Dubai"s Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM) is to launch the new initiative as part of its efforts to attract a swathe of new tourist arrivals to the country. The proposal features offering attractive discounts on hotel room rates by up to 40 - 60 percent in addition to reducing the cost of food and drinks by about 25 percent.

The campaign will stretch between 10th January and the middle of February, aptly coinciding with the Dubai Shopping Festival 2009.

Achieving a significant milestone in its growth, Emirates has become the first airline on the globe to offer the facility to use mobile phones aboard a flight in the routes to and from London. When the facility was launched last Thursday, the passengers aboard a service into Heathrow made not less than 30 calls as the Emirates Boeing 777 was flying into the London City from Dubai.

Back in the month of March, the airline started fitting a system enabling in-flight mobile usage in its aircrafts. At present, the service is made available on about 10% of the Emirates flights. Over and above, the service can be accessed only above 23,000 feet. It is necessary that the passengers need to keep their phones on silent throughout, while the crew can make the system text only or can turn it off anytime.

According to an Emirates spokesperson, about one in five passengers onboard made use of this facility making about 30 calls and forwarding and receiving about 100 text messages. The system called as AeroMobile system, which is capable of reducing the strength of phone signals to bare minimum so that it does not interfere with the equipments of the aircraft. Most interestingly, the airline has confirmed that it will not be charging the passengers for using a mobile onboard.

As part of the several exclusive tours planned for the aircraft, Emirates Airline showcased its brand new, double-decker Airbus A380 during last two days in San Francisco and Los Angeles. Hosted by Emirates, San Francisco and Los Angeles International Airports, each city offered an exciting two-hour flight. Notably, this followed the inaugural launch of the aircraft on 1st August from Dubai to New York's JFK Airport.

Adel Al Redha, Emirates Executive Vice President, Engineering and Operations observed during his address to media and guests in these two cities, "We are very confident these flights are a symbol of a strong future relationship between Emirates and the state of California and we are very appreciative of the support we receive from our many friends here at local, state and federal levels.”

The events organised at both these cities offered the guests a rare opportunity to tour the magnificent aircraft that features about 489 seats in total arranged in a three-class configuration with 14 seats in the first class, 76 seats in the business class and 399 seats in the economy class. Over and above, the guests too enjoyed Emirates' award-winning on-board amenities that included the airline's onboard lounges and the brand new Shower Spas, in addition to the premier service aboard.
 
The aircraft is powered by GP7200 engines offered by American aircraft engine maker Engine Alliance. Most notably, Emirates' A380s can fly not less than 7,456 miles with a full load and has 13 tons of bellyhold capacity meant for cargo. The aircraft offers better fuel economy than several hybrid passenger cars and is quieter.

In a highly significant move, SriLankan Airlines has recently signed up for SkyChain. Most notably, this is the end to end cargo reservation and business management solution championed by Mercator, the reputed business technology provider based in Dubai and a part of the Emirates Group.
 
Head of Mercator, Patrick Naef, observed, "The timing of this partnership is significant - coming as it does when skyrocketing fuel prices are having a tremendous economic impact on the airline industry. This partnership clearly demonstrates that major players have confidence in our IT solutions to reduce costs and increase revenue."
 
He too added further, "SkyChain has been built for the air cargo business of today and the changing dynamics of the foreseeable future. We are confident SkyChain will have a significant and positive impact on our customers' financial bottom line and make waves in the air cargo industry."
 
Interestingly, Mercator has decided to carryout the implementation before the end of the second quarter of 2009. Mercator's data centres based in Dubai will host the solution to be made available for the use of authorised SriLankan cargo users out of Colombo in addition to other outstation cargo offices located across the globe.
 
The solution has been totally developed by Mercator based in Dubai, and has been has been designed in such a way to carryout and manage every aspect of the cargo business of an airline. The principal feature of the solution employs the latest JAVA technology to convert information into a powerful asset with the full utilization of the data for maximum performance.

In an interesting move to prepare the ground for the launch of its first ever non-stop air service from Dubai to Los Angeles and San Francisco, Emirates Airline has accomplished a road show stopping at five locations along the west coast of the United States. The scintillating feature of the road show was the newly designed First Class Private suite of the airline that is actually one of the several new products demonstrating the airline's excellent commitment to customer service and comfort.

The event was led by the executives, featuring a presentation centred on Dubai and Emirates Airline with a live entertainment programme and a rare chance to sit in the new Boeing 777-200LR First Class Private Suite. Most notably, the new suite provides a comfortable extra-large fully-reclining seat that can be turned into a flat bed in addition to a 23'' wide LCD screen and more than 1000 entertainment channels. The aircraft is furnished with a coat closet and an individual storage compartment, in addition to a mini-bar and a vanity desk.

Nigel Page, the airline's senior vice president for commercial operations in the Americas said, "The San Francisco Bay Area is undoubtedly one of the most innovative high-tech business centres in the U.S., if not the world. Emirates' direct route will create a new, highly convenient opportunity for Bay Area companies to do business in Dubai. Our new Los Angeles service will connect travellers to the capital of the world's entertainment industry. Coinciding with the establishment of a growing media industry in Dubai, the L.A. route represents excellent access for growing business connections."

With Hertz, the famous car rental company offering reduced rates on longer-time rentals at the Festival City branch, visitors to Dubai during this summer can take advantage of this amazing offer from the company while booking for car rentals. Most notably, this branch is the newest operation of Hertz in the UAE.

Recently, Hertz celebrated its 15th year in the UAE. Over and above, to herald the opening of this new branch in Dubai, the company is announcing a cut of 10% over monthly rental deals on select range of cars. The Festival City branch is located inside the shopping mall bearing the same name, sited adjacent to Crabtree & Evelyn, Japengo Café and Hiedard Coffee Shop. The location is easily accessible from both the Crowne Plaza and Intercontinental hotels.

Sunil Kumar, the national operations manager of Hertz, UAE noted, "We want to provide safe, secure, hassle-free car hire for tourists as the mercury continues to rise. This summer deal encourages the vast number of Dubai visitors to take in all the activities on offer here as well as exploring other parts of the UAE."

Emirates-one of the fastest-growing airlines in the world-has uncovered plans to advance its Indian operation with 18 new weekly flights from the 1st of July.

The Dubai-based carrier will add more flights to the national capital city, New Delhi, and Indian IT hubs, Hyderabad and Bangalore, advancing its Indian operation to a total of 132 flights per week.

After its recent announcement to start a second daily flight to New Delhi, the carrier will start four more weekly services to the capital city, operating on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays, from July 2nd.

Travellers will be able to enjoy flying with Emirates' state-of-the-art A380 plane for the first time on the 1st of August, when the carrier starts its first A380 commercial flight on the route from Dubai to New York JFK.

Emirates' first A380 service, a 14-hour non-stop journey, will also be the first ever commercial A380 flight to the Americas.

HH Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al-Maktoum, Emirates Airline & Group's Chairman and Chief Executive, said, "The Americas represent a key focus area in Emirates' route development plans, and we are delighted to be the first airline to launch commercial A380 services to the continent.

Enjoy a trip to the beautiful spring city of Guangzhou with the Dubai-based carrier Emirates' promotion offer of free hotel accommodation from the 1st of July until the 30th of September 2008, in all classes. This is surely a great chance for passengers of Emirates.

Passengers travelling in the carrier's First Class cabin will get a 3-night accommodation at the Shangri-La Hotel, Guangzhou, in an Executive Suite; those travelling in Business Class can receive a 2-night stay in a Horizon Club Premier room; and passengers in Economy Class cabin will get a one night accommodation in a Premium room. The introductory offer is inclusive of buffet breakfast and all charges.

Emirates' Senior Vice President Commercial Operations Gulf, Middle East and Iran, Nabil Sultan, said, "We are pleased to offer our customers yet another irresistible offer to a wonderful new destination. We expect a lot of traffic to Guangzhou from all over our network with our new service there.

A total of 55 new hospitality developments with a combined value of USD 277 billion are set to be built in Dubai by 2011.

With intentions to power the flourishing hospitality industry, Raqmiyat-a leading UAE-based systems integrator-and TimeLox International-a pioneering developer and maker of e-locking systems for the international hotel sector--are presently drawing attention to the new TimeLox security and access ways out at the Technology & Security Sector - 'Hotel Show 2008', stand N15, Zabeel Hall of the Dubai International Convention Centre.

TimeLox Optima, which is designed mainly for new developments and major refurbishment projects with a necessity for stylish design, is a two-piece door system offered with a fine bezel, and high-quality solid brass handles and locks cases.

Birmingham Airport is to receive a new air link into one of the leading industrial cities in China. This is great news for passengers of Emirates, as China is fast emerging as a major travelling site both for tourism and business.

Guangzhou, an ancient city and now the economic powerhouse of China, will be joining the fast-growing network of Emirates on the 1st of July. Guangzhou is the carrier's fourth gateway in China, after Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong. No wonder that with the success of its earlier routes, the airlines is encouraged to start more flights to China to cater to the needs of its passengers.

Emirates, the Dubai-based carrier, flies a two times a day flight from Birmingham to its main hub in Dubai, from where travellers-both business and leisure-will be able to make a journey directly to Guangzhou. So, you will be able to visit Dubai also in the same flight to China-double bonanza.

Next week, Dubai's position as a growing international air travel hub will be brought to light with the opening of Airport Show.

The show, which will be attended by more than 600 traders from 40 countries, is expected to attract more than 6,000 visitors. This year, the show has grown by almost twelve percent in accordance with the current air travel boom across the Middle East, Africa and South Asia.

Makers and dealers coming from all over the world to take part in the show have key incentives.

Dubai Mall, the world's largest shopping mall is due to open in Dubai at the end of the month of August 2008.

Dubai Mall, Emaar Malls Group's flagship shopping mall development, will be situated at Downtown Burj-the pride and joy of the region's most prominent urban development thus far.

The opening of Dubai Mall will be another addition to the emirate's inspiring portfolio of shopping excellence, resulting in a record growth in Dubai's retail sector.

Confirm your flight bookings by 10 p.m. today and enjoy discounted flights to Dubai. Virgin Atlantic, the British carrier having its main bases at London Heathrow and London Gatwick, is presenting last-minute cut-priced seats to the emirate of Dubai. Dubai is a hot destination for UK travellers and no wonder that they would to avail the discounted prices offered by Virgin Atlantic.

Those who want to travel to Dubai City can avail the fares from as low as £296 (return travel), with the flights taking off during the months of May, June, September and October. Truly, Virgin is offering that travellers can't expect.

Passengers will also be able to upgrade their ticket to premium economy class by making a payment of £636. By doing so, they will enjoy priority check-in and luggage reclaims services as well as an increased legroom and all other in-flight services.

Don't miss the opportunity to save on a selection of South Africa escapes including a luxury Cape Town and Winelands holiday with key2holidays.

Enjoy 5 nights going through the wonders of Cape Town. And after that, spend 2 nights in the winelands of Stellenbosch.

You will be staying at Cape Town's Winchester Mansions-a fifty-one room retreat constructed in the 1920s representing the luxury and hospitality of the past. Overlooking the Atlantic Ocean and only 10 minutes away from the superb Clifton Beaches, the hotel is a calm oasis only 7 minutes from Cape Town.

In response to the booming demands from the passengers in the route, Gulf Air has added up yet another flight to connect Abu Dhabi and Bahrain.

The additional service was launched on 1st April. Adding up with the three daily flights operated at present, Gulf Air, the national carrier of Bahrain will offer the fourth flight, GF545/546. The said flight will be available four times a week flying between Abu Dhabi and Bahrain on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.

Gulf Air Regional General Manager Sales, Mahfood Al Harthy remarked, "Our frequency increase between Abu Dhabi and Bahrain was in response to the growing passenger demand and the potential of the vast UAE market. We have slotted this fourth frequency in such a way to provide better connectivity with minimum waiting time for our customers travelling to Trivandrum, Chennai, Kochi, Bangalore, Dhaka and Far East destinations, i.e., Kuala Lumpur, Manila and Bangkok, via Bahrain. It will be welcome choice for those making their summer travel plans."

Very soon, Emirates is to offer non-stop flights to Milan, the fashion hub of Italy operated on a daily basis. In addition, the airline will also be soon serving Rome, the capital of Italy. These services shall mark a tailored approach by the airline in meeting the needs of airline industry.

Under this new launch, flights will take off on 1st July from Dubai to Milan and Rome. The said services will be on non-stop direct basis, operated on all seven days of the week. Notably, just after eight months of launching the airline's services to Venice, the airline has initiated these two new routes that shall offer ultimate comfort and convenience to passengers. The three principal benefits for passengers ensuing from the launch of new services are increased seat capacity in these routes, widening of choices over seats and streamlining of booking through agents. Airbus A330-200 and Boeing 777-300 will serve Milan and Italy respectively.

Emirates' Senior Vice President, Commercial Operations, Europe, Keith Longstaff, observed, "This is great news for our passengers travelling in and out of this part of southern Europe. By removing stops en route, we can get customers to their chosen destination faster and in greater comfort."

In a highly welcomed move, Emirates Airline has opened its brand new lounge at the Brisbane International Airport. The new facility features an amazing 360 degree view and notably, this is the first ever airline lounge in the whole of Australia that can board passengers to the aircraft directly, even to the upper deck of A380 Airbus.

Dale W Griffith said: "In May 2003, Emirates made a US$13 million commitment to develop superior quality lounges around the world in an effort to provide passengers with luxurious sanctuaries whilst travelling. In 2004, Brisbane became the first Emirates destination outside of our hub in Dubai to have a dedicated airport lounge and it set the benchmark for all Emirates Lounges across our network. Five years on, we now have 18 Emirates Lounges across our network and are delighted by the overwhelmingly positive feedback from our customers that make these lounges worth our continuous investments."

The new lounge is expected to offer an exceptional level of comfort to the passengers to the international standards. The size of the lounge is more than two times of the previous one in Brisbane. The new facility can accommodate 172 guests with 106 in the lounge area, 10 in the business centre and 56 in the dinning area. The new lounge is ideally located just adjacent to Gate 75. The highlights of the facility are massage chairs, leather armchairs imported from Scotland, flat screen television sets, modern designer bathroom with showers and a high-class business centre.

Reaching a significant milestone in its achievement in the airline industry, Emirates landed one of its aircrafts at the Cape Town of Africa on the 1st of April. Notably, this is the 100th destination of the airline across the globe, in addition to being the second gateway in South Africa.

EK 770, the inaugural flight was piloted by Captain Chris Rademan, a South African native. On its landing at the beautiful city of Cape Town, the flight triggered the start of a non-stop flight service on a daily basis between Dubai and this wonderful destination. The highly thrilling sounds of the Marimba band gave an exciting welcome to the passengers.

Calvyn Gilfellan, Chief Executive Officer, Cape Town Routes Unlimited observed, "In many aspects the Middle East represents the inbound luxury tourism market for Cape Town and the Western Cape, with travellers often seeking a top-quality tourism experience: leading tourist attractions, spectacular golf courses, five-star hotels, elegant restaurants, and shopping for world-famous brands. Cape Town and the Western Cape easily deliver on each of these aspects. We believe this hassle-free, direct flight will definitely add to this luxury tourism experience."

The Harbour Hotel & Residence in Dubai has opened the doors of its innovative 'Timeless Spa', by way of further expanding the Emirates Hotels & Resorts' reputed signature spa operations. Notably, this is the first city-based hotel of the hospitality division.

Boasting some excellent features like the associated gymnasium, 1,500-metre swimming pool and leisure deck, The Timeless Spa at the Harbour is certainly a wonderful addition to the spa industry of Dubai. The city spa has been excellently designed in soothing earthy shades, assuring a great amount of guest privacy and personal space characterizing the layouts and treatment areas. The entire set up echoes the Timeless Spa concepts, initially created at the Al Maha Desert Resort & Spa. The layout includes six treatment rooms, four of them for ladies and two of them for gentlemen. The special focus of the spa is on relaxation and rejuvenation massage treatments, besides a range of beauty and health therapies. Guests are indeed spoilt for choice, as there are more than 30 signature body and facial treatments offered by the centre.

The Vice President of Emirates Hotels & Resorts, Tony Williams, remarked, "The Timeless Spa was first initiated in our flagship Al Maha property, where it was instantly appreciated by our guests, most of whom are exposed to the best products and treatments available across the world. The effectiveness of our selected ranges and our therapists' expertise in consulting and conducting treatments was well recognized."

Passengers will be offered an opportunity by Emirates to travel between Dubai and London Heathrow on one of its new flying machines, Airbus A380 super jumbos, later in the current year.

The carrier has revealed that the introductory flight between Dubai and London Heathrow will fly on the 1st of December. An Airbus A380 with the capacity to accommodate 489 passengers will be used for this flight. The seats that are available in the introductory flight are: 14 in First Class, 76 in Business Class and 399 in Economy Class.

While announcing these details, the airline has also revealed that it would start operating a flight to New York from Dubai on the 1st of October and offer an air link to Sydney-Auckland from the 1st of February, next year.

Enjoying the 225 square kilometers of unspoiled desert landscape, Al Maha Desert Resort & Spa located in the Dubai Desert Conservation Reserve is all set to host a range of adventure, excitement and romance of the most awaited 'Around the World in 80 days' programme.

Forming part of the resort's global campaign marking 80 years of the Academy Awards, the new initiative also coincides with the 80th anniversary celebrations of The Leading Hotels of the World Ltd.

Notably, The Leading Hotels of the World Ltd. is a reputed and prestigious luxury organisation of the hospitality industry that represents over 450 of the world's finest hotels and spas besides including the Al Maha Desert Resort & Spa, which is an exceptional 42-suite luxurious cameo hideaway boasting several prestigious awards.

Emirates Palace has the credit of being the most expensive hotel ever built on earth. There are several interesting facts about this important landmark of Abu Dhabi.

The luxury car fleet of Emirates Palace consisting of 23 cars includes 2 Maybachs, 2 Nissan Altimas, 2 Rolls Royces, 15 BMWs and 2 Mercedes. The architecture features over 114 domes towering up to a height of 60 metres. They glitter under sun resembling pure gold. From all over the world, about 35,000 square metres of marble has been used comprising of over 13 different types. There are about 1,002 Swarovski crystal chandeliers in the property.

In a month, the hotel makes use of 5 kg of 24-carat edible gold to decorate Palace pastries and chocolates. The top highlight is Delice du Palace, which is consumed by the visitors at the rate of around 400 slices a day. "Robert Wan Tahiti Pearls" are the most expensive things that you can purchase in this hotel, which are not available in this country. To lavishly decorate the hotel, not less than 20,000 roses are used everyday.

Following the overwhelmingly successful run in 2006, the British Museum and Dubai Holding have decided to host the exhibition Word into Art in Dubai until the end of April 2008. Notably, this event will feature free entry to all visitors.

Celebrating the creativity of the Middle Eastern artists, The Word into Art exhibition at the Dubai International Finance Centre focuses on how writing has been employed in modern art. Ranging from traditional Arabic scripts to the contemporary graffiti, artists living across the region have made innovations over the usage of script. The main highlights of such works include verses of Quran, political writings, or their great delight in the form of Arabian script. The exhibition will focus on this rich diversity of approaches to Arabic script.

The Executive Chairman of Dubai Holding Mohammad Al Gergawi, remarked, "I'm glad that Dubai Holding has taken this opportunity to partner with The British Museum to host such an excellent exhibition. In the Middle East, Dubai Holding is committed to encouraging innovation in all aspects of our society and developing the talents of the artistic community in the region is a very important part of this goal. This exhibition demonstrates just how impressive these talents are."

Amidst healthy demands, Austrian Airlines is commencing the operations of two daily services to Dubai. The innovative time schedule for both these services provide the best options for business travelers and tourists for traveling to and from Western and Eastern Europe in addition to offering optimum times for passengers either way from Austria and Dubai. This is wonderful news for passengers to have this offer.

The airline currently flies one daily direct flight to Dubai, using a Boeing 737 featuring 16 fixed Business Class comfort seats. Starting from 29 September, the departure time will be altered as per the new schedule with an Airbus A320 that works on new Premium Service concept available on the night flight. On the other hand, the new aircraft in the Business Class section will feature 24 Business Sleeper Seats manufactured by Recaro.

Commencing from 13th November, a new daytime flight service to Dubai will be introduced. The operations will continue till 15 March 2009 employing a Boeing 737-800, offering a high-value inflight service. Starting from 16th March 2009, this flight will make use of a converted Airbus A320.

Etihad Airways, the National Airline of the United Arab Emirates, has revealed plans to increase the number of its services between Ireland and Abu Dhabi by introducing a daily flight to the Irish capital city of Dublin. This would be very good news for passengers looking to travel to Dubai from Ireland, as now they will have more options to do so. Travelling to Dubai has received a boost in the recent past.

Starting from the 30th of March, the carrier will introduce a daily flight between Dublin and the Emirate, which will be an addition to its current six times a week service.

The company also made a reference to the success of the route since its introduction in month of July last year, with the carrier serving more than 44,000 travellers.

This month, the rivalry for business class services on the celebrated route between Dubai and London is charging up, as both British Airways-UK based carrier and Silverjet--the new comer, are offering discounted tickets in their January sales.

The account might step up concerns for the shareholders of Silverjet, who observed the competitor Maxjet get rooted out, in part of rivalry from American Airlines, just ahead of the festivities of Christmas.

Prices have been slashed to 6,600 UAE dirhams (£915) for a return ticket by Silverjet-the airline operates an all business class flights from Luton Airport.

All business class carrier, Silverjet is offering a number of discounted seats on its flights from London Luton Airport to both New York and Dubai. Book your seat by the 31st of January and grab the opportunity to fly at a very low cost. A very good offer is presented by the airlines to its customers.

With its Very Sivilised Sale, the all business class carrier is giving customers an opportunity to travel to New York and Dubai from London Luton at a price starting from just £879. The quoted price is for a return journey and includes all the charges and taxes.

There are no minimum stay restrictions for taking advantage of the offer and passengers can also change their travel dates for an additional ccost of just £100 per sector, plus any price difference for ticket costing more than that was booke earlier.
 
At present, Silverjet offers a twice-daily service between London Luton and New York, and a daily flight from London Luton to Dubai.

Silverjet, the all-business class airline based in Luton Airport has launched its first ever sale. The deal entitled 'Very Sivilised Sale' provides selected return flights to Dubai and New York exclusively for business travellers from the private terminal of the airline at Luton Airport. The charges start from £879 including taxes. This includes a 20% saving on the standard fares.

The airline's spokesman said that for the first time in the whole of airtravel industry, the airline has eliminated the terms and conditions restricting the airline seat sales. Thus, the features that alienate the business traveller have been removed by this new scheme. For instance, the travellers never have to schedule their journey within a narrowly determined period and need not be bound by a compulsory stay for the Saturday night.

The CEO of Silverjet, Lawrence Hunt remarked, "We wanted to develop a sale that not only delivers real benefits to the bottom line but one that our business customers can actually take advantage of."

Silverjet, the British carrier which started daily services between Dubai and London in the month of November introduced its loyalty programme for business passengers.

The Silverjet Set, the complimentary flight initiative offered by Silverjet, which offers a free flight to companies every purchase for ten.

The loyalty programme was introduced after the carrier conducted a survey for its small and medium sized enterprise clients to find out the most common issues that are there in its existing loyalty programmes.

The bond between long-standing partners UAE and South Africa for trade and tourism is assumed to strengthen with the declaration of Dubai-based Emirates Airline. It will start daily flights to Cape Town, from 30th March 2008.

Tourist's idol, Cape Town, will be Emirates' second gateway in South Africa, and its 15th in the African continent.

On the route, Emirates will carry its Airbus A330-200 in a three class design of 12 First, 42 Business and 183 Economy Class seats. From 1st October the aircraft type will be amended to the bigger capacity Boeing 777-200 providing 12 First, 42 Business and 236 Economy Class seats.
Cape Town is one of the world's most sought-after holiday destinations with beautiful scenery, wildlife, various entertainment facilities and robust tourism infrastructure.

Book by 31st December and grab the opportunity to fly at a cheaper price. Emirates is offering a number of cheaper price flights to destinations around the globe. For travel between 1st January, 2008 and 12th March, 2008, the airline is offering the following discounted flights.

From Birmingham to: Dubai from £376; Bangkok at a price starting from just £525; Beijing at a price starting from just £423 and Johannesburg at a price starting from just £493.

From London Heathrow to: Dubai at a price starting from just £379; Bangkok at a price starting from just £528 and Kuala Lumpur at a price starting from just £494.

The flag carrier of the United Arab Emirates, Etihad Airways is to operate brand new services from Abu Dhabi to Beijing starting from 30th March. The flights are to be connected with the services of the airline in the Heathrow–Manchester route.

In Etihad's first route to China, there will be four flights a week. However, the airline is already operating several services to a range of destinations in the Asia Pacific region including Brisbane, Jakarta, Sydney, Manila, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur and Bangkok.

Etihad has planned to employ a two class Airbus A330-200 designed to carry 262 passengers in total, with 22 passengers in the business class and 240 travellers in the economy class on the said route to be launched. The services will be available on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays, scheduled to depart from Abu Dhabi at 23:45 and to arrive at Beijing at 11:30 on the next day. Eventually, the return flight is scheduled to depart from Beijing on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays at 19:10 to arrive at Abu Dhabi at 00:20 on the next day.

Worldwide flights have been discounted by Emirates from a number of airports in the UK. Book before 30th November and travel is valid between 16th April and 30th June, 2008.

From Heathrow, book a flight to: Auckland at a price starting from £736, Brisbane at a price starting from £713, Melbourne at a price starting from £709, Perth at a price starting from £664 and Sydney at a price starting from £717.

From Manchester, book flights to: Auckland at a price starting from £731, Brisbane at a price starting from £708, Melbourne at a price starting from £704, Perth at a price starting from £660 and Sydney at a price starting from £712.

Thanks to the courtesy of private jet style airline Silverjet, starting from Thursday, 22nd November, British travellers can avail the advice of the world's first retail therapist providing insider secrets on managing the shopping havens of Dubai and New York.

Lucia Van Der Post, the luxury Guru is the independent retail therapist of Silverjet. She is also a famous columnist and the author of "Things I Wish My Mother Had Told Me". Investing on her long experience in solving the country's shopping dilemmas, Lucia Van Der Post can offer customised retail suggestions for the customers of Silverjet.

Lucia will offer her expert advice on choosing the best Christmas presents, availing the ideal January bargains, sizing, tax declaration, the good and bad of commodities. Lucia opines, "Without insider knowledge the international shopping experience can be daunting- many of us come back with unwanted gifts and a hefty credit card bill and miss out on the very best of what each destination has to offer."

From next summer, Aer Lingus will start opertaing its services on two new routes: from Cork to Jersey and from Dublin to Ibiza. The airline is also increasing the frequency of its services from Cork, Dublin and Belfast, however, the flights between Dubai and the Irish capital will be scraped by the carrier.

For expansion in 2008, the company will add 3 new aircrafts to its short-haul fleet. New flights from Belfast to Nice will be started, in addition to the Jersey and Ibiza routes.

Introductory ticket prices for Dublin to Cork start from €45/£31 and for Cork to Jersey, the fares start at €19/£13, one-way. Taxes and charges are not included in the quoted prices.

Silverjet, which is a new all-business class carrier, is set to launch its daily Dubai-London flight on 19th November. Flights will be operated from the Executive Terminal at Dubai International Airport to Silverjet's Private Terminal at London Luton Airport.

In a year, around 400,000 passengers travel in business class cabins between London and Dubai, and the passenger number between these two destinations is likely to rise even much because Dubai continues to place itself as an international business and tourism hub.

Katherine Gershon, Director of Sales and Marketing for Silverjet, said, "Dubai has truly placed itself at the centre of the world's aviation sector, and we believe Silverjet's offering can contribute significantly to that ongoing success story".

In a recent move, Etihad has decided to increase its flight services between the UK and Abu Dhabi. As a part of global expansion, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates will fly new services from both London and Manchester. This would be welcoming news for UK travellers looking to get flights to Abu Dhabi. No doubt that Abu Dhabi has emerged as a hot destination due to the boom experience by Dubai tourism.

Commencing from Sunday, the 28th October, the airline will operate flights on daily basis during the mornings from Heathrow Airport. This will add up to the afternoon and evening flight services. In addition, there will be new evening services operated from Manchester on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.

With these new initiatives, the number of services offered by the airline in the UK – Abu Dhabi route will increase from 21 to 26 per week-so, there is an increase in choice for the passengers of UK-Abu Dhabi route.

Marking a milestone in the history of Emirates - Dubai-based carrier, November 1st witnesses the inauguration of the 59-storey luxury Emirates Marina Hotel & Residence, the first city-based hotel of Emirates Hotels and Resorts. The hotel offers 261 suites of single, double and three-roomed configurations.

At the gateway passage to the Dubai Marina, the property is set within the most glorious lifestyle and stylish districts of Dubai – just a stone's throw away from Dubai Media and Internet Cities.

The large suites of the hotel present luxury fittings, individual lounge and dining room areas. From the suites, guests are also assured amazing views of the Dubai Marina,  the Palm Islands or the Gulf.

As announced by FIFA this Sunday, in 2009, the United Arab Emirates is hosting the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup in Dubai. The announcement highlights the fact that Dubai is emerging as the sporting capital of the Middle East. 

Jérôme Valcke, the General secretary of FIFA has also told that the 2008 competition will be hosted by France at the city of Marseille. Quite interestingly, this is the first time in the history of the event that it is held outside its birthplace of Brazil.

The chairman and chief executive of the Emirates Airline group is an official partner of FIFA who remarked, "Dubai is the perfect choice as the venue for the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup 2009, it is through the vision of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al-Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, that the infrastructure is in place for the city to be able to hold an event of this magnitude. Emirates is very pleased that the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup will take place on our home soil in 2009 and will provide any support necessary to make this a unique experience for all football fans from all over the world."

The Art and Antiques Dubai, which is scheduled to be launched in February 2008, will b a new addition to Dubai's growing programme of art exhibitions and fairs.

Haughton International Fairs, the main organizer of the event, plans to stage the event at the Madinat Jumeirah. The Dubai Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing are also supporting the main organizer.

It will be for the first time that some of the finest arts and antiques will be put on display in the region.

UAE will see its Singaporean community commemorating their 42nd anniversary of independence, on 9th August as their National Day.

Singapore's rising local presence is strengthened by the mutual relations, which have been shaped between the two countries in the ended decade. UAE has over 800 Singaporeans and 200 Singapore companies registered with it.

UAE has become Singapore's second largest trade associate in the Middle East, with the mounting of economic, trade and cultural links, thus accomplishing a turnover of more than $US7.5 billion in the year 2006.

Around Dh20 billion are expected to be spent for making Dubai the location of some of the world's most distinguished theme parks.

The ambitious target of Dubai to receive 15 million tourists by 2010 has witnessed the largest names in the worldwide entertainment business including US film studios Universal and Paramount Pictures, being attracted by the local companies.

On accomplishing the current plans, Dubai will turn into a site for rides and attractions based on hits like Titanic and Mission Impossible.

The details of participants of the inaugural Business Travel Show Dubai scheduled to be held in October, have been revealed. The details of an educational programme planned to run apace with the event have also been announced.

The Business Travel Show will be held at the Madinat Jumeirah Arena. The will start on October 29 and continue till October 30.

There will be a seminar programme that will run daily during these days. In the seminar, the delegates will be taught the significance of building travel management policies.

Dubai's travel companies are doing great business over the summer and some are expecting a 30 per cent of growth in their business.

According to industry insiders, it is due to an increased tourist interest for the annual Dubai Summer Surprises (DSS).

Denis Hicban, Business Development Manager, Lama group of companies, said, "The DSS has been very good so far as we already have lots of inquiries for the holidays. The good news is that there is more awareness about Dubai now and the city is attracting tourists in huge numbers every year".

The city of Dubai is all set to become the world's most prolific shopping destination. The endeavors from city's malls and Dubai Shopping Festival office to promote Dubai as finest shopping and entertainment center has received the much needed hike, as explained by Fareed Abdel Rahman, Vice-President of Deira City Centre. According to Rahman, the mall's in Dubai Summer Surprises (DSS) 2007 and the Dubai shopping festival had a tremendous impact on Dubai's shopping trends.

One of the most popular shopping centers in the region - Deira City Centre is a perfect destination for leisure and entertainment. Throughout the year, the center brags for its footfall generation and sales figures. Established in 1998, the Dubai Summer Surprises is a booming season for the malls extending across 10 weeks. DSS is known to have boosted the footfall figures enormously.

Deira City Centre has received a significant growth in footfall that has reciprocated the sales figures. The figures depict expected footfall growth to be 8 per cent, complemented by 10 per cent sales growth. The Centre witnessed around 8% increase in the footfall traffic as compared to the same time last year.

Always first with something new, this time once again, Dubai International Airport is gearing up to attract more than 600,000 special needs tourists this year. The Airport will soon open 20 check-in counters for people with special needs. The initiative aims at encouraging special needs tourism in the emirate which received more than 6.5 million hotel guests in 2006.  New investment on infrastructure is under way and enhanced services are being introduced to make the airport more user-friendly for tourists with special needs. 

The facilities include 20 dedicated immigration counters and a separate route for special needs travellers to go straight to the security lounge, avoiding the entire crowd.  This specially designated route will be equipped with ATM counters, refreshment counters and other facilities tailored only for people with special needs. It will make Dubai International Airport �"the most- friendly airport for special needs visitors�" in the Middle East.

Dubai has always encouraged such practices in the past and with the result, today, they are one of the most preferred destinations among visitors.   These facilities will encourage such travellers who normally have the phobia of taking care at the arrival lounge of the airports.  In 2005, the DCA had around 300,000 requests for wheelchairs at the airport. The figure rose to 400,000 last year and in 2007 it is expecting it to top 600,000.  The DIA will also have three additional car parking areas dedicated to people with special needs.

A good news for the passengers arriving at Dubai International Airport.  The visitors arriving even during the busiest hours will now be able to breeze through with the help of the "Ahlan" arrival assistance service launched by the Department of Civil Aviation of Dubai.

Nominal charges are to be paid by the passengers to avail this service. The service starts moment the passenger gets off the plane all the way to the meeting point for meeters-and-greeters. Passengers using the service are received immediately after deplaning by an Ahlan escort, who then guides them directly to the dedicated Ahlan Lounge.

While the passengers relax with tea, coffee or soft beverages at the plush lounge, Ahlan staff have their immigration procedure completed. The passengers are then guided to the baggage carousel where the Ahlan escort collects their luggage and leads them to the Customs check area. Following the customs check, passengers are then escorted to the meeting point where well-wishers finally receive them.

Dubai is upbeat with the world-class shopping malls that are coming up fast in the country and that are helping boost tourism in the emirate, according to Khaled A bin Sulayem, Director General of Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM).
 
According to Mr. Sulayem, Â"Several shopping centres are now being established in new areas all over the emirate, the number of which is now as much as 10 times more than those existent 10 years ago. Dubai will have the worldÂ's largest shopping centre as part of the Bawadi Hotel Project. There will also be Dubai Mall as part of the Burj Dubai mega-project, besides several other shopping centres now being established.Â"

As per DTCM statistics, the number of hotels in the emirate has increased from 233 and 60 serviced apartment complexes in 1996 to 306 hotels and 117 serviced apartment complexes in 2006. Also, hotel revenues have increased from around Dh1.8b in 1996 to the tune of about AED10.8b in 2006.
 
DTCM pointed out at the intensive promotion campaigns launched by the DTCM since early 90s, has resulted in a tangible increase in the number of tourists descending on Dubai, especially from the Gulf Cooperation Council states year after year. 
 
 Â"The tourist boom witnessed by Dubai currently is evidenced by the high hotel occupancy rates during the summer months, which was never the case before the launch of the DSS 10 years ago. DTCMÂ's main focus is to tap fresh markets and attract the largest possible number of tourists to DubaiÂ", he added.

All credit to the efforts of the government of Dubai in creating the splendid Burj Dubai.  Burj Dubai, designed as the world's tallest building, has just surpassed the height of the Sears Tower, which is currently America's tallest building at 1,450 ft. Both the landmarks have been designed by Skidmore Owings & Merrill (SOM).

The actual height of the Burj Dubai is still a secret but will be above 2,300 ft. and will surpass the current world's tallest building record holder, Taipei 101, in July later this year. The Burj Dubai will be the center of a large scale, mixed-use development comprised of residential, commercial, hotel, entertainment, shopping and leisure outlets with open green spaces, water features, pedestrian boulevards, a shopping mall and a tourist-oriented old town.  All this will make Dubai an exciting city, which is set to attract more and more visitors from world over.

Upon completion, the Burj Dubai will be the tallest building in the world in all four (spire height, the highest occupied floor, roof height and pinnacle height) categories recognized by the Council of Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH), which compiles and ranks the world's tallest buildings.