Dubai College of Tourism (DCT), part of Dubai’s Department of Economy and Tourism has launched the ‘Autism and Sensory Awareness’ course within the Dubai Way training platform.

The training course builds upon the ‘Inclusive Service’ training and ‘Dubai Way’ courses.

Many of Dubai’s hotels and attractions are now well underway in auditing their facilities, and staff can take the prerequisite training within the Dubai Way platform, promised DCT.

Dubai Tourism vision for inclusivity

Essa Bin Hadher, general manager of Dubai College of Tourism, commented: “At Dubai College of Tourism, we are committed to creating a welcoming and inclusive destination for all travellers to Dubai. With the launch of our new ‘Autism and Sensory Awareness’ course, we are taking an important step towards achieving our goal of becoming a certified autism destination.

“By equipping our tourist-facing workforce with the knowledge and tools to better serve visitors with autism, we are ensuring that all travellers to Dubai have a positive and enjoyable experience. We are delighted to be launching this course in time for World Autism Awareness Day, as we continue to showcase Dubai as an inclusive destination.”

The autism and sensory awareness training course ensures that staff take a knowledge assessment, are provided an autism overview, understand autism identification, common needs, autism perspectives, sensory awareness, and basic safety protocols. The course then goes on to explain the nuances of travelling with autism, attraction to water and animals, and specific lessons for each traveller interaction, including hotels, attractions, and transportation.

Source: Hotelier

The country has been at the forefront of creating a reliable ecosystem favourable for medical travel to thrive again.

In light of the pandemic, the healthcare sector, like any other industry, had to reassess its priorities and make constant adjustments to suit the shifting patterns. Among the difficulties it faced was the complete shutdown of medical travel due to travel restrictions and patients’ fear of hospital visits.

Fortunately, as we slowly emerge from the pandemic, medical travel is again gaining traction. In the UAE, important decisions taken in the early days to curtail the virus and the effective preventive measures put in place have catalysed the comeback. The country has been at the forefront of creating a reliable ecosystem favourable for medical travel to thrive again.

Recent research has found that the global medical tourism industry is estimated between US$35 to US$55 billion, with 12-14 million travellers taking medical trips each year for treatments including cosmetic surgery, reproductive health, dental and orthopaedic, amongst others. Reportedly, the growth rates for medical travel remain stable between 7-9 per cent, with the wellness tourism market expected to grow much faster at 20 per cent per annum.

The Asia-Pacific’s medical tourism industry is expected to grow at the highest rate., boasting advanced healthcare infrastructure and a skilled workforce to cater to international patients. Furthermore, the rise in the number of international health insurance providers is another factor that has contributed significantly to the growth of the global medical tourism industry.

Spotlight on the UAE

The UAE is expected to witness the fastest growth in the Middle East, supported by mandatory insurance in Dubai, expanding medical travel, increasing population and medical inflation. The country’s medical travel industry is expected to reach US$53.5 billion by 2028, with Dubai having a majority share of the medical travel market. The influx of international patients is expected to grow by 20 per cent from 2022.

The country is renowned for offering state-of-the-art services in plastic surgery, orthopaedics and sports medicine, ophthalmology, preventative healthcare, dental surgery, wellness, dermatology, and aesthetic procedures, among others.

The UAE’s decision to make private hospitals COVID-19-free was one of the several factors instrumental in bringing about this much-needed change. Compared to other preferred medical tourism destinations, a clear difference can be seen between the UAE’s approach to handling the pandemic, which has given the country a unique advantage. The structured approach that the government took made it a leading example for the rest of the world.

Furthermore, these measures have been crucial in building confidence among international patients. Moreover, major global airlines have returned to business as usual, while the hospitality industry is continuing to implement stringent hygiene control.

Also, most shopping malls, F&B outlets and entertainment industries are back in full swing, creating a much-needed tourism ecosystem. All these factors are boosting medical travel and creating an environment conducive to industry growth.

Looking at the Northern Emirates, last year, RAK Hospital in Ras Al Khaimah won two prestigious awards from World Medical Council (WMC) at WMC Excellence Awards 2022 in Dubai. Bagging the ‘Medical Tourism Hospital of The Year’ award, the healthcare institution was recognised for its commendable efforts in promoting UAE as a medical tourism destination across the globe and establishing the hospital as a preferred medical tourism destination.

At RAK Hospital, we have always worked in line with the UAE’s vision. With a department exclusively dedicated to foreign patients, we have created a vast network that ensures a complete, holistic and satisfying experience for patients from start to finish, both in terms of a welcoming environment and world-class treatment. Over the years, RAK Hospital has represented UAE on international platforms to generate medical travel into the country successfully. Moreover, it has also gained a reputation for successfully handling critical emergency surgical cases flown into the country, further cementing UAE on the medical travel map. In fact, we witnessed an increasing number of medical tourists and inquiries at RAK Hospital last month.

Regulatory initiatives

A collaborative approach across private and public healthcare providers and the UAE government is increasing, which is expected to drive better health outcomes and ensure the sustainability of the health ecosystem. Regulatory authorities and governments are working towards increasing access to accurate real-time health information and services for better planning of healthcare infrastructure and workforce and increasing better health outcomes.

For instance, the Dubai Health Authority (DHA) has launched the “Dubai Health Experience” as the world’s first medical tourism portal to boost medical travel. The Department of Health Abu Dhabi (DoH) and the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi has also launched the Abu Dhabi Medical Tourism e-portal. These portals allow visitors to book medical procedures and take advantage of discounted airfares, visas, medical insurance, hotel stays, leisure activities and more.

Leveraging telemedicine

As a result of the increasing adoption of “connected care”, technological advances have changed from the traditional asset-heavy hospital-related developments to pioneering medtech devices; to new sector niches, such as digital health, including its subcategories mobile health, wearable devices, telehealth and telemedicine, and personalised medicine.

The emergence of telemedicine as an essential communication tool has been a further boon for the medical travel industry. With the world shifting to virtual platforms due to the tough travel restrictions, telemedicine emerged as one of the most important means to establish regular contact between patients and healthcare professionals.

There are two primary areas of telemedicine:

• Teleconsultation enables patients (alone or accompanied by healthcare professionals) to consult a doctor remotely by means of technological tools.
• Telemonitoring enables a medical professional to interpret data collected in the patient’s living environment remotely and in real time.

I have always strongly felt that most medical tourists could opt for telemedicine for the first few initial consultations and procedures. To achieve this, we offer free teleconsultation to familiarise medical tourists with this route. At RAK hospital, our doctors actively engage with telemedicine patients worldwide and offer them best-in-class consultations, further cementing confidence in the tool. With immense growth opportunities available, telemedicine is already on the path to becoming a profit-making prospect.

Source: Omnia Health

Dubai: After a bustling events season with occupancy rates of 85 to 90 per cent from January to mid-March, UAE hotels are launching attractive staycation deals for the upcoming holy month of Ramadan and the long Eid Al Fitr weekend. And as international travel gets more expensive, staycations are becoming all the more popular among UAE residents.

Hotels across the UAE have slashed their prices on staycation deals by 30-40 per cent compared to the January-March peak demand. According to a recent survey, 35 per cent of UAE residents are opting to celebrate the upcoming holiday season locally. by 

Amongst the ones planning to celebrate in the country, a significant majority are planning for staycations in Ras Al Khaimah, Fujairah, Umm Al Quwain, and Abu Dhabi.

Book early for the best deals

From complimentary upgrades to spa treatments and free night stays, hotels across categories – luxury, four-star, three-star, and budget properties – have launched attractive packages for Ramadan and Eid Al Fitr.

Deals at five-star hotels in Dubai and Abu Dhabi are currently priced between Dh600 to Dh1,250 per room per night. And prices will increase closer to Eid, so hoteliers advise staycation seekers to book well in advance. For example, Anantara The Palm is offering a 25 per cent discount to UAE residents in any room or villa, and rates start at Dh950.

UAE residents can enjoy special rates and early check-in and late check-out at Legoland Hotel with complimentary access to either Legoland Dubai or Legoland Water Park for Dh850 for two adults and one child. Palazzo Versace Dubai offers staycation deals for Dh1,250 until April 30, including a whole array of benefits for UAE residents.

Five Palm Jumeirah’s ‘pay three and stay four’ and ‘pay six and stay eight’ deals are hugely popular and are priced between Dh1,544 to Dh1,755 for a family of four.

Properties in Ras Al Khaimah are more affordable, with staycation deals at Dh1,065 at the Marjan Island Resort and Dh1,099 at Cove Rotana. The offers are for a one-night weekend stay. Weekday stays are at least 20 per cent cheaper.

Staycations back in demand

Laura Eggleton, General Manager of Hotel Indigo Dubai Downtown, said: “In 2021, 4 per cent of the business was driven through staycation, which reduced to one per cent in 2022. Our Q4 long weekend did better than expected, although the major driver was the leisure travel than through staycations.” However, demand is picking up again this season.

“We’re seeing interest, but with all Eid periods, our lead time for bookings is very last minute,” said Eggleton. The hotel has launched a special Ramadan Kareem Room Package, including Iftar and Suhoor, starting at Dh549 (excluding taxes).

Anoop Dhondoo, Cluster General Manager, Novotel and Ibis World Trade Centre and Ibis One Central, told Gulf News: “Our hotels have been operating at a high occupancy rate of 75-80 per cent during the festive season, and we have even been fully booked at times. Some of the demand is being driven by staycation guests.” Ibis One Central and Novotel Hotels, part of the Accor Group of Hotels, offer their loyalty programme members (Accor Live Limitless) a 15 per cent discount with several perks.

What are ‘workcations’?

There’s a growing trend among UAE residents to indulge in ‘workcations’, where residents choose to stay in hotel properties with their families while logging into work from a remote location. According to Marriott Bonvoy’s 2023 Travel Trends research, which analysed the 2023 travel plans of 14,000 travellers across Europe and the Middle East, hybrid and remote working has significantly impacted travel plans in 2023.

“Nearly a third of those from the UAE (31 per cent) and 23 per cent from Saudi Arabia plan to take a ‘work-away holiday’ – where they will continue to log on and work whilst travelling, thus allowing them to experience a new place without taking annual leave,” said Neal Jones, Chief Sales and Marketing Officer, Marriott International – Europe, Middle East and Africa. And a lot of these residents would opt for these workcations in Ras Al Khaimah, Fujairah, and Umm Al Quwain

Source: Gulf News

It’s been nearly a month since a 7.8-magnitude earthquake struck Turkey and Syria, claiming the lives of thousands of people and injuring many more.

The devastating impact of the events, and the aftershocks that have followed, have left many travelers who had been planning to visit the country in the coming days, weeks, or even months, with questions.

Now in a three-month state of national emergency, Turkey is a major tourism destination, attracting 44.6 million foreign arrivals in 2022, according to Turkish government statistics.

Many would-be visitors will have been headed to key resorts and cities, particularly in popular coastal winter sun destinations.

The quake hit near to the town of Gaziantep in southeast Turkey, close to the Syrian border, at around 4.17 a.m. local time on February 6, leading to over 6,000 buildings collapsing.

While international travelers have been advised against traveling to the affected areas, travel to the leading tourism destinations – mostly far from the quake-hit areas – remain unaffected for the most part. But there will inevitably be some impact.

Here’s what we know:

What areas have been affected by the earthquake?

Approximately 10 Turkish provinces were impacted by the quake, which was one of the strongest to hit the region in more than a century – Adana, Adiyaman, Diyarbakir, Gaziantep, Hatay, Kahramanmaras, Kilis, Malatya, Osmaniye and Sanliurfa.

The ancient Gaziantep Castle, one of the Turkish city’s most renowned landmarks, was severely damaged due to the earthquake.

The city of Aleppo, already ravaged by 11 years of civil war, was among the most affected areas of northwestern Syria, where more than four million people were already relying on humanitarian assistance.

Have flights to Turkey been canceled?

International airlines have been operating flights to and from Turkey as normal since the earthquake.

Three airports – Turkey’s Adana Airport (ADA,) Hatay Airport (HTY) and Gaziantep Oğuzeli International (GZT) Airport – were briefly shut after the quake. However, all have since reopened.

Istanbul Airport, Turkey’s main international airport, has continued to operate as normal.

Turkish Airlines, the national flag carrier airline of Turkey, is allowing passengers to either rebook, or obtain a refund on domestic and international flights to or from “earthquake afflicted areas”on flights scheduled from February 6 to March 31, provided they were booked before February 9, 2023.

How will vacationers be impacted?

There’s no indication that any travel to Turkey’s major tourism destinations has been majorly disrupted and most are able to welcome visitors as normal.

Ali Kutuk from Likya Nature Travel, a travel agency based in Antalya that offers trekking tours, told CNN Travel that the agency had so far had just one group booking cancellation, and one rebooking as a result of the quake.

“We have [had] some impact on recent tours,” he says, before stressing that he is not expecting the situation to affect summer bookings and local people are still making travel plans within the country. “I continue to have reservations for summer.”

Antalya is around 594 kilometers (369 miles) away from earthquake zone city Gaziantep by air. Istanbul is about 850 kilometers (528 miles) away. Other major tourist destinations such as Cappadocia, Canakkle, Bodrum and Marmaris are also far from affected areas.

What is the current advice for international travelers?

While various governments, including the US and the UK, have urged travelers to avoid specific areas impacted by the earthquake, citizens are not being advised stay away from unaffected areas in Turkey at present.

Should tourists visit Turkey now?

Most of Turkey’s leading tourism destinations are continuing to welcome visitors. For many in the country, the recent earthquake has made it more imperative that people continue to travel to Turkey’s unaffected areas for their vacations.

Many people in Turkey are dependent on tourism revenues and, after being affected by pandemic shutdowns in recent years, were banking on a resurgence in visitors until the quake hit.

In 2021, Turkey’s travel and tourism sector contribution to GDP was $59.3 billion, according to the World Travel & Tourism Council.

The World Bank says that the quakes have caused around $34 billion of direct damage in Turkey.

What can I do to help victims of the earthquake?

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) have launched two emergency appeals with a total value of 200 million Swiss francs (around $214 million) to help relief efforts in both countries.

There are many other organizations who are also on the ground responding. You can help by clicking here.

Source: CNN

Dubai’s Department of Economy and Tourism (DET) has announced the relaunch of the pioneering Carbon Calculator tool that measures the carbon footprint within Dubai’s hospitality sector. The tool has now been revamped to track real-time data for carbon emission sources, allowing hotels to identify and effectively manage their energy consumption.

The improvements are part of the Dubai Sustainable Tourism (DST) initiative that seeks to contribute to the broader clean energy targets and support the UAE Net Zero by 2050 Strategy, in line with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UNSDGs) 2030. The initiative also supports the goals of the Dubai Economic Agenda D33, to consolidate Dubai’s status as one of the top three global cities and enhance its position as one of the world’s leading sustainable tourism destinations.

Since its inception in January 2017, Dubai Sustainable Tourism’s Carbon Calculator, part of the Tourism Dirham Platform, has been measuring the carbon footprint of hotels across Dubai. On a monthly basis, hotels are mandated to submit their consumption of nine carbon emission sources, including: electricity, water, district cooling, liquefied petroleum gas, landfill waste, recycled waste, petrol, diesel and refrigerants. This information is aggregated and analysed to provide valuable industry insights on the sector’s collective carbon footprint. In addition, by formulating a baseline along with consistent tracking, this information enables hotels to understand their energy, water and waste consumption and further identify successful cost-saving opportunities.

The data provided helps hotels and resorts implement initiatives to efficiently manage their carbon footprint in line with the 19 Sustainability Requirements put in place to establish a baseline across hotels in Dubai and unify hotels’ environmental practices. The 19 Sustainability Requirements include sustainable management approaches, performance metrics, energy, food and water management plans, guest education, employee training initiatives, the presence of sustainability committees within hotel establishments and corporate social responsibility programmes for local communities. Through improving internal sustainability operations, hotel establishments in turn, will enhance the competitiveness of Dubai’s tourism-linked economy.

Yousuf Lootah, Acting CEO of Corporate Strategy and Performance sector, Dubai’s Department of Economy and Tourism, said: “We are pleased to relaunch the Carbon Calculator as part of our ongoing commitment to support the UAE Net Zero by 2050 Strategy, and align with the Dubai Economic Agenda D33. The upgraded platform also further aligns with the UAE’s commitment to achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals, particularly as the city ramps up preparations to host the 28th Conference of the Parties (COP28) this year.”

Lootah added: “As DET continually strives to further enhance its services to stakeholders and partners, the revamped carbon calculator will provide hotels with a user-friendly experience and enable hotels to make informed decisions. By keeping track of their energy consumption, the data provides a baseline for DET to develop strategies for the sector so that hotels and resorts can effectively manage impact, improve the efficiency of managing carbon resources and identify potential saving opportunities. In addition to supporting hotels and resorts within the city’s tourism ecosystem, this initiative has a larger goal: creating a city that is the world’s most visited and the best place to live and work in, as envisaged by the Dubai 2040 Urban Master Plan.”

In addition to relaunching the Carbon Calculator, the Dubai College of Tourism (DCT) and Dubai Sustainable Tourism (DST) have upgraded the ‘Dubai Sustainable Tourism’ course available on DCT’s innovative learning platform – Dubai Way. The course offers a broad range of educational and awareness programmes for people employed in tourist-facing roles across the tourism ecosystem.

The newly relaunched module includes educational segments focused on the Carbon Calculator, water and energy saving, how to establish a ‘Green Team’ and implement green procurement strategies. The course reflects the power of education in driving sustainable tourism and encouraging the implementation of environmental practices, while empowering participants with the knowledge to successfully implement ESG principles across the travel and hospitality sectors, thus creating a network of sustainability champions.

Source: Emirates News Agency – WAM

Business travel in the Middle East and Africa (MEA) is recovering more rapidly than in any other region, according to the most recent Business Travel Index Outlook annual forecast and outlook (2022), from the Global Business Travel Association (GBTA), the world’s largest business travel association. MEA business travel achieved 86% of its 2019 levels during 2022, outperforming the recovery in Americas, Asia Pacific and Europe.

The strong performance of the sector and future opportunities will come under the spotlight during Arabian Travel Market (ATM) 2023, which takes place at Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC) from 1-4 May.

Danielle Curtis, Exhibition Director ME, Arabian Travel Market, said: “The business travel sector is a key component of the Middle East’s wider travel and tourism industry, and it is encouraging to see that it has bounced back so strongly since the pandemic. The Global Business Travel Association (GBTA) will present an in-depth analysis of how technology can support this return to travel and the ways in which this can be done sustainably in two education sessions with key insights from leading industry professionals.”

According to the forecast, business travel spending reached $933 billion globally in 2022, 65% of the USD $1.4 trillion business pre-pandemic travel spend, with the MEA region accounting for $23 billion or approximately 2.5% of overall spending within the sector.

“The MEA region is an important growth market for business travel and benefitted from a prompt Covid-19 vaccination roll-out in key markets such as the UAE and Israel, as well as increased economic activity driven by the rising price of crude oil to accelerate the business travel recovery. The region is expected to return to pre-pandemic business travel spend by 2024 and continue its growth trajectory” said Catherine Logan, Regional Vice President EMEA & APAC, GBTA.

GBTA will be hosting two sessions at ATM 2023. The first entitled, ‘All Hail the Innovators’ will be taking place on the Global Stage, discussing how transformational technologies can be harnessed and incorporated into corporate travel program effectively. High-profile speakers include, James Britchford, Vice President Commercial IMEA, IHG, Jordan Bray, Vice President of Plug and Play, and Mohammed Halawi, Global Travel and Journey Risk Management Director, Firmenich FZ LLC.

The second session entitled ‘Implementing Sustainability in your Travel Program’ will be taking place in the brand-new Sustainability Hub and will feature GBTA’s Catherine Logan, Regional Vice President – EMEA & APAC. Logan will provide insights on how corporate travel programs can become more sustainable.

Aside from restricted travel, an increase in remote working globally has had a dampening effect on business travel growth. However, now that travel is almost restriction-free, employees have revealed an increased likelihood to travel more for work, whether long-term or overnight business trips according to the latest business travel outlook poll from GBTA.

Curtis commented: “After the turbulent period we have experienced over the last two years, it will be very interesting to assess current market conditions and find out how business travel can continue to grow, particularly with the recent relaxation of travel restrictions in China.”

ATM 2023 will explore the future of sustainable travel in line with its theme of ‘Working Towards Net Zero’. Having officially initiated its journey to net zero, the conference programme will explore how innovative sustainable travel trends are likely to evolve, allowing delegates to identify growth strategies within key vertical sectors while providing a platform for regional experts to explore a sustainable future ahead of COP28, which will take place in November 2023 at Expo City Dubai.

The conference will also feature a sustainability category at its annual exhibitor awards for the first time. Exhibiting organisations will be recognised based on the extent to which they have considered the environmental impact of their stands, as well as their efforts to reduce their carbon footprint.

ATM 2023 is held in conjunction with Dubai World Trade Centre and its strategic partners include Dubai’s Department of Economy and Tourism (DET) as the Destination Partner, Emirates as the Official Airline Partner, IHG Hotels & Resorts as the Official Hotel Partner and Al Rais Travel as the Official DMC Partner.

Source: TravelDailyNews

Shayan Zaeem, co-founder and president of Revolving Games, is just one of thousands of remote workers around the globe. He has landed up in Dubai, which is ramping up efforts to pitch itself as a destination for more people like him.

His company, which is currently working on a new BattleStar Galactica game with Universal Studios, is headquartered in San Francisco but due to the pandemic scaled its operations globally.

“Most people prefer working from home in the tech industry, and Dubai was a no brainer for me,” he said, tempted by the infrastructure and facilities of the “vibrant, multifaceted city.”

Dubai, the largest city in the United Arab Emirates, launched a one-year virtual working program in 2020 that Zaeem took advantage of. It has so far received 30,000 enquiries (a spokesperson didn’t confirm the number of visas approved).

The United Arab Emirates has also introduced a raft of new longer term 5 and 10-year residency Golden Visas, 80,000 of which were issued last year.

Now Dubai’s looking to appeal to a wider demographic following a new partnership with Airbnb, among other initiatives.

Airbnb Backing

Dubai’s Department of Economy and Tourism set up an online remote working hub with Airbnb in December last year. The Middle Eastern city is one of 20 global destinations in the home-sharing platform’s Live and Work Anywhere initiative.

Airbnb also published a guide for governments outlining recommendations for how communities can benefit economically in September 2022.

“We’re delighted to be one of the 20 destinations to partner with Airbnb and we expect to see a positive uplift in remote working,” said Issam Kazim, CEO of the Dubai Corporation for Tourism and Commerce Marketing.

The remote working focus comes as the United Arab Emirates looks to boost tourism’s contribution to the national gross domestic product to $122 billion a year by 2031. Its new UAE Tourism Strategy 2031 also targets 40 million hotel guests in 2031. Dubai alone received 14 million international overnight visitors in 2022, double the amount of 2021.

A ‘Pricey’ Destination

Part of its strategy to draw more people probably also explains why it made alcoholic drinks cheaper, but there are concerns Dubai — like many fast-recovering destinations — may soon start pricing out digital nomads.

The emirate is classified as “pricey” by the well-respected Nomadlist, with members reporting an average monthly accommodation spend of $3,652.

“For well-paid remote workers that like vibrant cities, it will be one of the shortlisted countries for sure,” said Mark Phillips, founder of Nomad Stays. ”But for most digital nomads, probably not. It’s just too expensive.”

Phillips also thinks Airbnb is pushing Dubai to move upmarket to compete with Expedia’s VRBO brand.

But for Zaeem, Dubai is a “melting pot” destination that can suit different budgets. “It depends on the person and what kind of lifestyle they want to live,” he said. “Yes it can be expensive if that’s the lifestyle you choose for yourself, however, if you want to live moderately and still want to enjoy a decent lifestyle you can do that as well easily.”

Apartment rentals for locals are also soaring, which could deter many digital nomads who seek out cheaper destinations to maximize their length of stay, as costs creep up to target tourists.

Portugal has seen this recently, and as a result plans to axe its Golden Visa scheme and ban new licenses for Airbnbs and other short-term rentals.

Will Dubai be able to keep its remote work allure if tourism takes over?

Source: Skift

Dubai could become a new center for sustainability and wellness, if developer URB gets its way. The Dubai-based firm has proposed a series of ambitious, environmentally focused designs to transform the emirate – including an indoor climate controlled “sustainable urban highway” stretching over 93 kilometers (58 miles).

If built, “The Loop” would be the “smartest” cycling and running infrastructure anywhere in the world, according to URB’s CEO Baharash Bagherian. “The project aims to make Dubai the most connected city on Earth by foot or bike,” he added.

The massive structure is designed to wrap around Dubai, providing a car-free “green corridor” filled with trees and plants for residents to walk or cycle around the city.

URB has also devised a huge agritourism project for Dubai’s desert which it says could become a new benchmark for sustainable agriculture, environmental education and green tourism in the region, if it were built.

Separate from The Loop, the “Agri Hub” would cover roughly 40 hectares and host spaces for education and research, as well as eco-lodges, farm shops, and farm-to-table restaurants and cafes.

Bagherian says that a visit to the Agri Hub would help guests to understand and engage more in sustainable practices. “It will open people’s minds,” he says. “People may misunderstand agritourism. They think it’s looking at farm equipment, looking at farms, and going to pick fruit. With this project we’re trying to disrupt the agritourism model, so it benefits everyone. Whether you’re a retailer, whether you’re a farmer, especially if you’re the consumer – there’s something of a greener economy for everyone.”

“Moving towards a greener economy”

Bagherian has previously led the designs for Phase 2 of “The Sustainable City” in Dubai and worked on similar green communities currently under construction in Yiti, Oman, and Yas Island in Abu Dhabi.

“The whole world is moving towards a greener economy,” says Bagherian. “The strongest economies are going to be the ones who are able to transition towards sustainability at the earliest possible opportunity with projects like this.”

The Agri Hub’s snakelike structure would be formed of a huge steel canopy and paneled with pre-cast concrete, with the carbon cost offset by the operations of the site.

URB says the project aims to be zero-waste and on-site transport will be fossil-fuel-free. It would have its own biogas plant to generate energy from organic waste, while parts of the development would be partially underground, to keep buildings cool.

As fresh water is scarce in Dubai, the project is designed to feature bio-saline farming, where crops are grown in salty water, and use recycled gray water from the site to irrigate the public areas. These areas will feature drought-tolerant plants as well as rain gardens and bioretention areas that require no irrigation and create habitat for birds and insects.

Like The Loop, the Agri Hub is designed to use 100% recycled water for irrigation, and be entirely powered using kinetic energy.

URB says the projects will be funded by private investors and that it is currently undertaking feasibility studies to establish the best site for the development of the Agri Hub. Bagherian hopes construction of the Agri Hub will begin in 2024. The Loop, if commissioned, could be ready for Dubai’s cyclists and runners by 2040.

Source: CNN Travel

Set to be held over the coming years, the events will bring in an additional 135,000 visitors including scientists, thought-leaders and business executives to Dubai

Business events are poised to make a vital contribution to Dubai’s economic development and tourism growth, with another exceptional year of successful bids for international conferences, congresses, meetings and incentive travel programmes.

Dubai Business Events (DBE), the city’s official convention bureau, said it won 232 bids for business events in 2022, almost twice as many as the previous year.

Set to be held over the coming years, the events will bring in an additional 135,000 visitors including scientists, thought-leaders and business executives to Dubai, enhancing the value generated by the business events and tourism ecosystem.

Dubai’s business events and tourism

DBE collaborated with a range of stakeholders for the successful event bids, including Al Safeer Congress ambassadors and the public and private sector entities they represent, industry partners including Dubai World Trade Centre and Emirates, and hotels and professional congress organisers (PCOs) across the city.

Beyond their direct impact, the events, which include flagship conferences and congresses organised by international associations, as well as prestigious corporate meetings held by multinationals, will contribute to the emirate’s growth as a knowledge economy hub.

Dubai won bids for a record 57 association conferences in 2022, the highest achieved by DBE.

The strong performance in 2022 represented a 95 percent growth in the number of successful bids from 2021 and a 92 percent increase in the number of delegates added to the pipeline – all further accelerating the momentum of the emirate’s growth.

Ahmed Al Khaja, CEO of Dubai Festivals and Retail Establishment, said: “The remarkable growth in successful event bids contributes to the goal of the Dubai Economic Agenda D33 to make the city one of the top three global destinations for tourism and business.”

“Our goal has not only been to grow the business events sector and drive further visitation to the city, but also to ensure it can feed into the development of key sectors and professions,” Al Khaja said.

The major association events captured in 2022 included the International Federation of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine WorldLab Congress 2024, International Congress of Endocrinology 2024, World Sports Medicine Congress 2024, World Congress of the International Society of Radiographers and Radiological Technologies 2026, and International Symposium on Dental Hygiene 2028.

The corporate meetings and incentive travel programmes that Dubai won bids for include IBM India and Europe Incentives 2023, Terpel Convention 2023, Envista EMEA Summit 2023 and Mary Kay Mexico Incentive 2024.

Aside from the bidding activity, DBE kept Dubai top of mind among meeting planners and association executives through an intense, year-round calendar of almost 200 global sales activities, including study missions, roadshows and participation in major trade shows.

To build on its 2022 successes, DBE is once again embarking on year-round activities in Dubai to further raise the profile of the city’s strengths and capabilities as a business events destination.

These include sales missions to key target markets and participation in major trade shows including IBTM World and IMEX.

DBE will also join forces with industry stakeholders to host meeting planners in Dubai for a series of study missions that will allow them to see first-hand the emirate’s business events and tourism infrastructure and its rapidly-growing knowledge economy.

Source: Arabian Business

Nairobi — Kenya has unveiled a fresh bid to increase the number of tourists visiting from India as the Kenya Tourism Board (KTB) leads travel trade members to this year’s Outbound Travel Mart (OTM) tourism fair in the country.

The expo to be held at the Jio World Convention Centre, in Mumbai from February 2-4, will bring together exhibitors from over 60 countries as destinations globally smart out of the impact of Covid-19 pandemic.

Over 14 Kenyan travel trade partners will take part in the 3 -day exhibitions with the country seeking to reposition itself in the Indian market whose growth has picked up to about 90 per cent by the close of last year compared to 2021.

Kenya Tourism Board (KTB) acting CEO John Chirchir says OTM is giving Kenya an opportunity for re-entry into the Indian market that was severely affected with travel because of Covid-19 pandemic.

“India is one of the markets whose travel was negatively impacted with the Covid-19, we are now making a physical presence in the market after about 2 years of absence, and we hope to reap big from the fair,” said Chirchir.

The OTM tourism fair is the largest gathering of travel trade buyers and professionals in India with over 1300 exhibitors from over 60 countries attending.

Kenya’s participation in this event will allow it to tap into the growing Indian tourism market and promote its offerings to Indian travelers.

In 2022, the arrivals into Kenya from the Indian source market recorded a growth of 93.2 per cent from 42,159 in 2021 to 81,458 in 2022.

This is a recovery of 67 per cent compared to the 2019 performance of 120,893.

Chirchir says the growth is a positive indication that the tourism business in India is on the right track to recovery even as KTB rolls out key promotional and marketing campaigns in the market.

Ahead of the expo, KTB will also participate in roadshows in the three Indian cities of Ahmedabad, Bangalore and New Delhi between January 30 and February 6.

“These are part of our many initiatives to bring the market back to its performance recorded before the Covid-19 pandemic. Attributes such as ease of access and connectivity, all-weather season as well as tourism offerings that cut across all the segments have continued to pull Indian travelers to Kenya,” said the CEO.

Last year, KTB hosted a familiarization trip in Nairobi for India’s leading travel companies, launched joint promotional campaigns with marketing companies such as FCM Travel Solutions India and Yatra to build traveler confidence.

Source: Capital Business