• Middle Eastern airlines passenger demand up 19.7 percent in Feb: IATA

    Geneva, Switzerland -- The International Air Transport Association (IATA) released data for February 2024 global passenger demand, with total demand, measured in revenue passenger kilometers (RPKs), rising 21.5 percent year-on-year (YoY). Total capacity, measured in available seat kilometers (ASK), grew 18.7 percent YoY. The February load factor was 80.6 percent...

  • Abu Dhabi targets 39.3 million visitors by 2030

    Emirate's new tourism strategy aims to increase the sector’s contribution to GDP from $13.34 billion in 2023 to $24 billion by 2030.

  • flydubai adds two Saudi destinations

    Flights to Al Jouf Airport and Red Sea Airport to start from April 18.

  • Emirates retains fourth most valuable airline brand status

    Dubai, UAE -- UAE carrier Emirates defended its title as the fourth most valuable airline brand, with a staggering 30 percent increase in brand value, reaching $6.6 billion, according to Brand Finance, a brand valuation consultancy. With global travel recovering after the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, airline brands in the Middle East have...

  • Middle East to receive millions of Chinese tourists lost in Covid pandemic

    Dubai, UAE-- Outbound travel from China is estimated to almost double this year, compared with 2023 and will only be 22% below its peak pre-pandemic numbers of 155 million tourists in 2019, who spent over $250 billion overseas, according to Oxford Economics Full recovery is expected to materialise in 2025,...

  • Atlantis Dubai first Eastern Hemisphere Certified Autism Center resort

    Dubai, UAE -- Atlantis Dubai becomes the first resort destination in the Eastern Hemisphere to gain the Certified Autism Center (CAC) designation by both Atlantis, The Palm and Atlantis The Royal, following the successful certification of Atlantis Aquaventure in 2023. The CAC designation, awarded by the International Board of Credentialing...

  • Arabian Travel Market’s sold-out Travel Tech area grows 56% YoY

    Dubai, UAE -- More than 100 of the world’s leading travel technology companies will be exhibiting at Arabian Travel Market (ATM) 2024, which will take place at Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC) in the UAE from May 6-9. ATM 2024’s sold-out Travel Tech space will be 56 percent bigger than...

  • Russia working to establish visa-free travel with Gulf nations: Bogdanov

    Moscow, Russia -- Russia is working to establish a visa-free regime with all Gulf countries, said Mikhail Bogdanov, Russia's deputy foreign minister and special presidential representative for the Middle East and African countries. "In principle, such work is going on systematically. Because, of course, I think it is in the...

  • Dubai hotel occupancy up 3.4% to reach 90.8 percent in Feb

    Dubai, UAE -- Dubai hotels achieved a 3.4 percent year-on-year growth in occupancy levels, reaching 90.8 percent, according to preliminary data for February released by CoStar, a provider of global real estate information, analytics, and online marketplaces. Other key metrics also showed positive growth, with the average daily rate (ADR)...

  • European tourists make a beeline for Sharjah as 400,000 visit in 2023

    Sharjah, UAE-- Nearly 400,000 visitors from Europe have traveled to Sharjah during last year, marking a notable 28 percent increase compared to the previous year, with Europeans constituting 27 percent of the total visitor count. Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority (SCTDA) made the announcement during its press conference on...

  • UAE airports surpass 134 million passenger mark in 2023: GCAA

    Abu Dhabi, UAE -- Saif Mohammed Al Suwaidi, Director-General of the General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA), said Thursday that the UAE's airports surpassed 134 million passenger mark in 2023 and are projected to reach 140 million by 2024. He attributed this achievement to the robustness and competitiveness of the UAE...

  • Saudi Arabia surpasses 2030 tourism target of 100 million visitors

    The Kingdom drew praise for this achievement from UN Tourism and the World Travel & Tourism Council. Motivated by this success, the country has now set a new ambitious target of 150 million tourists by 2030.

  • Dubai Customs new record: 17.15m international visitors in 2023

    Dubai, UAE -- In 2023, Dubai Customs managed 46.87 million bags from 206,396 flights, averaging 128,400 bags daily and played a role in the reception of a record-breaking 17.15 million international visitors. The Passenger Operations Department has over 845 inspection officers supported by 77 baggage inspection devices. Ibrahim Al Kamali,...

  • Global air travel reaches 99% of 2019 levels: IATA

    IATA’s Director-General Willie Walsh said that international travel is 5.5% below pre-pandemic levels, but that gap is narrowing fast. "And domestic markets have been above their pre-pandemic levels continuously since April." According to Walsh, international travel is moving ever closer to surpassing the 2019 peak year.

  • Bahrain kicks off roadshow in China to boost tourism sector

    Manama, Bahrain--The Bahrain Tourism and Exhibitions Authority (BETA) began a roadshow in Shanghai and Guangzhou, China, involving prominent travel, tourism, aviation, and hotel sectors.  The roadshow aims to promote Bahrain as a prominent tourist destination in regional and global markets, enhancing the sector's contribution to the gross domestic product in...

  • Oman year-on-year growth rate touches 15.4 percent

    Muscat, Oman - Oman's achieved a 15.4% year-on-year sector growth, as reported by the National Center for Statistics and Information (NCSI). The growth revolves around a rapidly evolving landscape, propelled by strategic investments and diversification endeavors. Maritime freight was at the forefront, commanding a significant 54.8 percent share of all...

  • Sustainable aviation fuel production lags behind demand: IATA official

    Dubai, UAE -- The current production of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) represents less than 1 percent of the sector's demand, despite the production and usage accelerating threefold in 2023 compared to the previous year. This has led to significant investments in the field, with airlines committing to purchasing available quantities...

  • Iran president to travel to Saudi Arabia for Gaza summit

    The upcoming summit is being organised by the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), a 57-member bloc of majority Muslim countries. It will be Raisi's first visit to the kingdom since the two countries agreed to restore diplomatic relations after seven years of estrangement, a deal brokered by China in March.

  • Saudi e-visa facility extended to Turkiye, five other countries

    Riyadh, Saudi Arabia-- Saudi Arabia announced Tuesday that it will grant e-visa to visitors from six new countries -- Turkiye, Thailand, Panama, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Seychelles and Mauritius -- for leisure, business and religious (Umrah only) travel, bringing the total number of such countries to 63. A visitor e-visa...

  • Delta posts Q3 profits of $1.1b  

    The company’s revenues rose 11 percent to $15.5 billion.

  • Air France-KLM to buy stake in SAS

    Air France-KLM will buy 19.9% shares of SAS.

  • Russia plans visa-free travel with Latin American countries

    MOSCOW, RUSSIA – A senior Russian official said that they intend to move towards visa-free travel with all countries of Latin America. Director of the Russian Foreign Ministry’s Latin American Department Alexander Shchetinin said that this is an achievable goal. Shchetinin told TASS about the to move towards visa-free travel...

  • Qantas posts bumper profit

    The airline's annual profit climbs up to US$1.1 billion.

  • Passenger traffic at Dubai airport jumps 50% to 41.6m in H1

    Surpassing pre-pandemic levels, more than 40 million passenger visits were recorded at Dubai international airport in the first half of the year, a 50 percent jump. According to its operator, the airport, busiest for international passengers before Covid-19, the passenger traffic went well past the number recorded in the first...

  • DAE H1 profit up 13%

    The company posted a 15% increase in revenue to $670 million.

  • GM reports strong results

    Profits jumped 52 percent to $2.6 billion .

  • Egypt to receive first batch of Iranian tourists in era of restored ties

    Tehran, Iran-- After years of frosty relations between the two countries, Egypt and Iran are set to restore ties with the visit of Iranian tourists to the North African country. According to the Egyptian Minister of Tourism and Antiquities, Ahmed Issa, Iranian tourists will soon travel to the country through...

  • Saudi Arabia climbs to 13th rank on IATA air connectivity index

    Riyadh, Saudi Arabia-- Saudi Arabia vaults to the 13th position on the air connectivity index of the International Air Transport Association (IATA) in 2023, up from the 27th position in 2019. In the ranking that includes over 200 countries, the Kingdom achieved a record rise by 14 places. It achieved...

  • Saudi Arabia to provide visitors with instant e-visa to boost travel

    Riyadh, Saudi Arabia-- In order to boost the travel and tourism industry in the kingdom, Saudi Arabia will offer instant e-visa options to visitors, facilitating UK, US, and Schengen visa holders, as well as permanent residents of UK, US, and any EU country to obtain tourist e-visas. Saudi Arabia had...

  • Airline industry’s net profits to shoot up to US$9.8bn in 2023: IATA

    Dubai, UAE-- Airline industry is expected to clock net profits in the region of $9.8 billion in 2023, which is more than double the previous forecast of $4.7 billion, according to the International Air Transport Association's (IATA) outlook for 2023. Airline industry operating profits are expected to reach US$22.4 billion...

  • Air Arabia to double fleet

    The plan will boost Abu Dhabi's tourism market.

  • Travel industry looks to Chinese tourists to cap post-Covid rebound

    Jet makers, airline executives and hotel tycoons at this week's Qatar Economic Forum spoke of an apparently insatiable demand for travel. Chinese tourists, now unshackled from Covid-19 restrictions, will complete the boom, they said. The northern hemisphere summer travel season is expected to send airline traffic back to levels last...

  • Iran releases two French citizens from prison, says Paris

    Iran released two French citizens jailed in separate cases, France said, urging Tehran to release several others still detained in the Islamic republic. Bernard Phelan, who also holds Irish nationality and Benjamin Briere were freed from their prison in Mashhad city and are "on their way to France", Foreign Minister...

  • Global tourism industry is on track to reach pre-pandemic levels

    MADRID, SPAIN -  The World Tourism Barometer published its second report of the year, which showed that international tourism is making a strong comeback to pre-pandemic levels. During the first quarter of 2023, twice as many people traveled internationally than in the same period of 2022, with a total of...

  • Word power: Gender-neutral language need of the hour

    "Despite all of the lovely words spoken by every company and organization during events such as International Women’s Day to prove how much they’re doing to achieve gender equality, we still have anachronisms that remind us how much we have to do to change hearts and minds and ensure fair...

  • Lufthansa expects summer boom

    The group's first quarter loss dipped to $515m from $644m a year ago.

  • Over 3.8m passengers transit through Sharjah Airport in Q1 of 2023

    SHARJAH, UAE -  Over 3.8 million passengers traveled through Sharjah Airport in the first quarter of 2023, recording a 28.01 per cent increase over the same period in 2022. The airport is expected to achieve even higher growth rates by the end of 2023.   The aircraft movement for the...

  • Arabian Travel Market unveils Monday in Dubai

    DUBAI, UAE - The 30th edition of Arabian Travel Market (ATM) will open Monday at Dubai World Trade Center (DWTC), local media reports said. The event, on May 1-4, will see global travel, tourism, and hospitality experts come together to explore how their industry is ‘Working Towards Net Zero’.For ATM...

  • American Q1 profit at $10m

    The airline's revenues were $12.2 billion, up 37 percent.

  • Lebanon judge to lift travel ban on central bank chief: judicial officials

    Under investigation both at home and abroad on suspicion of fraud, money laundering and illicit enrichment, Riad Salameh has been summoned for a hearing in Paris next month. He is part of a political class widely blamed for the country's economic crisis that the World Bank says is of a...

  • Saudi envoy to Yemen travels to Houthi-held capital to ‘stabilize truce’

    The Saudi ambassador's visit seeks to support the prisoner exchange and also to explore venues of dialogue to reach "a sustainable, comprehensive political solution."

  • OPEC projects world oil demand to average 101.9 mb/d in 2023

    Vienna, Austria  – The Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) projected oil demand to grow by a healthy 2.3 mb/d YoY in 2023 to average at 101.9 mb/d, driven by the ongoing recovery in the travel and transportation sectors. “Following estimated growth of 2.5 mb/d y-oy in 2022, oil...

  • Trade leadership helps UAE emerge as a soft power

    “Trade has had an indelible impact on our soft power. Located at a strategic global crossroads, the UAE is one of the world’s most connected countries and acts as a vital bridge for many nation’s products on key East-West, North-South trade routes. This role is reflected in the value of...

  • China’s international trade in services stands at US$67.6bn in January

    Beijing, China--China's international trade in services stood at 459.5 billion yuan, or US$ 67.6 billion, in January, official data showed on Friday, Xinhua News Agency reported. Services exports totalled $25.44 billion last month, and services imports were at $40.50 billion, resulting in a trade deficit of $15.50 billion , according...

  • Oil demand to hit record as China reopens, air travel recovers: IEA

    Demand is expected to reach 101.9 million barrels per day on average in 2023, an increase of two million barrels per day from last year, the IEA said. It would be up 1.4 million barrels a day from the pre-pandemic level in 2019 as consumption of fossil fuels behind global...

  • Turkey comes out with retaliatory travel alert for US, EU

    Ankara has been most recently outraged by anti-Islamic protests by a far-right extremist who was allowed to burn the Koran outside the Turkish embassies in Stockholm and Copenhagen.

  • Tourism in Iraq can be a success, says First Deputy Speaker of Parliament

    BAGHDAD, IRAQ -  First Deputy Speaker of Parliament Mohsen Al-Mandalawi said that the tourism sector in Iraq has all the ingredients for success. Al-Mandalawi made the statement while meeting with the Association of Travel and Tourism Companies in Iraq, a statement issues by the  media office of the First Deputy...

  • Privacy remains key concern as facial recognition technology makes GCC travel sector secure, efficient

    Face and iris recognition technology vary by country in the region, and expecting it to be implemented in many airports around the world in a short time is unrealistic, says an expert.

  • Huthi rebels tighten restrictions on Yemeni women: Activist

    Dubai, United Arab Emirates--Yemeni student Abir al-Maqtari dreamt of studying abroad but amid a tightening of restrictions on women, Huthi forces blocked her from leaving. The Iran-backed Huthis, who have controlled swathes of the Arab world's poorest country since seizing the Yemeni capital Sanaa in 2014, have increasingly enforced travel restrictions...

  • UAE passport ranked most powerful in the world

    Dubai, UAE— The United Arab Emirates has been ranked as the country with the world's most powerful travel document. That is according to the latest publication of the Passport Index, a global ranking by Montreal-based citizenship financial advisory firm Arton Capital. The UAE has beaten the likes of Germany, Sweden,...

  • Riyadh’s WTTC Summit to oversee signing of 50 deals

    RIYADH, SAUDI ARABIA - Fifty deals and agreements are expected to be signed in the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) Global Summit in Riyadh, Saudi Minister of Tourism, Ahmed Al Khateeb said. The minister evaluated the deals to be worth $50 billion, local media reports said. The agreements include...