The continued focus on tourism in the Middle East has helped the region navigate its way through the unchartered landscape of Covid. Qatar is leading the way on recovery.
Even as it calls itself a nature-based emirate, Ras Al Khaimah is keen to earn the reputation of being a leading meetings, incentive, conference and event hub. The emirate is adopting a measured approach with a controlled pipeline of sustainable development to help strike a balance.
Much is riding on the success of the Dubai Expo — not just for the Emirati. The Expo is undoubtedly the largest tourism-oriented event since the start of the pandemic. Many lessons will be learned from how the city state handles the coming months.
Upward we go. The Skift Recovery index registered a 4 point increase in February, no mean feat compared to the almost complete absence of movement over the past six months. Declining case counts and relaxing lockdown restrictions are to thank.
In old-school business wisdom, the large eat the small. Today the truism is that the fast eat the slow. No wonder Almosafer is looking to outrun the regional and global competition in Saudi Arabia and a couple of its bordering countries.
Dubai has spent significant capital billing itself up as a progressive destination that offers uninterrupted tourism and entertainment, but now reality may have caught up to the emirate.
It's reassuring to see several destinations, including Australia with its hard-line stance on border restrictions, warm to the idea of digital health passports.
November: The U.S. chose a new president and vaccine manufacturers showed promising test results, but Europe saw coronavirus cases rising and the Singapore-Hong Kong bubble burst before it even took off. Out of it all came some surprising frontrunners.
Many people remain stranded far from home because they can't get transit flights onward to their final destinations. So it's good news for many workers and families that Emirates and Etihad are restarting transit flights through hub airports in Abu Dhabi and Dubai.