Ento Capital, an investment firm managed by the Dubai Financial Services Authority and with a track record of managing $4.6 billion in assets, has reached an agreement with Al Amal Investment Company to lead the development and management of Ritz-Carlton hotels and resorts in Morocco. The total value of the project is estimated to be over $220 million and includes the construction of a Ritz-Carlton hotel with 200 rooms and 100 luxury residences in Morocco.This project will contribute to the growth of Morocco's tourism industry and is expected to attract annually 100,000 tourists.
Create: Feb 23, 2024 Edit: Feb 23, 2024 International NewsThe Global Hotel Alliance (GHA), the world's largest alliance of independent hotel brands with 40 hotel brands, has announced a new record in 2023.Celebrating its twentieth anniversary, the alliance witnessed a 20% increase in Gross Operating Revenue (GDR) compared to 2022. Additionally, the number of reservations surged by 30%, with a 25% increase in member hotels. GHA also expanded into 10 new markets in 2023. This success is attributed to various factors including GHA's focus on innovation and technology, providing unique services and benefits to member hotels, and establishing a strong network of independent hotels worldwide.
Create: Feb 23, 2024 Edit: Feb 23, 2024 International NewsEgypt's Minister of Tourism and Antiquities announced a record-breaking influx of 14.9 million tourists to the country in 2023, marking a new milestone in Egypt's tourism history.In the final quarter of 2023 alone, 3.6 million tourists visited Egypt, surpassing the previous record set in 2010. The Minister of Tourism also highlighted a 9% increase in tourist arrivals during the first 19 days of 2024 compared to the same period last year.
Create: Feb 23, 2024 Edit: Feb 23, 2024 International NewsIn a move to expand its operations in Australia, Emirates has announced it will increase its services to the country.Starting October 1st, Emirates will upgrade its second daily flight between Dubai and Brisbane (EK430/431) to an Airbus A380.This upgrade will significantly increase passenger capacity and provide a more comfortable and relaxed travel experience for passengers. In addition, Emirates will launch a second daily service between Dubai and Perth on December 1st, operated by a Boeing 777-300ER.This move demonstrates Emirates' commitment to expanding and strengthening its presence in the Australian market.
Create: Feb 23, 2024 Edit: Feb 23, 2024 International NewsDubai further consolidated its status as a central hub for international business events in 2023. with the city winning a record 349 bids to host international conferences, congresses, meetings, and incentive travel programmes, a report said. Driven by Dubai Business Events (DBE), the city's official convention bureau, the wins reflected a robust 49% increase in successful bids compared to 2022. These events captured in 2023 are set to attract over 191,000 international delegates, Emirates News Agency, WAM, said.
Create: Feb 23, 2024 Edit: Feb 23, 2024 International NewsOzhotels, recognized as a leading hotel group in Turkey, has signed a contract with Marriott, the world's largest hotel chain brand, to open two new hotels in Antalya. The regional manager of Ozhotels in Antalya stated: "We are proud to collaborate with the Marriott brand to open these two new hotels in Antalya."These hotels will contribute to the improvement of the tourism industry in Antalya and provide quality services to guests from around the world. The chairman of the Ozhotels board also expressed satisfaction with this collaboration, stating: "This is a significant milestone for Ozhotels.""We are collaborating with the Marriott brand, one of the most recognized brands in the hotel industry, to provide a unique experience for our guests in Antalya." The opening of these two new hotels will create new job opportunities in Antalya and contribute to the economic prosperity of the region.
Create: Feb 23, 2024 Edit: Feb 23, 2024 International NewsData collected over one year showed India coming in second on Google searches for travel. While the Maldives grabbed the first spot, Singapore came in third.With a plethora of heritage sights and opulent palaces such as the ones in Delhi and Jaipur, and, of course, the tranquil beaches of the south and the magical beauty of the hills up north, India is an excellent place for cultural exploration and immersive travel
Create: Feb 12, 2024 Edit: Feb 12, 2024 International NewsRadisson Hotel Group completed 2023 with extraordinary growth, adding more than 30,000 rooms to its international portfolio of 10 leading brands with new openings and agreements. With these results, Radisson Hotel Group has grown its operations by 50% since 2018, when the transformation plan began. In 2023, Radisson Hotel Group broke a new record with the agreements and openings of more than 30,000 rooms added to its portfolio. Radisson Blu, the group's leading brand, continued to be Europe's largest upper segment brand for the 12th time in a row. Head of Global Development, Radisson Hotel Group, said: We are grateful to our friends. We expect 2024 to be a continuation of 2023 as inflation slows down and investors' interest in the sector continues.
Create: Jan 25, 2024 Edit: Jan 25, 2024 International NewsOver 94,000 domestic tourists have stayed in the province during the mentioned time, Jalil Jabari said on Thursday. In nine months, over 16,000 foreign travelers stayed in the province’s accommodation centers and it is estimated that 5,500 foreign tourists will stay in these units in the fourth quarter of the year, the official added. The accommodation centers have generated over 40 job opportunities during the mentioned time as well, he noted. Back in December, Jamshid Hamzehzadeh the head of the Iranian Hoteliers Association announced that following the planned measures, the occupancy rate of the country’s hotels, which had fallen below five percent because of the outbreak of the coronavirus, has reached 45 percent over the past three months. Multiple problems, notably the pandemic, caused a severe impact on the tourism industry, the official explained. Even before the coronavirus outbreak and in 2019, travel was reduced due to heavy rains and flooding across the country, and the hotel industry had to recoup nearly 100 percent of the costs paid for canceled hotel reservations, he added. The Iranian hoteliers have lost 220 trillion rials (about $740 million) over the past two years, he noted. However, some problems have been resolved and the hotels’ condition has improved, he mentioned. Back in October, the official announced that Iranian hotels are ready to receive foreign tourists as the issuance of tourist visas and the flow of foreign tourists from land and air borders would be resumed. Ninety percent of the hotel staff have been vaccinated against the coronavirus, so the hotels are ready to welcome foreign tourists, observing strict health protocols, he said. The main destinations of foreign tourists in Iran are specifically cities such as Mashhad, Qom, Tabriz, Shiraz, Yazd, and Isfahan, and to return to the figure of over eight million incoming tourists before the outbreak of the coronavirus, serious planning is required, the official added. Iraqi tourists will flood the country once the borders open, but attracting tourists from Europe will require some time, he noted. However, he noted that two-thirds of the hotel staff have lost their jobs, he added. Back in September, Hamzehzadeh announced that all employees of accommodation centers across Iran are scheduled to be vaccinated against the coronavirus. “To vaccinate staffs of all accommodation centers, including eco-lodges, apartment hotels, and guest houses, as well as hotels, more coordination with the Ministry of Health is needed,” he added.
Create: Jan 15, 2022 Edit: Jan 15, 2022 Regional NewsArabian, who is a master of metalwork and Minakari (enamel), participated in the event with one of her exquisite works, a lavishly-decorated metal bowl designed for serving gaz (nougats with pistachios and almonds), CHTN quoted Vida Tavahodi as saying on Friday. Minakari is an ancient art of painting natural motifs such as flowers and birds on the surface of metals, mostly copper. Due to the outbreak of the coronavirus, the event was held virtually in India, but the artist will soon be awarded the prize at a ceremony, the official added. The award for the Male Craftsperson of the Year went to Dalavayi Kullayappa from India, while Zohra Said from Morocco and Ismael Arturo Rodriguez Moreno from Mexico named Female Craft Designer of the Year and Male Craft Designer of the Year respectively. ICA is organized by Craft Village, a social organization, based out of New Delhi, India, working towards training and promotion of handicrafts. ICA sets a new benchmark in the world with the highest level of skill and design excellence. The awards provide an open platform for makers working in a wide variety of materials and media to have their work assessed by a professional jury and international craft experts. These awards promote, inspire and encourage talent of the highest standards, making International Craft Awards an annual global feature. With 14 entries, Iran ranks first globally for the number of cities and villages registered by the World Crafts Council, as China with seven entries, Chile with four, and India with three ones come next. In January 2020, the cities of Shiraz, Malayer, and Zanjan and the village of Qassemabad were designated by the WCC- Asia Pacific Region, putting Iran’s number of world crafts cities and villages from ten to 14.
Create: Jan 15, 2022 Edit: Jan 15, 2022 Regional NewsThe Iranian tourism industry has suffered $233m losses due to COVID restrictions over the past two years. “Iranian tourism facilities have incurred a loss of 69 trillion rials ($233 million) due to the outbreak of the coronavirus over the past two years,” an official with the tourism ministry has said. It has been a major shock to the tourism industry when the coronavirus emerged in 2019, Rokna quoted Mohammad-Kazem Kholdi-Nasab as saying on Monday. Citing an example, the official said, nearly all pre-scheduled trips were canceled during the new Iranian year holidays in March 2020 except for those that were necessary. “Travel is not believed to be the cause of the outbreak, rather it is a lack of adherence to health protocols that have caused the outbreak, but people canceled their trips anyway, causing major damage to the tourist facilities across the country,” he explained. With only two months until the upcoming new Iranian year holidays, the tourism ministry is preparing safe and smart travel packages for Iranian holidaymakers and travelers, he noted. Nearly 70 percent of the population has been vaccinated, so these trips may be able to partially compensate for the damage done to tourism facilities over the past two years, he mentioned. Last year the tourism ministry announced that the tourism of the country was growing before the corona outbreak, its revenues reached $11.7 billion in 2019, which accounted for 2.8% of GDP, nearing the average share of tourism in the world GDP, which was 3.2 percent. Iran was ranked as the second fastest-growing country in tourism based on data compiled by the World Tourism Organization. Experts expect Iran to achieve a tourism boom after coronavirus contained, believing its impact would be temporary and short-lived for a country that ranked the third fastest-growing tourism destination in 2019. The Islamic Republic expects to reap a bonanza from its numerous tourist spots such as bazaars, museums, mosques, bridges, bathhouses, madrasas, mausoleums, churches, towers, and mansions, of which 26 are inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage list. Under the 2025 Tourism Vision Plan, Iran aims to increase the number of tourist arrivals from 4.8 million in 2014 to 20 million in 2025.
Create: Jan 8, 2022 Edit: Jan 8, 2022 Regional NewsIran pavilion is set to add extra charm to the prestigious Expo 2020 Dubai by widening its outline such as an enormous celebration of Noruz, the Persian New Year, which will begin on March 21. The decision was reached during a meeting between the Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts Minister Ezatollah Zarghami, Culture and Islamic Guidance Minister Mohammad-Mehdi Esmaeili and Industry, Mining, and Trade Minister Reza Fatemi Amin, Mehr reported on Sunday. During the meeting, the financial support needed to implement the ideas for improving the condition of Iran’s pavilion during the remaining 100 days of the expo was also discussed. Noruz, which usually falls on March 21st every year, marks the beginning of spring across a vast geographical area. The feast was initially registered on the UNESCO List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2009, as a common tradition for Iran, Azerbaijan, India, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Turkey, and Uzbekistan. However, the five other countries put in requests officially to be added to the list during a meeting held in Tehran in January 2014. In December 2016, Iran and 11 other countries registered Noruz as a common tradition during the 11th session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Noruz, according to UNESCO, promotes the values of peace and solidarity between generations and within families, as well as reconciliation and neighborliness, thus contributing to cultural diversity and friendship among peoples and various communities. Noruz traditions, however, vary from place to place, ranging from leaping over fires and streams in Iran to tightrope walking, lighting candles at house doors, traditional games such as horse racing, or the traditional wrestling practiced in Kyrgyzstan.
Create: Jan 3, 2022 Edit: Jan 3, 2022 Regional News