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UPFRONT
UAE, Qatar and Bahrain finally moved from UK Red List
THE UAE, QATAR AND BAHRAIN have been moved from the UK’s Red List to its Amber List. e new rules, which eliminate the need for all travellers from these countries to complete a mandatory 10-day hotel quarantine on arrival to the UK, were announced on August 4 by the UK’s Secretary of State of Transport, Grant Shapps.
“UAE, Qatar, India and Bahrain will be moved from the Red List to the Amber List. All changes come into e ect Sun 8th August at 4am,” Shapps tweeted.
“While it’s right we continue our cautious approach, it’s great news to open more destinations for people wanting to connect with families, friends and businesses across the globe, all thanks to our successful domestic vaccination programme.”
Amber List status means travellers from these countries, as well as those who are not fully vaccinated, need to self-isolate for 10 days on arrival to the UK.
However, fully vaccinated travellers from the US and European Union can avoid isolation on arrival into the UK if they have one of four approved vaccines: Moderna, AstraZeneca, P zer and Johnson & Johnson Janssen.
UK travellers are also exempt from selfisolation on return from amber list countries such as the UAE – a rule that came into e ect from July 19 for all those vaccinated with an NHS-administered vaccine in the UK.
UK carrier British Airways has also resumed ights between London and Dubai for the rst time since January. A daily service is currently in operation.
ETIHAD RESUMES LONDON AND MANCHESTER SERVICES
ETIHAD AIRWAYS has resumed passenger flights to London (three times daily) and Manchester (daily) following the announcement that the UAE has been added to the UK’s Amber List.
Unvaccinated guests travelling from the UAE are required to present a negative PCR test 72 hours before departure and to undergo 10 days’ home quarantine, as well as follow up COVID-19 tests on day two and day eight. Fully vaccinated guests who had their vaccine administered in the UK, US or Europe are exempt from quarantine and the day eight test.
All 28 weekly services between Abu Dhabi and the UK are operated by a B787 Dreamliner. Visit etihad.com for flight options and UK entry regulations.
HOTEL UPDATE
AVANI AND TIVOLI TO LAUNCH IN BAHRAIN Minor Hotels will open its first properties in Bahrain in 2024 – Avani Bilaj Al Jazayer Bahrain Resort and Tivoli Bilaj Al Jazayer Bahrain Resort, each with 110 keys (pictured). They will be located along the main boulevard of new mixed-use development Bilaj Al Jazayer, overlooking the waterfront and sharing a beach club.
STAYBRIDGE SUITES OPENS IN DIC Staybridge Suites Dubai Internet City has opened on Sheikh Zayed Road o ering 225 studios and one- and two-bedroom suites, all with living, working and dining areas and a fully equipped kitchen. Facilities include a restaurant serving complimentary breakfast daily, a 24/7 convenience store and a poolside bar lounge, plus flexible meeting and workspaces, a 25-metre infinity pool, and a concept spa with steam sauna.
THREE MORE FOR RADISSON IN KSA Radisson Hotel Group has signed three new properties in Saudi Arabia: Vivid Jeddah Hotel, a member of Radisson Individuals, planned to open in Q4 2021, and the Radisson Blu Hotel, Jeddah Al Hamra and the Park Inn by Radisson Jeddah Al Hamra, both set to open in Q3 2022.
Etihad rolls out IATA Travel Pass to seven cities following successful trials
FOLLOWING SUCCESSFUL TRIALS, Etihad Airways has expanded the IATA Travel Pass to flights between Abu Dhabi and seven destinations across its network: Bangkok, Barcelona, Geneva, Madrid, Milan, New York and Singapore, o ering the convenience of a one-stop platform for managing COVID-19 documentation.
To access the IATA Travel Pass, guests need to download the IATA Travel Pass app for Android or iOS where they can add their Etihad Airways travel itinerary, view their travel requirements and securely share their PCR test results. The IATA Travel Pass app also includes functionality to upload vaccination certificates, opening up opportunities for travel where vaccination is a requirement. Currently the app is able to accept EU Digital COVID Certificates issued by all 27 member states of the European Union plus Switzerland, Iceland, Norway, and Lichtenstein, as well as vaccine certificates from Singapore and Qatar.
As vaccines continue to roll out globally, more travellers around the world will be able to upload their government issued COVID vaccine certificates to facilitate seamless travel. The airline is continuing to work closely with IATA to progressively roll out the digital travel pass to more cities across its route network.
More information, including the installation instructions and list of participating IATA Travel Pass clinics in the UAE and worldwide, can be found at etihad.com/iatatravelpass.
Cathay Paci c introduces Premium Economy on Dubai route
PASSENGERS TRAVELLING between Dubai and Hong Kong with Cathay Paci c can now experience the airline’s Premium Economy product with the roll out of the airline’s Airbus A350-900 on the route.
Premium Economy seats are equipped with a full-length leg-rest, leather-padded footrests, a retractable armrest that can be adjusted and a headrest. ey recline by nine inches and have an expanded seat pitch of 40 inches. Other features include a dimmable personal reading light, slide-out cocktail table, larger meal table, in-seat power outlet, and an amenity storage on each seat. e 28 Premium Economy seats are con gured in a 2-4-2 cabin layout.
AIR ROUTE UPDATE
EMIRATES RESTARTS SERVICES TO GLASGOW Emirates has resumed services from Dubai to Glasgow, with flights running daily from September 1 and operated by a two-class Boeing 777-200LR.
LOT POLISH TO OPREATE DUBAI-WARSAW ROUTE LOT Polish Airlines will launch a three-times-weekly flight between Dubai and Warsaw from September 19. The carrier will operate services from the UAE city to the Polish capital on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays.
FLYDUBAI RESTARTS HARGEISA SERVICE flydubai has restarted operations to Hargeisa, flying three times weekly to the capital of Somaliland. The airline also has plans to relaunch its operations to Uganda soon.
THREE MORE FOR WIZZ AIR Wizz Air Abu Dhabi has announced twice-weekly services to Tirana in Albania and Sarajevo in Bosnia & Herzegovina, launching on September 11 and October 3 respectively. The flight to Tirana will operate on Tuesday and Saturday and the service to Sarajevo will run on Wednesday and Sunday.
The airline will also launch three-times-weekly services to Manama in Bahrain on September 9. Visit wizzair.com or the airline’s mobile app (also available in Arabic).
Qatar reopens to fully vaccinated international travellers
QATAR HAS REOPENED its borders to international travellers who have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19.
A new streamlined set of measures designed to make travelling to Qatar as easy as possible, while maintaining the necessary precautions to continue to protect against the spread of COVID-19, were implemented in July. They allow people who are fully vaccinated with vaccines approved for use by the Ministry of Public Health in Qatar to visit the Gulf state without the need for quarantine.
The new arrangements also make it easier for citizens and residents of Qatar to travel in and out of the country, enabling fully vaccinated people to bypass the quarantine requirement when returning to Qatar.
In order to visit Qatar, international visitors, citizens, and residents must register and upload required documentation including a vaccination certificate, valid PCR test up to 72 hours prior to travel, and personal details through the Ehteraz website (www.ehteraz.gov.qa). Travellers must apply for authorisation through this website (free of charge) at least 12 hours before their planned departure to Qatar.
Visitor visa rules apply for certain nationalities, however, more than 80 nationalities can visit Qatar with a free visa on arrival. Those requiring a visitor visa are advised to obtain that before applying for travel authorisation.
Visitors require a confirmed hotel booking to visit Qatar.
All travellers are also required to download and activate the Ehteraz mobile app. This requires a domestic Qatari SIM card, which can be purchased from either Ooredoo or Vodafone on arrival at Hamad International Airport (HIA). Upon activation, visitors can visit malls, restaurants, museums and other public venues, as well as use taxis and public transport.
QATAR TO OPEN 22 NEW HOTELS THIS YEAR
QATAR WILL OPEN 22 NEW properties between now and the end of the year, bringing 5,646 rooms to market, according to the TOPHOTELPROJECTS construction database.
Another 17 projects with 5,677 rooms are planned for completion by the end of 2022, according to researchers, with developers fast-tracking projects in time for the FIFA World Cup, which kicks off on November 21 next year. There are currently 46 hotel projects spanning 12,999 rooms planned for Qatar, with standout openings including two new properties from Corinthia Hotels, the fastest growing brand in the country; Raffles Lusail Hotel & Residences (pictured) and Fairmont Lusail Hotel & Residences, which will share the iconic Katara Towers; the 235-key ME Doha, opening later this year as part of the DohAlive mixed-use project and featuring business and convention facilities; and Al Mana Edition Hotel West Bay, the “anti-hotel-chain” lifestyle brand by Marriott, which will also include meetings facilities.
QATAR AIRWAYS and Rwandair have signed a new strategic partnership including interline agreements and reciprocal loyalty scheme benefits.
Rwandair said the partnership would “leverage Qatar Airways’ global network and increase access to African destinations”, through an extensive interline agreement across the carrier’s combined 160 destinations via their hubs in Kigali and Doha.
The two airlines recently announced a new loyalty partnership, allowing members of the Rwandair Dream Miles and Qatar Airways Privilege Club schemes to earn and redeem miles across the carriers’ networks.
Malta welcomes UAE travellers with vaccine certi cates
UAE TRAVELLERS who present an authorised UAE Vaccine Certificate issued by the Dubai Health Authorities with a readable QR Code can now visit Malta.
All relevant documents must be presented on departure from the UAE to airline o icials and upon arrival in Malta to health o icials stationed at the airport’s Terminal Temperature Screening Points.
Malta has established itself as a safe island destination in Europe, with a low number of COVID-19 cases. The island destination is home to unspoiled beaches, impressive historical and cultural sights, UNESCO archaeological attractions, and a wide array of fun-packed activities. Visit www.visitmalta.com/en/covid-19 and see this issue’s dedicated Malta feature (page 28).
YAS MARINA LAUNCHES F1 RACE WEEK YACHT BERTHING PACKAGES FOR 2021
YAS MARINA has launched its berthing packages for the Formula 1 Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix 2021, which takes place from December 9 to 12.
Owners and their guests can experience the thrill of the most spectacular motorsport series from the water, with uninterrupted track view berths for yachts ranging 10 to 175 metres.
Non-track view berths are also available for those who favour the glitz and glamour of the event, without all the track-side activity.
Early Bird packages available to yacht owners include a 35 per cent discount for berth bookings made before August 31 and 20 per cent o berth bookings made between September 1 and October 31. Berths can be reserved from December 6 to 13 so patrons can enjoy the entire week’s festivities.
Visit yasmarina.ae
Hilton and SIXT launch self-drive Alpine o er
HILTON HAS TEAMED UP with SIXT Rent a Car to launch an Alpine experience for GCC travellers visiting Munich and Vienna. Visitors driving between Munich and Vienna are being o ered a 15 per cent discount on car rental and have the option to stay at ve di erent Hilton properties along the way. e deal, available until September 30, includes many vehicle options, from a sports car for two to minivan that can seat the entire family.
Hotel options include Hilton Munich Park with views of the Alps; Hilton Munich City, within walking distance of the Old Town and shopping districts; Hilton Vienna Park, a newly refurbished property close to the famous ‘Stadtpark’; Hilton Vienna Plaza, with a convenient city centre location; and Hilton Vienna Danube Waterfront, Vienna’s only hotel located by the River Danube and near to the Prater amusement park. Visit sixt.com/hiltonaplinedreams
