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    NYC & Company launches a new Halal travel guide

    NYC & Company, the official destination marketing organisation and convention and visitors bureau for the five boroughs of New York City, launched a new centralised resource for locals and visitors, the Halal Travel Guide. The evergreen resource is the first-ever Halal Travel Guide released by a US tourism organisation, dedicated to highlighting and encouraging visitation to the abundance of halal restaurants, Muslim history and art exhibitions across the five boroughs as well as sharing tips and advice from Muslim travel experts. 
    “We are proud to launch this all-new travel resource celebrating the incredibly rich and diverse Muslim travel experiences found in New York City,” said Fred Dixon, President and CEO at NYC & Company. “The Muslim community has been an integral part of the fabric of our City for nearly 400 years and we are committed to showcasing the authentic Halal offerings and more found across the five boroughs.” 
    The Halal Travel Guide was created by NYC & Company, in partnership with the world-leading, halal-friendly travel authority Halal Trip/Crescent Rating. The PDF guidebook highlights Muslim-friendly New York City offerings by borough.
    The Muslim community has more than 275 mosques spread across all five boroughs—more than any other metro area in the US. The borough of Brooklyn is home to one of the world’s most diverse Muslim communities, representing descendants from every continent and is also the home of one of the nation’s oldest surviving mosques located in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. The guide includes prayer places and the distance/time from the attractions, restaurants, and hotels.
    The Halal Travel Guide includes dining recommendations for every cuisine type, such as Eatzy Thai in Queens, Junoon in Manhattan, Al Aqsa in the Bronx, Al Humza Restaurant in Staten Island, Bagel Point in Brooklyn, among others. Muslim-friendly hotels include Conrad New York Midtown, Lotte New York Palace, The Plaza Hotel and more.  ADVERTISEMENTNew content and information will be added on a regular, ongoing basis at nycgo.com/HalalTravelGuide.
    NYC & Company is considered North America’s Leading Business Travel Destination 2021 by voters at the World Travel Awards.

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    Quark Expeditions launches its Arctic season

    Quark Expeditions, the global Leader in Polar Adventures, launched its Arctic 2022 season, with a 7-day “Spitsbergen Highlights: Expedition in Brief” voyage. This much-awaited sailing also marked the inaugural Arctic voyage of Ultramarine, Quark Expeditons’ game-changing new ship.
    “We’re so proud of our recent Arctic season launch for myriad reasons,” said Andrew White, President of Quark Expeditions. “Not only is this Ultramarine’s inaugural season in the remote Arctic waters, but it also heralds a new way of exploring the Polar Regions—on a ship that’s been designed with a pioneering mix of advanced sustainability features that exceed industry standards. In addition to Ultramarine’s first Arctic sailing, we’re introducing this season a mix of new innovative itineraries and experiences in Greenland and the Canadian Arctic that are exclusive to Quark Expeditions. These include our helicopter-supported Greenland Adventure: Explore by Sea, Land and Air itinerary, as well as Tundra to Table: Inuit Culinary Experience.”
    Quark Expeditions’ ground-breaking Tundra to Table: Inuit Culinary Experience offers guests a one-of-a-kind adventure into the culinary traditions of the Inuit in Greenland and Nunavut. Guests who participate in this on-ship Adventure Option will enjoy dishes from these Arctic regions prepared by Inuit chefs, and learn about local Inuit culture and culinary traditions.
    Quark Expeditions’ Arctic 2022 season features diverse regions, including Spitsbergen, Greenland and the Canadian High Arctic, on multiple small polar vessels.
    Quark Expeditions is considered as the World’s Leading Specialist Cruise Line 2021 by World Travel Awards.ADVERTISEMENT

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    Barbados announces landmark Royal Caribbean recruitment drive

    Almost 2,000 jobs will be up for grabs for Barbadians very soon. The announcement was made this weekby Minister of Tourism and International Transport, Senator the Hon. Lisa Cummins, during a recent press conference at Seatrade Cruise Global Conference in Miami, Florida.
    While at the cruise conference, Minister Cummins signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Royal Caribbean Group that will generate opportunities for high-quality employment in the local tourism industry. The MOU establishes a partnership between the Government of Barbados and RCCL, where the two entities will work together to create cruise-related job opportunities for Barbadians.
    The MOU comes as a result of a series of negotiations between Barbados Tourism Marketing Inc. and RCCL, with the intent of building on the two entities’ longstanding partnership in a way that brings tangible benefits to all Barbadians.
    Speaking about the partnership, Minister Cummins noted that “This MOU is timely as it feeds into Barbados’ greater purpose for tourism. Creating jobs for Barbadians in the tourism industry bodes well for the destination as we seek to take the country’s tourism industry forward in a sustainable way.”
    “During COVID, we saw how greatly Barbadian jobs were impacted by the loss of tourism, and the resulting impact on individual lives and livelihoods. Royal Caribbean has been a valued partner for many years, and we are pleased to be able to build on that relationship to bring new opportunities for Barbadians to find employment,” Cummins said.ADVERTISEMENTRoyal Caribbean will staff several ships homeporting in the Caribbean including Grandeur of the Seas, Independence of the Seas and Mariner of the Seas.
    Royal Caribbean International President and CEO, Michael Bayley, commented on the cruise line’s positive relationship with Barbados, noting “We would like to thank Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley for her vision and leadership as we work together with our partners in Barbados to create opportunities for economic empowerment for Barbadians.
    “Royal Caribbean, we understand how challenging it has been to rebound from the loss of tourism and there is no better way to address impacts to the Barbadian economy than finding mutually beneficial job fulfillment and job growth opportunities for Royal Caribbean and Barbadians,” he said.
    “The tourism industry has been significantly impacted by the pandemic and close collaboration and partnership with our destination partners are vital for us all to come back better than before. I am excited to join the Minister of Tourism and International Transport, Senator Lisa Cummins, to share our plans for job growth in Barbados,” Bayley added.
    National job fairWithin the coming weeks, the Barbados Tourism Marketing Inc. (BTMI) will partner with Royal Caribbean to host a national job fair to begin the recruitment process in time for the upcoming winter season. All interested persons should keep an eye out for an official press release that will announce the upcoming date of this event.
    Chair of the Board of Directors of the BTMI and BTPA, Shelly Williams, noted that the partnership aligns with Tourism’s mandate for creating opportunities for educating, retooling and upskilling for all Barbadians by 2030. “This recruitment effort is open to all Barbadians and enables them to learn new skills, and transfer the knowledge they gain during this experience for the betterment of Barbados’ service industries overall,” Williams said.
    A range of jobs will be available across a number of disciplines from engineers to chefs, technicians, seamen, housekeepers and more. A full list of positions will be made available to the public ahead of the job fair.
    Seatrade Cruise Global 2022The announcement is a positive start to the annual Seatrade Cruise Global Conference 2022, where a Barbados delegation, led by Minister of Tourism and International Transport, Senator the Hon. Lisa Cummins is present in Miami to promote Barbados to global cruise industry partners.
    Cruise development is a major focus for Barbados, especially as the country moves to establish a cruise presence in Miami and foster closer relationships with decision-makers like Royal Caribbean. The expanded office will give Barbados greater access to the cruise centre of the world, and enable greater collaboration with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, and Barbados’ external agencies in North America.
    During the coming days, tourism officials and local tourism service providers will meet with key industry players to discuss new business opportunities for Barbados, and establish new partnerships.

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    Tourist traps among biggest travel nightmares for consumers

    Travel booking platform GetYourGuide.com, has announced the results of a new survey aimed at uncovering what ‘unforgettable’ experiences mean to U.S. travelers in today’s world, which revealed consumers are in search of authentic experiences, avoiding tourist traps when planning itineraries and opting for domestic destinations in 2022. These trends are expected to play out widely as travel bookings are increasing: GetYourGuide’s U.S. booking volumes have more than doubled compared to pre-pandemic numbers in 2019.
    “It’s great to see a renewed desire to discover new and different experiences through travel,” said Caroline Berger, Head of Brand, U.S. at GetYourGuide. “We’ve observed a sharp increase in our U.S. booking volumes as travelers are making up for time lost over the last few years—many of whom are more conscious than ever of avoiding the stereotypical tourist traps. As travelers become more discerning, we will be providing unforgettable experiences for them.”
    The report’s results found common themes among those planning to travel and book experiences in 2022. Notable highlights include:
    Travelers are going out of their way to avoid tourist trapsAs many seasoned travelers know, popular destinations can often include ‘tourist traps,’ identified by survey respondents as attractions lacking in authenticity – inaccurately claiming to be unique and exclusive – with inflated prices, long lines, and/or large crowds. These ‘traps’ may act as a barrier for travelers when creating their travel itineraries, leading some to change plans or avoid a destination altogether.
    Two out of three (67%) travelers feel they have experienced tourist traps that led to inauthentic experiences
    More than two-thirds of travelers (68%) say they’ve decided against visiting an attraction or excursion because they were concerned it was a tourist trap, while four out of ten travelers (41%) say they’ve avoided a destination altogether due to concerns of tourist traps
    “Doing your research and booking with a trusted provider is essential for those looking to escape the tourist traps,” said Berger. “By visiting GetYourGuide.com or the GetYourGuide app, travelers not only have access to transparent pricing, flexible booking policies and real customer reviews – which have become table stakes to today’s traveler – they also get a fully curated experience, one that has been vetted by us.”ADVERTISEMENTTravelers are craving to explore new and unforgettable experiences in their own backyardOn average, U.S. travelers take around 3 ½ leisure trips per year, and this year, many (55%) Americans are planning to spend their time off within the U.S., opting for beach getaways (44%) and road trips (36%). Among those with 2022 travel plans:
    Two-thirds of travelers say that experiencing new and different things (66%), as well as feeling recharged and relaxed (66%) are the main goals of their vacations
    Most travelers plan to go sightseeing (42%) and partake in family-friendly activities (39%)
    Travelers ranked favorable prices (54%), having a wide range of activities and experiences (34%) and avoiding big crowds (34%) as top priorities when booking travel experiences
    The top priorities for travelers are having a sense of freedom (38%) and taking part in authentic experiences (37%)
    Travelers are valuing the ‘who’ in addition to the ‘where’Whether it is enjoying a new city’s culinary scene, hiking the Grand Canyon or swimming with sharks, most travelers agree that it’s the people they travel with that contribute to making an experience ‘unforgettable.’ Among the open-text comments requested in the survey, respondents echoed the importance of family, friends and loved ones when creating lasting memories.
    Close to two-thirds (58%) of travelers feel that creating beautiful memories with loved ones contribute to making a travel experience unforgettable, while four out of ten of travelers (38%) say that learning about the history of different sights and places also makes a trip unforgettable
    ‘Beautiful’ and ‘fun’ were the most mentioned words when asked to describe unforgettable experiences

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    Tripadvisor appoints Matt Goldberg to chief executive officer

    Tripadvisor has announced that Matt Goldberg has been named its Chief Executive Officer, succeeding co-founder and long-time CEO, Stephen Kaufer.
    “We are excited to announce the appointment of Matt Goldberg to the role of CEO,” said Greg Maffei, Chairman of the Board at Tripadvisor. “Matt has proven leadership and experience in strategy and operations for more than 20 years across a number of leading media, advertising, and consumer-facing companies. We welcome him to the team and look forward to his expertise as he leads Tripadvisor in the next phase of its journey.”
    “I could not be more enthusiastic about joining Tripadvisor, a company I have long admired, whose leadership and teams have built an amazing, globally recognised consumer brand with a unique spot in travel and digital media,” said Matt Goldberg, incoming CEO. “I’m incredibly excited to return to the travel sector to innovate within the industry and leverage the platform’s reach and community trust. I see a long runway ahead and many opportunities to create value for our travelers and partners.”
    “After a comprehensive search, I believe that the Board has found a strong leader in Matt for our iconic brand,” said Steve Kaufer, CEO and co-founder, Tripadvisor. “Our employees, partners and travelers will be well served by Matt who is a strategist with experience in the travel, digital, media and retail industries. I look forward to supporting his success and watching him guide this business into an exciting future.”
    Over his career, Goldberg has served in various leadership roles in the digital content, media and entertainment, and travel industries, and in both B2B and direct-to-consumer models at companies such as News Corp, Liberty Interactive Corp, Lonely Planet, and Dow Jones. Most recently, he served as Executive Vice President, North America and Global Operations at The Trade Desk. Goldberg is also Founding Director of Dataphilanthropy, a non-profit focused on building programs to apply data to better address and understand economic disparity. He holds a B.A. in English from Cornell University, an M.A. in International Relations from the University of Melbourne, and an M.B.A from Stanford University. Goldberg’s anticipated start date is July 1, 2022 and he will be based at the company’s Needham, MA headquarters.ADVERTISEMENTSteve Kaufer co-founded Tripadvisor in 2000 and last year announced his intention to leave his role as CEO.

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    dmg events CEO elected president of global industry association

    In a first for Dubai and the UAE – UFI the Global Events Industry Association has elected Geoff Dickinson, CEO of dmg events, as their president for 2024, recognising Dubai and Abu Dhabi as world leading event destinations.
    Under the leadership of Dickinson since 2010, Dubai-headquartered dmg events is one of the top twenty, international exhibition and conference organisers, with ten offices around the world and organises nearly 100 events annually.
    Commenting on his appointment, Dickinson said: “I am truly honoured to serve an industry that I am so passionate about. This is the first time any event professional from the UAE has been appointed to this prestigious role and I am sure that the UAE’s status as a leading international events hub, especially having hosted the ‘world’s greatest show’ Expo 2020, was at the very least, a contributing factor.”
    UFI is the global association of the world’s leading tradeshow organisers and its main goal is to represent, promote and support the business interests of its members and the exhibition industry in general.
    The UFI president is elected by the UFI’s board of directors for a one-year mandate, becoming its legal and official representative, chairing the executive committee, the board of directors and the general assemblies.ADVERTISEMENTUFI directly represents around 50,000 exhibition industry professionals globally, and also works closely with its 63 national and regional association members and includes 795 member organisations in 83 countries and regions around the world. “I will always champion the events industry, focusing on diversity, innovation, technology and sustainability,” added Dickinson.
    The events industry is vital to the UAE economy. According to an impact report released by the Dubai World Trade Centre, business tourism generated $3.5 billion in 2018, the equivalent of 3.3% of Dubai’s gross domestic product (GDP), and in 2019, over 50% of the 16.7 million international overnight visitors who stayed in Dubai, were business travellers attending events. Taking a global perspective, in 2019 the event industry contributed almost $ 200 billion to the global economy, supporting 1.3 million jobs. Being an in-person business, the industry has benefited from the swift and decisive action taken by the UAE government to combat the COVID-19 outbreak. Indeed, the UAE was praised internationally for the way in which it reacted, implementing one of the most effective responses globally, which was evident with one of the lowest mortality and infection rates globally.
    The teams at DWTC and ADNEC worked tirelessly to ensure that all events ran safely and implemented a range of measures including enhanced cleaning regimes, improved air circulation, multiple hand sanitiser stations, as well as temperature checks, paving the way for international events to return to the UAE once again.
    “This approach laid the foundations for the UAE economy to rebound safely and quickly. Large-scale events were up and running again at the Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC), before the end of 2020,” said Dickinson.
    “Trade events are by far the most powerful sales and marketing tools for businesses to connect with existing and potential customers. In numerous surveys, 85% of the businesspeople that responded, showed an overwhelming preference for live face-to-face events compared with virtual events.
    In 2021, Dickinson was appointed to the Advisory Board of Dubai International Chamber, by HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai.
    A Dubai resident for nearly 30 years, Dickinson was handed a Golden Visa in 2021.

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    World View reaches 1,000 reservations for edge of space flight

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    World View reaches 1,000 reservations for edge of space flight

    World View, the stratospheric ballooning and space tourism company, has accomplished a new milestone: reaching one thousand reservations for its space tourism programme taking participants to the edge of space in a zero-pressure stratospheric balloon and pressurised space capsule. As seasoned leaders in stratospheric exploration and space tourism, the company has now sold the greatest number of seats in the space tourism category.
    World View’s reservations for Spaceport Grand Canyon have also been sold out for the first year, with commercial flights slated to begin in 2024. World View’s reservations come from 32 countries with the United States, Canada, Germany and the United Kingdom leading the list. A growing list of Explorers have reserved at multiple spaceports while others purchased additional tickets for friends and family, including 43 reservations for a full-capsule.
    “Reaching 1,000 reservations underscores the passion, excitement and interest for this unique experience that World View offers. This means 1,000 new people will be able to enjoy majestic views of both Earth and space for an adventure that’s never been this accessible to humanity. The fact that the Grand Canyon spaceport flight has sold out for the first year also showcases the market demand and growing interest in space tourism. We have been working diligently to share our purpose-first mission with future guests so that they will join us on the journey to rediscovering our wondrous Earth.” said Ryan M Hartman, President and Chief Executive Officer of World View.
    Today’s announcement follows the company’s entry to the space tourism and exploration market in late 2021, offering a more affordable, long-duration and accessible space experience that couples enjoying the unique views of Earth and space. World View voyages will originate out of the Seven Wonders of the World, Stratospheric Edition™ including Spaceports Grand Canyon, Great Barrier Reef, Serengeti, Aurora Borealis, Amazonia, Pyramids of Giza and Great Wall of China, providing participants the opportunity to experience these wonders from the ground and then view the same location from the edge of space.
    Flights cost $50,000 and will lift eight participants and two World View crew members in a zero-pressure stratospheric balloon and pressurised space capsule to 100,000 feet altitude, nearly 23 miles into the stratosphere, for a transformative experience that will last six to eight hours. Participants will lift off before dawn to watch the sunrise over Earth, once at the apogee of 100,000 feet, Explorers will witness the darkness of space, see the stars above, and view the curvature of the Earth.ADVERTISEMENT

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    CDC recommendation for masks and travel

    At this time, CDC recommends that everyone aged 2 and older – including passengers and workers – properly wear a well-fitting mask or respirator over the nose and mouth in indoor areas of public transportation (such as airplanes, trains, etc.) and transportation hubs (such as airports, stations, etc.). When people properly wear a well-fitting mask or respirator, they protect themselves and those around them, and help keep travel and public transportation safer for everyone. Wearing a well-fitting mask or respirator is most beneficial in crowded or poorly ventilated locations, such as airport jetways. We also encourage operators of public transportation and transportation hubs to support mask wearing by all people, including employees.
    This public health recommendation is based on the currently available data, including an understanding of domestic and global epidemiology, circulating variants and their impact on disease severity and vaccine effectiveness, current trends in COVID-19 Community Levels within the United States, and projections of COVID-19 trends in the coming months.
    Along with staying up to date with COVID-19 vaccines, avoiding crowds, wearing a well-fitting mask or respirator is one of multiple prevention steps that people can take to protect themselves and others in travel and transportation settings.
    For more information about safer travel during the pandemic, see Domestic Travel During COVID-19 | CDC and International Travel | CDC.
    The following can be attributed to CDC Director Rochelle P. Walensky, MD, MPH: ADVERTISEMENTCDC continues to recommend that all people – passengers and workers, alike – properly wear a well-fitting mask or respirator in indoor public transportation conveyances and transportation hubs to provide protection for themselves and other travelers in these high volume, mixed population settings. We now have a range of tools we need to protect ourselves from the impact of COVID-19, including access to high-quality masks and respirators for all who need them.
    Additionally, it is important for all of us to protect not only ourselves, but also to be considerate of others at increased risk for severe COVID-19 and those who are not yet able to be vaccinated. Wearing a mask in indoor public transportation settings will provide protection for the individual and the community.

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