Good morning from Skift. It’s Wednesday, September 13. Here’s what you need to know about the business of travel today.
25.08.2023 - 14:42 / skift.com / Edward Russell / Rashaad Jorden / Peden Doma Bhutia
Good morning from Skift. It’s Wednesday, November 16. Here’s what you need to know about the business of travel today.
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The United Arab Emirates has ambitious goals for tourism. It recently unveiled a new strategy aiming to make tourism a $122 billion a year industry, reports Asia Editor Peden Doma Bhutia in this week’s Middle East Travel Roundup newsletter.
The UAE Tourism Strategy 2031 aims to attract $27 billion worth of new investment to the sector as well as 40 million hotel guests. Government officials also said the strategy includes 25 initiatives and policies supporting the development of tourism. The United Arab Emirates, which recently lifted all pandemic-related travel restrictions, saw its tourism revenues surpass $5 billion in the first half of this year.
Meanwhile, airlines throughout the Middle East and Africa expect to return to profitability by the end of the year in spite of a possible economic downturn. Bhutia writes that carriers across the region have seen an enormous surge in travel demand, citing Emirates Airline as an example. It carried 20 million passengers between April 1 and September 30, a more than 200 percent jump from the same period last year.
Next, train service to Washington Dulles International Airport finally launched on Tuesday, decades after planners first proposed a rail link to the airport. Rail service will not only make Dulles easier to reach for travelers, it’ll also make the airport more attractive for new airlines, especially budget carriers, reports Edward Russell, editor of Airline Weekly, a Skift brand.
Jack Potter, CEO of the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority, predicted that Dulles would land new service as a result of the rail link, noting that budget airlines expect to have transit to city centers. Iceland-based budget carrier Play Airlines has already announced it will start flying to Dulles next April.
The new train service to Dulles joins the growing number of rail links to U.S. airports, Russell notes. Los Angeles and Orlando International Airports are scheduled to debut rail connections next year. Almost 57 percent of U.S. fliers will have access to rail on one leg of their journey after those two connections open, according to Airline Weekly.
Finally, African nations are fighting to recover artifacts stolen from them while being colonized by European powers. Although tourism is not the main reason for seeking their return, African officials believe those objects will be major attractions for members of the diaspora eager to visit the continent, reports Contributor Harriet Akinyi.
Akinyi cites Uganda as one destination developing a strategy to showcase artifacts it plans to retrieve.
Good morning from Skift. It’s Wednesday, September 13. Here’s what you need to know about the business of travel today.
Marriott International announced 13 deal signings in Turkey comprising over 2,000 rooms.
More Indians are taking personal loans to travel and meet vacation-related expenses, according to Madhavan Menon, executive chairman of Thomas Cook India.
The Central Bank of the United Arab Emirates this week revised the nation’s gross domestic product (GDP) growth for 2022 from 6.5 percent to to 7.6 percent. Explaining the reason for the renewed forecast, the bank cited stronger than anticipated performance of non-oil sectors, including tourism, hospitality, real estate, transportation and manufacturing. In its review report for the third quarter, the Central Bank noted that it expects non-oil gross domestic product to grow by 6.1 percent in 2022, compared to its previous estimate of 4.3 percent, while it expected oil gross domestic product to grow by 11 percent in 2022. Explaining the reasons for the steady growth in gross domestic product, the report cited the removal of most Covid-related restrictions, in addition to recovery of the tourism sector, real estate and construction boom, expansion of manufacturing activities, as well as the hosting of global events.
Good morning from Skift. It’s Wednesday, November 23. Here’s what you need to know about the business of travel today.
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The United Arab Emirates government on Sunday announced the lifting of all precautionary measures implemented in the country during Covid-19. With the lifting of restrictions, wearing of masks has now been made optional in all open and closed facilities, including places of worship and mosques. However, those categorized as “people of determination” would be required to wear mask while visiting health facilities and centers. The Al Hosn app would now only be required to furnish proof of vaccination and for test results inside and outside the country, when required. The green pass on the app would no longer be required to enter public facilities and sites. The requirement of a polymerase chain reaction test would also no longer be made mandatory for those attending or participating at sporting events. The authorities said they have decided to ease the restrictions after studying the epidemiological situation in the country and having monitored occupancy rates in hospitals and intensive care for Covid cases.
Looking to position itself as a leading tourism destination in the Middle East, Dubai has scrapped the 30 percent municipality tax on alcohol for what has been called a trial period of one year, till December 31. Also, tourists and expats will no longer need to pay a fee to secure a personal liquor license to purchase alcoholic beverages. However, an Emirates ID, or passport for tourists, will still be required. The change that came into effect from Sunday, was confirmed by Maritime and Mercantile International, one of the biggest alcohol retailers in the United Arab Emirates and a subsidiary of the state-owned Emirates Group.
Dubai-based property developer Nakheel announced it has secured $4.6 billion in strategic financing deal to drive what it calls, “the new phase of growth.”
In a bid to boost tourism’s contribution to the national gross domestic product to $122 billion a year by 2031, the ruler of Dubai, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, launched the UAE Tourism Strategy 2031 on Friday. Eyeing an annual increase of $7.4 billion, the tourism startegy aims to attract new investments of $27.2 billion to the tourism sector in the country, and attract 40 million hotel guests in 2031. The strategy includes 25 initiatives and policies to support the development of the tourism sector in the country, according to the government media office. With the return of tourists, the United Arab Emirates’ tourism revenues surpassed $5 billion in the first half of this year.