Middle East
UAE president announces COP28 summit to be hosted at Dubai Expo City
The 28th United Nations Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP28) will be hosted at Dubai Expo City. The conference will be held under the directive of president His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, The Dubai venue brought the world together in the UAE for six months for Expo 2020 and COP28 will share similar objectives. COP28 will focus on key pillars, including the implementat...
Abu Dhabi CVB and SITE team up on incentives strategy for emirate
The Abu Dhabi Convention and Exhibition Bureau, part of the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi), has signed a strategic partnership with the Society of Incentive Travel Excellence (SITE) to support the emirate’s MICE offering. The agreement will enable employees and key stakeholders to receive a specialised professional certification and benefit from SITE’s educational pr...
Abu Dhabi sees strength in partnerships
The Abu Dhabi Convention & Exhibition Bureau (ADCEB) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Etihad Airways to bolster its support for MICE groups travelling to the emirate. The strategic partnership with Etihad Airways will enable ADCEB to offer flights and discounts to eligible MICE groups as part of its Advantage Abu Dhabi programme. The initiative provides financial assistance,...
Saudi Arabia signs up to host World Combat Games 2023
The Global Association for International Sports Federations (GAISF) and the Saudi Olympic & Paralympic Committee have signed a deal which will see Riyadh being awarded the right to host the 2023 World Combat Games (WCG). The international multi-sport festival will come to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s capital in 2023, with ancient sporting traditions, competitions and demonstrations on display...
Abu Dhabi National Exhibitions Company delivers US$250m of impact to national economy
Abu Dhabi National Exhibitions Company (ADNEC) has announced the value of its direct and indirect impact on the Abu Dhabi economy in 2021 registering at AED2.4bn (US$250m). During 2021, ADNEC made investments and expanded its leisure tourism sector, diversifying the portfolio. Humaid Matar Al Dhaheri, managing director and Group CEO of ADNEC, said: “We have overcome unprecedented challenges of rec...
Israel to drop vaccination requirements and open borders for all
The Israeli prime minister’s office has confirmed Israel will begin allowing entry to all tourists, regardless of whether they have been vaccinated against Covid-19, from 1 March. Under the new guidelines, tourists of all ages, both vaccinated and unvaccinated, will be allowed to enter Israel, as long as they submit a negative PCR before boarding and take another PCR after landing. Currently only ...
Abu Dhabi and Miral partner on fund programme to attract large MICE groups
Abu Dhabi Convention and Exhibition Bureau (ADCEB) has announced a new partnership with Miral, creator and management company for Yas Island and other emirati experiences, to strengthen the emirate’s position as a leading MICE destination. The partnership will specifically target business events with more than 500 attendees. The partners have set up a joint Business Event Fund, a first-of-its-kind...
Dubai rebounds with international arrivals nearly half of total visitation number in Q4
Dubai continues to show a lead the global tourism and business events rebound as the city reports welcoming 7.28m overnight visitors in 2021, a figure that represents 32% year-on-year growth. In a significant boost to the economy, international arrivals during the fourth quarter of 2021 climbed to 3.4m, accounting for 47% of total visitation. The figures come from the latest data published by Duba...
UK to showcase Queen’s Platinum Jubilee and plans for Commonwealth Games 2022 at Dubai Expo
Her Majesty The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games and Unboxed: Creativity in the UK, are due to showcase the UK at Dubai Expo 2020, as one of the strongest and most open economies in Europe, as testing and quarantine restrictions end for fully-vaccinated visitors. Culture secretary Nadine Dorries (pictured) and minister for exports Mike Freer will lead the government’s d...
Turkey to lead the way on new global sustainable tourism certification
The Turkish government has claimed to be the first government in the world to sign a collaboration agreement with the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) for sustainable tourism standards and certification accreditation. With the agreement, Turkey and GSTC will introduce a National Sustainable Tourism Scheme using the GSTC’s Destination Criteria. The three-year agreement will see a restructu...
Dubai raises its bids and aims for 400 global economic events a year by 2025
Dubai Business Events (DBE), the city’s official convention bureau has reported capturing a total of 120 events over the past year and for the future. Collaborating with stakeholders across the public and private sectors, DBE has helped secure a combination of conferences, meetings and incentive travel programmes, set to feature almost 70,000 key opinion leaders, scientists, government officials a...
Israel to lift travel ban, cancelling its ‘red’ country Covid list
In a move that is likely to ease travel to and from Israel, the country is set to cancel its ‘red’ list of countries with high Covid infection rates and will move these countries to its orange and green lists dependent on their status. As before, inbound travellers are required to present a negative Covid test in order to board a flight (either PCR taken less than 72 hours prior the hour of depart...