In-the-Issue

Drawing 1.3 million visitors in 2020, Sharjah Light Festival returns for 11th consecutive year with renowned artists celebrating science, creativity and heritage in dazzling display at Sharjah’s landmarks from Feb 9 to 20, 2022. Shehara Rizly His Excellency Khalid Jasim Al Midfa, Chairman, SCTDA, said, “The 11th Sharjah Light Festival, …

The Philippines will start to accept fully-vaccinated foreign leisure travelers from visa-free countries   beginning February 10. Tourism Secretary Berna Romulo-Puyat made the announcement today January 28 (Friday) after the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) approved the proposal of the Department of Tourism (DOT). “We …

The Department of Tourism (DOT) announced Wednesday (January 12) that fully vaccinated tourism workers are now receiving booster shots as an added protection against the heightened threat of the Omicron COVID-19 variant in the country, and with most regions already attaining above 90 percent vaccination rates among active and eligible …

The Department of Tourism (DOT) has trained over 30,000 tourism professionals, surpassing its targets for such in 2021. Tourism Secretary Berna Romulo-Puyat expressed her satisfaction with the latest numbers noting their continued commitment to support the tourism industry towards its recovery and sustainability. “Through these training programs, the DOT is …

  This year will witness many new hotels opening in the Middle East region. As the region is steadily recovering through resilience, with Dubai taking the lead with Expo, FIFA this year will further add positivity to its momentum. We share a quick update on the upcoming hotels in the …

Visitors to Dubai exceeded one million during October and DXB reached the milestone of one million passengers per week in November, with origin-destination passengers reaching 94 per cent of pre-pandemic levels. The passenger numbers are likely to reach 28.9 million by 2021-end, 2.1 million more than the September 2021 forecast. …

As per the latest figures released at the second bi-annual City Briefing of 2021, as many as 9.4 million room nights were sold between January and October 2021 compared to seven million room nights during the same period in 2019.  The strategy for the New Year is to show Dubai …

One of the most diverse areas in Malaysia which entails a rich history, culture, adventure and blessed with the oldest rainforest in the world is a bucket list destination for visitors from across the globe and a new destination to the Middle East visitors. The Honourable Datuk Jafry Ariffin, Minister …

UAE has a new destination Street Diversions – for unconventional, theatrical and sensory experiences. Dubai’s latest immersive entertainment destination opens at Souk Madinat Jumeirah. Founded on the principles of diversity, inclusion and empowering the unconventional, Street Diversions’ unconventional al fresco venue, which has breathed life into the open-air amphitheater at …

Travel and tourism sectors are important to any country’s economy. In the UAE, its contribution to the GDP is forecast to be AED 264.5 billion (US$72 billion) in 2027. Expo 2020 and the UAE’s effective COVID-19 management have been central to the country’s tourism industry. In Dubai, the Department of …