Dubai News TV

SriLankan Airlines will continue to play its vital role in stabilising the national economy by attracting international tourists through its growing operational network, its top official says. [caption id="attachment_61653" align="alignleft" width="300"] Richard Nuttall, Chief Executive Officer of SriLankan Airlines[/caption] Richard Nuttall, Chief Executive Officer of SriLankan Airlines, said the government would find the right partner for the carrier through privatisation, but it will take some time as the global aviation sector has been recovering from the Covid-19 pandemic. Back into black "I am happy that SriLankan Airlines essentially broke even in the last financial year ending March 2023. This was achieved in what has been a difficult year for the Sri Lankan economy," Nuttall told DubaiNews.tv on the sidelines of the Arabian Travel Market in Dubai. The airline's revenues reached $1 billion and posted an operatin...

Generative artificial intelligence (AI) and environmental, social and governance (ESG) activities are attracting the highest levels of investment in travel technology at present, according to innovation specialist, Plug and Play. Experts from the Silicon Valley-headquartered firm shared a range of insights into the latest investment trends on the Travel Tech Stage at Arabian Travel Market (ATM) 2023 ). The innovation specialists explored how macroeconomic headwinds and fears of a global recession were affecting travel startups during an ‘ Investment Trends Leading Travel Tech ’ session. Increased focus on profitability Kristie Choi, Early Stage Tech Investor at Plug and Play, noted that venture capital (VC) investment witnessed a “dramatic pullback” in the second half of 2022, a trend that continued into Q1 2023. “While this looks pretty scary, there are still billions of dollars of dry powder out there to be gained,” she told attendees. “Travel tech round dynamics tend...

The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries are exploring the option to launch a ‘Schengen-style” visa for tourists. It will make easy for visitors to enter the Gulf countries and spend vacations there. The development was confirmed by Fatima Al Sairafi, Minister of Tourism in Bahrain. He said discussions have been taking place at the ministerial level among GCC nations on how to achieve a unified single visa. Speaking during the Arabian Travel Market (ATM 2023) in Dubai, she said that the unified visa system could be happening very soon. Citing the example of Europe, the minister said the benefits of such a visa regime are available to all of the countries. She said that Bahrain has benefited from co-promoting the country along with the UAE, and Saudi Arabia. https://twitter.com/lovindubai/status/1653791537187135492 Diversified tourists “We targeted 8.3 million tourists for 2022 but achieved 9.9 million visitors because we co-promoted Bahrain along with the UAE and...

Industry experts have called upon the Middle East’s luxury travel sector to focus on long-term gains of decarbonization, waste reduction, and community initiatives, rather than costs. The panelists of the session on ‘ Sustainable Luxury: At What Cost? ’ at Arabian Travel Market (ATM) 2023 shared a range of insights at into how luxury travel is leading the tourism industry’s sustainable charge in the Middle East. Moderated by Joe Mortimer, Editor-at-Large at Destinations of the World News, panelists included Nadia Ibrahim, Member of the Board of Directors of UN Global Compact, Amir Golbarg, Senior Vice President of Operations – Middle East & Africa at Minor Hotels, Candice D’Cruz, VP Luxury Brands at Marriott International, and William Harley-Fleming, Vice President of Operations for JA The Resort and Indian Ocean. No compromise on sustainability Commenting on the growing demand for sustainable offerings among consumers, Nida Ibrahim said: “Luxury and sustainability ...

German National Tourist Board (GNTB) presented a campaign update and their vision of ‘Making Tourism More Sustainable’ on the opening day of the Arabian Travel Market (ATM 2023). GNTB is focusing on sustainable-related aspects across a number of tourism segments under the slogan ‘Germany, simply inspiring’. Those include Embrace German Nature - highlighting natural landscapes and activity holidays; Historic Modern Germany - promoting cultural heritage, and 51 UNESCO World Heritage sites with a spotlight on traditions and customs of rural regions. And thirdly, their Feel Good - Sustainable Travel in Germany campaign, emphasizes how to enjoy an environment-friendly holiday in Germany. “We aim to make a meaningful contribution towards climate change mitigation. We shall be supporting Germany’s commitment to net zero. GNTB will drive an increasing number of environmentally aware, inbound GCC tourists,” said Yamina Sofo, Director at the German National Tourist GCC Office (GNTO GCC), ...