both religious and non-religious tourism 

ATM 2023 Emirates and Indonesia sign MoU

ATM 2023: UAE’s Emirates signs 3 MoUs with Indonesia, Morocco, Zimbabwe

The three agreements are aimed at encouraging inbound travel and bolstering visitor numbers to the three countries

Saudi Tourism Authority Visa sign MoU at ATM 2023

ATM 2023: Saudi Tourism Authority, Visa sign MoU to boost tourism

The two entities will explore opportunities to establish the first Tourism Data Lab in Saudi Arabia and enable digital payment solutions for tourists

Dubai tourism in Q1 2023

Dubai welcomes 4.67 million tourists in Q1 2023

The visitors in Q1 2023 were just two percentage points short of the pre-pandemic volume of 4.75 million tourists that arrived in Dubai in the first three months of 2019

Arabian Travel Market Dubai 2023 Photo WAM

Arabian Travel Market 2023 starts on May 1

For the first time, Arabian Travel Market 2023 will feature a Sustainability Hub, which will offer a venue for sessions dedicated to the latest sustainable travel trends and innovations

Abu Dhabi to welcome more visistors photo WAM DCT Abu Dhabi

Abu Dhabi to welcome more than 24 million visitors this year

Abu Dhabi welcomed 18 million visitors in 2022, which is a 13 per cent increase from the previous year

WTTC travel and tourism EIR report photo gettyimages

Global travel and tourism sector to reach $9.5tn in 2023: WTTC

The global tourism body also forecasts that the sector will recover to 95 per cent of the 2019 job level

Eid getaways

Top 12 getaways for Eid this year

With Eid just around the corner, many people in the UAE are already planning their vacations to celebrate the occasion with their loved ones

Dubai Health Authority

Dubai welcomes 674,000 medical tourists in 2022

The city’s strategic location, exceptional infrastructure and amenities add to the factors that have raised its status as a medical tourism hub

Abu Dhabi unveils fund to boost tourism

Abu Dhabi launches fund to boost business tourism

The fund aims to boost business-to-business events, provide financial support and incentives to event organisers and agencies

Schengen visa application

EU inches closer to digitalise Schengen visa procedure

The proposal aims to make the visa application procedure more efficient and to improve the security of the Schengen area

NEOM Airlines launched

New Saudi carrier: NEOM Airlines to launch in 2024

The airline will be focused on enabling travel for tourists, residents and commercial partners to and from NEOM

NEOM Bay Airport contract

Saudi Arabia’s NEOM awards contract for international airport

The contract’s scope includes project management for master planning, design and construction services, through to testing, commissioning, operational readiness, activation and transition

VFS Global

VFS Global extends Ramadan timings in UAE

Offers premium application centre services for UK visa applicants

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

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

emirates and philippine airlines announce interline agreement Image Emirates Media Centre

Emirates, Philippine Airlines codeshare offers travellers access to these destinations

With the new agreement, Emirates now has interline partnerships with 120 air carriers

World's Coolest winter campaign photo WAM

World’s Coolest Winter campaign concludes, here are its highlights

The third edition raised the number of domestic tourists to 1.4 million, an increase of 8 per cent over the previous edition