Middle East
Fully vaccinated travellers to Qatar no longer need to quarantine on arrival
Qatar has reopened its borders to international travellers who have been fully vaccinated against Covid-19 with vaccines approved by the Qatar Ministry of Public Health. Qualifying travellers to the country no longer need to quarantine. All visitors – vaccinated or non-vaccinated – will be required to undertake a PCR test within 72 hours prior to departure. International visitors must register and...
Dubai Association Conference to add Expo 2020 experience for delegates in February
The Dubai Association Conference will return for its third edition on 21 February 2022 at Dubai Exhibition Centre, within the Expo 2020 Dubai site The association is running a series of smaller online events in the lead up to the February big date to maximise the impact and address key topics delegates may wish to explore further at the main conference in person. The first of these online sessions...
ADNEC launches its own DMC, under major new holiding company Tourism 365
Abu Dhabi National Exhibitions Company (ADNEC), part of ADQ, has launched ‘Tourism 365’, a new holding company designed to support and create experiential travel opportunities for visitors to the emirate. The launch of the company is in line with ADNEC’s new broader role to support the growth of Abu Dhabi as a tourism destination and extending visitors’ stay in the UAE’s capital. The new operation...
Abu Dhabi holding company ADQ set to push through mega merger of hotels company ADNH with its ADNEC brands
Gulf media report that Abu Dhabi holding company ADQ has submitted an offer to Abu Dhabi National Hotels Company to merge it with its Abu Dhabi National Exhibitions Company (ADNEC) and create one of the largest hospitality, events and catering groups in the region. The combined group would have assets of approximately Dh20bn ($5.45bn) and comprise 28 owned and operated hotels with a total of 6,700...
Ancient meets modern
Saudi Arabia has, in recent years, reached out to the world of leisure and business tourism with international campaigns. it is a destination looking to make a mark, a sentiment reflected by its stunning Mirror building in Al-‘ula. Saudi Arabia is the second biggest tourism destination in the Middle East, although most has been religious tourism. Advertising and marketing campaigns, allied to some...
Hilton launches carbon neutral business meetings in the UK
Global hospitality company Hilton has partnered with social enterprise South Pole to offset the carbon footprint of meetings and events across almost 30 properties in the UK. Initially launched in The Netherlands in May, the offer has been extended to approximately 60 hotels across Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA), with plans to roll out further in the coming months. The initiative has be...
Saudi Arabia to host World Combat Games
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has been awarded the 2023 edition of the World Combat Games (WCG). The WCG is an international multi-sport event featuring 15 combat sports and martial arts which are members of the Global Association of International Sports Federations (GAISF). The WCG aims to establish bridges between elite sport and local communities through initiatives encouraging youth participatio...
Maldives-UAE travel corridor could be agreed in June
Maldives’ Ambassador to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) announced at the recent Arabian Travel Market that the two nations were discussing how to establish a travel corridor and that it could be in operation in early June. This travel corridor would allow travellers who received the two doses of any World Health Organisation-approved vaccines to travel between the Maldives and UAE without a PCR tes...
Arabian Travel Market 2021 opens four-day in-person show in Dubai
The 28th edition of Arabian Travel Market (ATM) 2021 returned to Dubai in-person on 16 May. The region’s largest travel and tourism showcase runs to 19 May at the Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC). HH Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, president of the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority, CEO and founder of the Emirates Group and chairman of Dubai World, officially inaugurated the show. He was accompanie...
ASM Global APAC appoints new GM for Coca-Cola Arena, Dubai
Global venue management and services company ASM Global APAC has announced that Coca-Cola Arena’s Mark Jan Kar (pictured) will be promoted to the new role of general manager as part of a restructure following the recent resignation of current chief executive officer Guy Ngata. Mark who is currently the Arena’s director – commercial and live, will assume the role on 20 June following the departure ...
Malta MICE Business Scheme
The Malta Tourism Authority (MTA) is increasing its support for MICE business to the Maltese Islands with a new MICE Business Scheme designed to incentivise foreign corporate clients and associations to choose Malta and Gozo for their events in 2021 and 2022. The MICE segment is a very important component of Malta’s tourism industry and is generates a higher than average spend per tourist as well ...
ADNEC and Expo Tel Aviv join in business partnership
The Abu Dhabi National Exhibitions Company (ADNEC) and Expo Tel Aviv have signed a new memorandum of understanding. The two exhibition organisers will be partnering to develop business events in Abu Dhabi and Israel. The MoU demonstrates the wider spirit of cooperation between the United Arab Emirates and Israel. The agreement took place at a virtual signing ceremony between Humaid Matar Al Dhaher...