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We create events, why  travco events, creativity, experience, passion.

Travco Events is an innovative market leader for meetings, incentives, congresses and events (MICE). With its extensive knowledge, and exquisite customer service we create innovative concept and deliver memorable experiences in the UAE. Established since 02 decade in the UAE, Travco is a name of Trust, known for its seamless quality standard, and strong partnership with local partners.

500 + events and still counting

Since 1997, we have successfully operated over 500+ international mice groups (ranging from 20 – 2500). we have executed these events for our varied clients from industries panning automobile, banking, cosmetics, pharma to name a few., health & safety / risk assessment.

Being part of a global organization, we follow strict international standards in terms of Health and Safety. In addition, we do Risk Assessments of all our suppliers to ensure that the quality of the vendors and the service provided are the best in the industry.

Own Desert Venues

Our own desert venues based in dubai and ras al khaimah with varying capacities ensure that we have the flexibility to design and execute your special arabian evenings. with varying capacities from 100 to 2000, we can host your events of any size in our 3 different desert venues, own fleet of vehicles.

Our in house fleet of luxury coaches, vans and 4x4’s along with our trained drivers and guides ensures safety and comfort to all our guests.

We are TRAVCO

Travco events is a part of travco llc, which is one of the biggest destination management companies in the gulf region with a commanding position with most of the hotel chains and suppliers offering preferred partner rates due to its high volume of business we drive in. we bring this to your advantage when it comes to negotiating special rates and deals..

OUR SERVICES

At TRAVCO EVENTS we offer destination experience coupled with

creativity and logistical expertise, which ensures the results our clients are looking for. We love the challenge of turning the impossible into reality.

Our experienced team brings you the powerful combination of flair and creativity backed by an obsession for perfection.

WE DESIGN, PLAN, CREATE & EXECUTE!

Describe your image

Meetings are a vital part of any business, even with all the tech advancement, face to face meetings still remain very important. At TRAVCO EVENTS, we do understand the demanding schedule of the meeting delegates and we do our best to enhance the delegates experience in the destination by organizing unique after meeting themed dinners and as well as social networking events. With a wide array of hotels in the destination in all different star categories that offer excellent Meeting tools, Dubai & Abu Dhabi fits in perfectly to the Meeting industry requirements. From boardroom brainstorming to action packed agendas, conventions or strategic breakaways sessions - whatever your objective, our expert team of seasoned account managers are always on hand to ensure the success of your program.

Innovation and Creativity is the DNA of our Project team. At TRAVCO Events you can be assured of creative programs and innovative ideas to reward your delegates.

Our Project Managers will offer you a range of exclusively designed itineraries based on your client requirements and budget. Let it be a delegation of C-level executives or a larger Incentive trip for your sales team, we can tailor make a program befitting the occasion.

Destination Dubai & Abu Dhabi are designed for incentives, with its world class infrastructure, high level of customer service, stunning venues, top class entertainment and our local expertise you can be assured of 100% results from the Incentive trips.

Conferences

Whether you are planning a regional conference or an international congress, we at TRAVCO is ready to cater to your varied requirements. Being strategically located between the Europe & Asia, both Dubai & Abu Dhabi are an automatic choice for major Conference.  Our team, has got the knowledge and expertise in handling International and Regional conference with sizes up to 2500. With dedicated project managers to handle the various verticals – logistics, accommodation, production, entertainment, visas and dinner arrangements, you can rely on us to be your one stop solution. The destination offers excellent conference infrastructure starting from a state of the art convention center, Hotels with large inventory, world class Audio Visual service providers all complemented by your Event specialist from TRAVCO project managers makes a smooth sail for your conferences.

Our Project team develops individual concepts to translate brand values and messages into a true experience for the audience, enhanced by creative venues in the most sought locations within the destination Dubai & Abu Dhabi. 

When it comes to events, we study your requirements in detail with a consultative approach so as to achieve the best of the world. We guide you through the process of selecting unique venues, to state of the art technology and world class entertainment to make your event exceptional and memorable.   

With some of the most unusual and unique locations to choose from, you’ll get to experience true Arabian hospitality - from bustling city venues to breakaway desert retreats, UAE has it all.  

Our repeat client ratio and references attest to the quality of special events and galas that TRAVCO Events produces.

Tolerance Bridge with Burj Khalifa and Dubai Skyline view

Dubai – a cosmopolitan city strategically located between Europe and Asia offers the world’s best infrastructure for you to host Meetings, Incentive Programs, Conferences & Events. Dubai has a sub-tropical, arid climate. Rainfall is infrequent and irregular. Between November and March, UAE weather is warm and sunny with temperature hovering around 23 degrees C in the daytime, while nights are cooler. Let it be Air connectivity, Hotels, Venues, Activities or Events, you have them all in one city and a combination of that with a local expert like TRAVCO Events make it a perfect destination for MICE.  More than 100 different airlines fly into Dubai connecting different parts of the globe. All major hotel chains are very well represented in the city offering a large inventory to accommodate and cater events of any size, complemented by the best production facilities to enhance your events and achieve the goal.  A wide variety of day programs, reflecting the modern and traditional outlook to cater delegations of any size.  Dubai plays host to a lot of international events including the world class sporting events such as Desert Class (PGA tour) Dubai World cup (Horse racing), Dubai open (Tennis) to name a few.

Abu Dhabi is the capital and the second most populous city in the United Arab Emirates and also capital of Abu Dhabi emirate.

Abu Dhabi has a sub-tropical, arid climate. Rainfall is infrequent and irregular. Between November and March, UAE weather is warm and sunny with temperature hovering around 23 degrees C in the daytime, while nights are cooler.

Let it be Air connectivity, Hotels, Venues, Activities or Events, you have them all in one city and a combination of that with a local expert like TRAVCO Events make it a perfect destination for MICE.

Having successfully developed its reputation as one of the leading locations for business and events tourism in the region, Abu Dhabi is now stepping up its game in order to compete on a global scale, and in a manner that is in line with its economic vision.

Abu Dhabi offers a wide array of options for the discerning travelers, with the most significant being a unique opportunity to visit inside the Grand Mosque, experience adrenaline rush in the Yas Marina Circuit or take a ride in the world’s fastest roller coaster. It also boasts the majestic Liwa Desert, the entrance to the famed Empty Quarter, the world’s largest uninterrupted sand mass with some of the tallest sand dunes on earth. 

OUR  TEAM

Jean Yan, Groups & MICE Manager

Jean Yan brings with him more than a decade of experience in the tourism and hospitality industry with key focus in MICE -. He is responsible to lead the team; business development from different source market  and strengthen partnership with the different stakeholders.

Graduating from ESTHUA in France, Jean Yan started his career in the UAE back in 2008 and has occupied managerial roles in different organization including DMCs, and Tourism Board in the UAE. He is passionate about events management, and product development.  Jean Yan has experience in handling small VIP groups to large scale events.

Cooking is love!

Joshua Edwards, Project Manager

Josh joined us in January 2018 brining another 13 years’ events experience. He has run events of all sizes across the automotive, finance, insurance and pharmaceutical sectors to name just a few.

Graduating from the university of Lincolnshire and Humberside in the UK, Joshua started his career at ‘SNTTA Emir Tours’ as a Project Executive back in 2004. Completing 07 years with the company Josh then moved to ‘Ovation’ as a Project Manager where he gained valuable experience in handling PCO business.

A seasoned DMC professional, Josh believes effective communication is the key to a successful event.

Football is unconditional love – Arsenal all the Way !

Nestor Reyes, Project Manager

Nestor joined the team in early 2022 as Project Manager. Nestor's responsibilities will include responding the RFPs, handling MICE and Leisure Groups and Handling large scale events , with key experience in handling corporate meetings and events.

Nestor comes to us with more than 15 years of experience in hospitality and tourism industry , having served in Meydan Hotels, Liberty International and Elevate DMC,  He has expertise in events management, project management and business development, Nestor received a bachelor's degree in Commerce, majoring in Management .

Trekking, camping and chasing hill top sunrises!

Group from United States, 50 Pax, Jan 2022   Thank you for your exceptional support, dedication and service. I have never met anyone like you and wish we can work together again.  Banzai had an amazing experience thanks to your leadership and the experience Travco provided.

"  testimonials   ".

TRAVCO EVENTS

Our address.

Westburry Commercial Tower | Level 5, Abraj Street,

Marasi Drive, Business Bay | P.O. Box 26896 | Dubai, UAE

OUR  PHONE

Our  email.

+971 4 336 6643 - 170

+971 55 934 4613

[email protected]

INTERNATIONAL OFFICES

Claudia Majunke  General Manager 

Majunke International Sales  fon: +49 6174 2491871 fax: +49 6174 619442 mobil: +49 173 3267740 www.majunkesales.com

Nadia Bizzaro  Via Sercognani, 23 20156-Milano -Italy Tel. + 39 02/ 39 21 7668 Fax + 39 02/ 39 21 7668 GSM + 39 335 67 71 773 e-mail [email protected] Web: users.iol.it/bizzaro

Vicky He  Manager 

Travco Beijing Representative office Tel: +86-10-85794521 Fax: +86-10-85728745 Mobile: +86 15810163446

              +86 18688927602 Email: [email protected] Skype:vickyhemiao QQ: 1091985136

Katarzyna Kałuża  Business Development Director

ul. Smyczkowa 12/31

02-678 Warsaw, Poland Tel: + 48 22/ 100 65 71 Mob: + 48 517 667 243 [email protected] Web: www.travel-bidder.com

          www.meet-the-bidder.com

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Ultimate Sales Incentive Trip: Dubai

Bigger, better, and always evolving. The whole essence of Dubai is to make the impossible come to life. It’s no wonder that this group incentive travel destination is Cvent’s #1 sourced destination in the regions of the Middle East and all of Africa. If you haven’t already, please check out the first blog of this destination series focused more on the overview of Dubai and what makes it tick. This time, we focus on how to best structure a group meeting or incentive travel program for this fabulous city. From man-made islands in the shapes of palm trees to an indoor ski resort that’s steps away from the desert sun to old city Dubai and its rich culture, it’s hard to know where to start in planning corporate incentive travel to the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Brightspot is here to help with some of our top recommendations.

Burj Al Arab seen from madinat jumeirah in Dubai UAE.

When it comes to hotels, the question really isn’t where to stay but how do you choose? I was blown away by the sheer quantity of high-end luxury group/MICE hotels to choose from. From homegrown brands such as Jumeirah (13 amazing hotels in Dubai alone) to internationally recognized brands like St. Regis, Four Seasons, Fairmont, and of course representation from the big players Hyatt, Hilton, and Marriott, each property I visited almost seemed more grand than the last. And on top of that, the overall level of service within the destination will surely exceed your expectations even for brands you may associate with a 4-star level property. Luxury is simply the way of doing business here, meaning there is truly something extraordinary for groups of all shapes, sizes, and budget parameters.

Sunrise from Room Window at Atlantis Dubai.

The host property for our group was the Atlantis Dubai located on the very tip of the famous Palm Tree Island. Despite common misconceptions, this property is not associated with the Atlantis Bahamas property and has separate ownership and protocols. Though this property is family-friendly, it proved itself to be a solid 5-star hotel. My guest room was large and luxurious and views of the sunrise each morning from my window were some of the most beautiful I have ever seen in my life. There was something special to the mix of the water and gorgeous cityscape that showcased the Burj Khalifa peeking through to greet me each day. I was also very impressed with the banquet food not only from a quality perspective but also from the creativity of the presentation and menu creation as well. The Atlantis is a beach property and faces inward to the palm branches of the man-made island. Within the property they have several large resort pools, a tastefully located waterpark, great outdoor event space, plenty of onsite dining and shopping, and one of the largest aquariums in the world standing at over 33 feet high and 65 feet wide with over 65,000 marine animals. Talk about memorable when your attendees stumble upon that on the way down to breakfast! For guests who want an adults-only experience, the newly opened Atlantis Royal is located directly next door and is WOW, WOW, WOWZA! The sunset view overlooking the Palm and the city shoreline from their Cloud 22 rooftop bar was one of the most memorable moments of my time there. Truly unforgettable!

The Atlantis Royal Rooftop Bar, Cloud 22.

Within the destination, there are plenty of options for exclusive activities for your groups to do and experience that fit the many different preferences of your attendees and your budget. However, we feel it would be a “miss” not to include at a minimum these two options.

Sand Bashing on Desert Discovery in Dubai, Wise Monkeys Productions LLC.

Must Do Activities

• Day/Evening in the Desert – A truly one-of-a-kind experience. Pick the group up from the resort in off-road vehicles and take them out and bash into the depths of the desert for afternoon activities such as sand boarding and camel riding. Then escort them to an outdoor setup for appetizers and a champagne toast as they watch the sunset on the desert horizon, before lastly bringing them to a traditional campsite for dinner under the stars sampling authentic local cuisine while experiencing interactive entertainment, henna tattoos, and even a hookah bar.
• Day Trip out to Abu Dhabi – Only 1 hour from Dubai is the neighboring Emirate city of Abu Dhabi. Treat your guests to the photo op of a lifetime at the gorgeous all-white Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque and visit the Qasr al Watan Palace. You can stop off for some lunch at Emirates Palace and even let your top executives take the luxury vehicles for a race at Ferrari World while the attendees place bets on the winner. A full-day group activity but worth every second.

The Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi.

Other Activities to Consider

• Visit Burj Khalifa – Proudly claiming the title of the tallest building in the world, give your group the opportunity to head up to the observation deck for one of the best views in Dubai.
• City and Culture Tour – Contrast the futuristic side of downtown with the cultural old city center giving your attendees a glimpse into the history of the area along with a visit to the Spice Souq and Gold Souq markets for some authentic local shopping.
• Visit the Museum of the Future – transport your guests to the future for an opportunity to experience simulations of solutions to modern-day issues such as global warming, human health, sustainability, and technology innovations.
• Ski Dubai – With options of a little as 2-hour increments, strap on your skis or snowboard and get the opportunity of a lifetime to ski at the world’s first indoor ski resort BUT while in the middle of the desert.
• Speed boat experience – it’s been said the best place to see the city is from the water especially if you opt for a sunset cruise. You will quickly learn how someone can see a Mirage in the desert when you see the mix of hazes and colors against the modern downtown cityscape which is truly unique to this part of the world.

Brie Richards on the Indoor Ski Slopes at Ski Dubai.

Factors to Consider

But alas, as with most exotic destinations, there are unique factors your group needs to consider prior to pursuing this destination as your next company trip.

• #1 busiest airport for international travel with over 190 connecting destinations so connectivity is not an issue and truthfully airfare prices were surprisingly affordable – comparable to most North American to European destination ticket prices.
• Most flights arrive late evening to the middle of the night. I was shocked to find that the airport looks like DFW at 10:00 am though most were arriving between 8:00 – 12:00 pm (especially for US participants)
• Event Planner Suggestion : For arrivals, consider dropping a charcuterie amenity in the room as many flights will arrive late evening. This lets them have a bite to eat in the comfort of their room after the long journey. Then open registration the following afternoon to allow people to sleep in and enjoy the resort before the opening night Welcome Reception on Day 2
• Event Planner Suggestion : For departure day, since most flights leave in the evening, your last day can actually be used to enhance the program! Opt to give your attendees a meal allowance for lunch and a day to enjoy the resort pool. Be sure to secure a few sleeping rooms for them to freshen up in prior to their departure to the airport as the final touchpoint of a great trip.
• We would recommend a 4-night minimum, but 5 to 6 nights are ideal due to the nighttime arrival/departures and the opportunity to allow guests to acclimate to the time change and really experience the destination.
• Event Planner Suggestion : Extend the length of your trip to allow yourself to be able to take the group out to Abu Dhabi and avoid having to make your attendees have to choose between Abu Dhabi and a local Dubai activity. Trust me, they are going to want to see both!
• Most people would likely not be able to travel to this destination on their own, so you are truly creating a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that is sure to make a lasting impression and create loyalty which is the ultimate return on your investment.
• Event Planner Suggestion : Give your attendees the opportunity to extend either in Dubai or neighboring countries. Many within the group I was traveling with were taking advantage of the fact they were fairly centrally located between Europe, Asia, and Africa to hop on a quick flight to another one of their personal bucket list destinations. Go the extra mile and even put together a list of recommended destinations, tips on how to get there, and places to stay once you arrive to help give them the boost they need to pull the trigger on indulging in the extended personal travel of their dreams.

Men In Traditional Thawb Dress Playing Qawalib Music at the Welcome Reception, Wise Monkeys Productions LLC.

I think it’s important to note that as travel evolves, I do sense that some of these factors may not be as much of a deterrent to the modern traveler as many have accepted that what you sacrifice in convenience you surely gain in experience. I think as event professionals, it’s our job to come up with workarounds on how to overcome these factors within travel incentives and still create an amazing attendee experience they are sure to remember. From experience, it’s been weeks since I have been home, and I am still buzzing with excitement. In fact, I can’t tell you the number of people who have told me Dubai is top of their wish list as well. With a travel destination that is truly as immersive of an experience as this, it makes it well worth considering for your next meeting or incentive trip.

Are You Ready to Start Planning? With its remarkable attributes, incomparable service at its luxury properties, and an array of thrilling excursions, Dubai emerges as a top contender for your next incentive travel program. Our team of experienced professionals is ready to assist you in seamlessly coordinating all the logistics , guaranteeing your group an unforgettable experience. Discover more about the exceptional services we provide or get in touch with us today to begin planning your extraordinary Dubai program!  

Take the first step towards creating an extraordinary incentive travel program in Dubai. Our team of experienced professionals is ready to assist you in seamlessly coordinating all the logistics. Don’t wait any longer – discover more about our exceptional services and get in touch with us today to start planning your extraordinary Dubai program. The adventure awaits!

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Author Brie Richards

Brie specializes in hotel and DMC sourcing, contract negotiations, building relationships with hotels and industry partners, and establishing processes internally to help all of these functions run efficiently and effectively. She has been with the Brightspot for almost 10 years and enjoys looking for new and creative destinations and experiential ideas for our client’s programs. As a Certified Meeting Professional (CMP), Brie loves to take her clients to the next level.

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Rising In The Emirates

Emeco Tourism in the Emirates is a result of the merger between Emeco Travel DMC company – Egypt & Al Abjar Tourism – Dubai; two leading tourism firms created in 1977 & 2003 respectively. With the increasing demands for professional DMC ’s to caterer for the sophisticated Leisure / MICE business the Emirates expect over the years to come, both firms decided to get together and create a leading tourism house similar to what each of them manages in their country. Read more

ABOUT EMECO

Our clients listen what they said.... -->.

Incentive Travel

Everything you need.

Comfort and ease are the hallmarks of our 106 guest rooms and suites. A customizable Four Seasons Bed, oversized windows and limestone bathrooms create a relaxing atmosphere that starts working as soon as you walk in the door.

From coffee breaks with delectable sweets to banquet dinners with specialty cocktails, we have you covered. Our creative chefs can design custom menus to suit your group, incorporating local flavours and ingredients as desired for memorable meals.

Spice up your Dubai visit with one of our stimulating, enriching and downright-fun group activities. We offer ideas for on-site team building, adventurous desert excursions and city tours that dive deep into Dubai’s cultural riches. Whether you want to inspire, network or just blow off steam, there’s a group activity that’s perfect for you.

Treat your guests to something truly special. Four Seasons creates one-of-a-kind desert feasts among the sand dunes, or you can indulge in a catered meal aboard a yacht and take in the sights as it sails around Dubai.

Great Group Value Offer

Special starting rate:, valid for selected dates between.

• Apr 26 2024 – May 31 2024
• Complimentary welcome amenities for the group
• One complimentary guest room with every 20 paid guest rooms per night
• One complimentary accommodation upgrade to a suite with every 20 paid guest rooms per night
• 20% off pre-booked group treatments in the Spa and 20% off Hotel food and beverages

Exclusives and Buyouts

Take over the entire property! Your group will enjoy complete privacy, total access to amenities and services, and unlimited opportunities to wow your guests.

#FSEVENTS Dubai DIFC

Dubai: An Arabian Adventure

Dubai at night, United Arab Emirates

Burj Al Arab Dubai

Impressive view of the Burj Khalifa, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Camel, Dubai, UAE

Desert Safari, Dubai, UAE

Dubai Mall Aquarium, Dubai, UAE

A Luxurious Global City

United Arab Emirates is a modern and dynamic country immersed in culture and history, a fascinating place where traditionalism meets modernism and technology is integrated with traditional values. A very wealthy country, this is a fantastic place to spoil your employees while mankind’s creations take their breath away. See the Burj Kalifa, the Burj Al Arab and the Palm Jumeirah; feats of engineering which are nothing short of inspirational!

Dates available on request

Suggested itinerary by air

Dubai arrival.

Fly from the UK direct to Dubai International Airport. On arrival you will be met by a guide and transferred to your hotel. Stay at the five-star Sheraton Grand Hotel*. Situated just a 10-minute stroll away from World Trade Centre and offering picturesque views of Dubai skyline, this modern and stylish hotel features a rooftop pool and a relaxing spa. Enjoy the evening at leisure to relax at the hotel and dine in one of the city’s finest restaurants.

Dubai City Tour and Dhow Cruise

This morning enjoy a guided tour of Dubai. Visit the Dubai Marina, a relatively new attraction in Dubai, it’s characterized by a dramatic skyline of skyscrapers and residential apartment blocks. Visit Palm Jumeirah, a series of artificial archipelagos in the emerald waters of the Arabian Gulf. The spectacular man-made island is a feat of engineering genius. Impossible to miss, the world-renowned Burj Khalifa tower is the tallest artificial structure in the world at 829.8m. Travel to the 124 th floor for a spectacular view. Continue to Jumeirah beach where you’ll find the iconic Burj Al Arab, a striking sail-shaped building. Stop for lunch at a local restaurant.

Afterwards, visit Al Fahidi Fort (Dubai Museum), Ruler’s Court, Old Mosque, Textile Street, Central Bank, Ministry of Finance, Heritage Village and finally the Spice and Gold Souks. Located in the heart of Dubai’s commercial business district, the souks offer hundreds of shops aligned in narrow laneways, trading almost exclusively jewellery, spices and fragrances. Later, enjoy an unforgettable evening on a Dhow cruise. A ‘Dhow’ is a traditional Arabic vessel that has been used in the region in recent history as a fishing, transportation and pearl diving based vessel. In recent times, many Dhows have been refurbished into ‘floating restaurants’. Combining tradition and opulence, you will enjoy a sumptuous feast of Arabic and international cuisine as well as live entertainment while you glide past the illuminated buildings of Dubai.

Desert Safari

Today you will have the morning at leisure to enjoy the hotel facilities or explore the local area. The hotel has seven rooms available should you wish to arrange a group meeting. In the afternoon, you will go on a desert safari in a 4×4. See the breath taking and spectacular desert sunset, and then experience a warm Arabian welcome with Arabic coffee on arrival at the desert camp. At the camp, take part in various activities such as camel riding and henna painting before a BBQ buffet dinner. The evening entertainment begins with a Tanoura dance show followed by a belly-dancing performance.

Day at leisure

After breakfast at the hotel, you will have the day at leisure to enjoy some of the amazing activities that Dubai has to offer.

Enjoy a bike tour and explore old Dubai with all its bustling markets, narrow alleys and ancient ports. Get a glimpse of that rich history in the heritage areas where the old buildings have been beautifully renovated.

If you would prefer to see the city on foot, then explore the authentic face of Dubai by visiting the Fish & Vegetable market, Coffee Museum, Art gallery and abra ride. Begin your stroll after a quick abra ride and then walk along the Shindagha waterfront, where elegant wind-tower residences now house centers for Islamic studies and architectural heritage. Stroll along the waterfront to see the barasti huts, old coffeehouse, handicraft souq, and pearl-diving displays at the fishing village that once stood here.

The more adventurous may wish to enjoy the beautiful deserts of the UAE along with the adrenaline rush of driving a fully modified 4×4 Jeep Wrangler through the dunes.

For a more relaxing day, take a trip to Dubai Mall, the world’s largest shopping mall with around 1200 stores, a giant ice rink, an aquarium, a dinosaur skeleton, indoor theme parks and 150 food outlets. It’s ideal for a spot of shopping (or even skiing, skating or swimming!)

Dubai Departure

After breakfast at the hotel you will have morning at leisure. You will be transferred to Dubai International Airport for your return flight to Manchester.

*Hotel subject to availability

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Greatdays Wholesale

Greatdays offer a trade only booking service for coach and tour operators or professional group travel organisers and we can provide single or multiple elements of a holiday.

Greatdays Holidays

Greatdays are able to offer a complete tailor-made booking service for group travel organisers with the help of one of our friendly consultants to assist you through the booking process.

Incentive Travel in Dubai & Abu Dhabi

We organise custom experiences with high added-value.

At Empirance, we organise tailor-made travel experiences, allowing you to discover Dubai and other cities in the United Arab Emirates from local perspectives that are out of the ordinary and have a focus on luxury.

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We anticipate the needs of our customers

Our in-depth knowledge of UAE local culture, our enthusiasm to meet any requirement and our key agreements with luxury collaborators allow us to devise, plan and deliver unforgettable plans that fit the interests and needs of our customers.

Some of our incentive travel ideas

The UAE offers a rich variety of options for incentive travel, from the most popular (sightseeing, quiet beaches, fine dining, luxury spas, shopping, etc) to the most unusual: a luxury dinner on a yacht along the coast of Dubai, from Abu Dhabi or Ras al-Khaimah; a tea with exquisite selections of desserts, delicious cakes and traditional specialities on top of a skyscraper followed by a helicopter tour to take in the city from above; a getaway with a visit to some of the oldest cities in the Arab world and much more. But these are just a few ideas. The UAE prides itself on being a country of possibilities, with new luxury experiences every month. At Empirance, we place them at your fingertips according to your tastes, your budget and whatever you need to let your imagination fly (or ours).

But these are just some ideas. The UAE is proud to be a country of possibilities, with new luxury experiences every month, and in Empirance we put them at your fingertips according to your tastes, your budget and what you want to let your imagination fly (or ours).

01. Activity & Adventure

• Enjoy a breath-taking sky-high helicopter ride above skyscrapers.
• Admire a desert panorama from up high in a hot air balloon.
• Experience marine life on an unforgettable scuba diving excursion
• Get familiar with the Emirati culture through a desert safari.

02. City Breaks

• Appreciate the city highlights and secrets with the most exclusive escorted tours.
• Enjoy the thrill of shopping in the largest malls in the world with your own personal shopper.
• Spend a night in Dubai's most glamorous clubs and party until dawn with a VIP pass.

03. Foodie Experiences

• Savour a luxury picnic by a well-known chef on a private trip by to the Jebel Jais mountain in Ras Al Khaimah.
• Indulge in a delicious seafood dinner aboard a luxury yacht that departs from Dubai Marina.
• Enjoy signature Italian specialities by the beach in a Michelin-starred restaurant.
• Delight in hidden foodie gems on a traditional culinary trail with flavours from all over the Middle East.

04. Sports & Shows

• Discover the Emiratis’ passion for horse racing at one of the most exciting shows.
• Live incredible speed and unsurpassed driving pleasure behind the wheel of a Ferrari with a trained instructor.
• Sweat and relax on a golf, yoga or ski retreat.

05. Rest & Relaxation

• Take a break and opt for a yoga course lasting one or several days in the desert, with a swimming pool, accommodation and healthy food.
• Treat yourself to a fancy afternoon tea experience on a skyscraper overlooking the city.
• Pamper yourself with the luxury treatments from our exclusive list of Dubai's spas, hammams and salons.

06. Family & Kids

• Expand your horizons by counting thousands of birds in Ras Al Khor Wildlife Sanctuary.
• Splash into a world of adventure at Aquaventure, one of the best waterparks in the world.
• Have incredible fun at Ferrari World in Abu Dhabi, including the soft adventure play area for younger children.

Do you need DMC services? Contact us

At empirance we inspire, design and perform tailor-made memorable experiences, from corporate events (mice) of all kinds to personal services at the destination. we attend you in english, french, arabic, spanish and catalan . you can contact us by phone or email, visiting our offices or sending us the following form:.

Spain Headquarters: +34 930156408

[email protected]

Where the Desert greets the Ocean

Why Choose Dubai?

That's easy.....

• Dubai is situated in the southern Persian Gulf, considered as one of the leading cities in the world. It is the most developed and sophisticated city of the United Arab Emirates
• You can almost be guaranteed wall-to-wall sunshine, endless activities and 5* service all the way. In addition, unlike most large cities, crime rate is almost Zero, making it a very safe city to visit - but do respect their laws and culture.
• Incentive groups travelling to Dubai will be spoilt for choice for hotels with even the 4 star hotels providing an excellent standard.

Typical Incentive Package in Dubai

Take your pick of wonderful hotels on the beach or in downtown Dubai.  New properties are springing up all the time in all areas from downtown Dubai to the Palm, from the business district to the marina.

Explore the many Malls where you can Ski or walk through an indoor Aquarium.

Haggle for the best bargain in the Gold and Spice Souks or take a Dhow Cruise down the Creek

Take a thrilling jeep safari through the desert, arriving at an Arabic camp for a sumptuous Arabic barbeque with entertainment or opt to stay overnight in an Arabian tented camp.

Visit the Burj Khalifa , the tallest building in the world and perhaps a final dinner in the Burj Al Arab?

Case Studies

See how global incentives trip to abu dhabi gave staff an extra boost, read how a team touched the lives of some zambian children of the ebenezeer trust school, similar destinations, blog entries, winter incentive ideas with a difference.

A winter incentive doesn’t always have to be about ski-ing! Yes, it’s a great activity and can definitely be included in your event but maybe the following suggestions will help to ring the changes and give your group a different … Continued

Avoid demonstrations & strikes when traveling

Are you concerned about your program being disrupted by demonstrations or strikes, like those recently experienced in Europe?  It’s a double edged sword; you want your delegates to have the opportunity of experiencing some of the most beautiful cities in … Continued

Increase staff retention & drive sales

Staff retention is a growing concern for companies who are in a competitive market and it’s an ongoing challenge trying retain valuable employees.  Does this ring a bell with you? According to the C&IT’s State of the Industry Report 2017 … Continued

Planning an Incentive Travel Program or Special Event to our destinations can prof difficult and requires thorough understanding and knowledge of the local culture, circumstances, governmental restrictions, event venues, catering, logistical requirements as well as supplier relations to achieve the best quality and value for money results for your event.

• We design and manage your bespoke group program
• We create concepts and themed events
• We travel to meet our clients for program finalization
• We take care of all government approvals and licenses
• We select the best and most reliable service suppliers
• We source the best hotels and venues to your requirements
• We handle all hospitality, venue and F&B aspects
• We manage all logistic requirements

Experience a new dimension in Destination Management for Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Oman!

As full-service Destination Management Company (DMC) we create & operate motivational and memorable group travel experiences for Corporate Clients, Incentive Houses and Event Management Companies to our destinations DUBAI, ABU DHABI and OMAN.

Conferences & Events

We help you deliver your message in a valuable and meaningful way while offering turn-key Event Management solutions for your International Conferences, Events, Product Launches, Meetings and Conventions to our destinations DUBAI, ABU DHABI and OMAN.

Event Production

As Event Production specialists we deliver all technical aspects of your Audio-Visual and Staging requirements for Medical or Association Conferences, Corporate Meetings and Events, Awards, Product Launches and Social Gatherings in DUBAI, ABU DHABI and OMAN.

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Dubai, UAE: An Incentive Travel Featured Destination

Today, many company bonus plans include all expense paid trips instead of monetary payouts, and employees are starting to prefer this trend. Employee vacations on company pay are an excellent way for top executives and decision makers to reward their most successful workers. When people think of vacation destinations, most consider locations in Europe with beaches, famous cities, and perhaps a mountainous terrain with a ski resort as optimal places. However, unique incentive travel plans provide destinations most people would not think of as a great spot to spend some down time. One such city that would be listed under unique incentive travel plans is Dubai , UAE (United Arab Emirates).

The initial thought of traveling to the Middle East, to some,  may seem foreboding. However, to pass on the opportunity to visit Dubai would be to miss a city that has truly become one of the most beautiful, enthralling, and impressive in the world. The city is located near the Persian Gulf, which makes for enjoyable aquatic outings, including views of the spectacular islands and coral reefs, fishing expeditions, and yachting excursions. Dubai’s architecture and construction has created some of the most breathtaking skyscrapers and high-rise buildings the world has ever seen, making the city on the most popular new cosmopolitan metropolises a person can visit.

Dubai, UAE is home to the world’s tallest building, the Burj Khalifa , and boasts several tall buildings that make for some of the most impressive views overlooking what is considered a beautiful and miraculously developed city. Dubai is also surrounded by the Arabian Desert, which is perfect for those who would love to travel into an expansive desert that cannot be embarked on from most regions of the world that do not have a dry enough climate to produce such terrain. Dubai has also become a business hub, not merely for the Middle East and oil company giants, but because of its embracement of Western style economic growth, the city is home to several financial corporations.

Do not let the fear of a contentious territory prevent you from experiencing a city whose business-oriented metropolis rivals any big city in the U.S., as well as the world. Worthy of mention is the culture of these great people, which is much more profound and vast than the stereotype created by a few narrow-minded media outlets. The true beauty of such a historic culture and people has not been given its just due. Dubai, UAE should be placed at the forefront of a list for unique incentive travel plans that companies wish to offer their top producing employees.

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Economic support of Dubai government

Dubai Government and free zone authorities launched several initiatives to reduce the financial burden on businesses. Initiatives included cancelling AED 50,000 bank guarantee or cash required to undertake customs clearance activity and issuing 50 per cent refunds to non-beach hotels and their restaurants on the hotel sales fee and the Tourism Dirham fee.

Dubai economic stimulus package

Increase of economic stimulus package to aed 7.1 billion, relief package for bank customers, dubai free zones economic stimulus package, dafza’s incentive packages, dubai’s third economic stimulus package.

Dubai Government launched an AED 1.5 billion economic stimulus package for the next three months to support companies and the business sector in Dubai. The package seeks to enhance liquidity and reduce the impact of the current global economic situation.

The stimulus package developed by Dubai Government includes 15 initiatives focused on the commercial sector, retail, external trade, tourism and the energy sector. The package is expected to have a direct and indirect positive impact on all other sectors as well, over the next three months.

For the commercial and business sector, Dubai Government has introduced nine initiatives over the next three months including a freeze on the 2.5 per cent market fees levied on all facilities operating in Dubai. The fees were reduced from 5 per cent to 2.5 per cent in June 2018. The second initiative extends a refund of 20 per cent on the custom fees imposed on imported products sold locally in Dubai markets.

The package also includes the cancellation of the AED 50,000 bank guarantee or cash required to undertake customs clearance activity. Bank guarantee or cash paid by existing customs clearance companies will be refunded. Furthermore, fees imposed on submitting customs documents of companies will be reduced by 90 per cent.

In January 2021, the Dubai Government launched an economic stimulus package worth AED 315 million, raising the value of business incentives introduced by the emirate’s government to AED 7.1 billion. The new package extends the validity of some of the initiatives announced in the previous stimulus packages until June 2021.

The initiatives included in the new stimulus package include:

• exempting commercial establishments and hotels that did not benefit from the reduction in previous packages from paying the market fees one time during 2021
• issuing 50 per cent refunds to non-beach hotels and their restaurants on the hotel sales fee and the Tourism Dirham fee
• continuing the decision to exempt establishments in the tourism, entertainment and events sector, from paying charges for postponement and cancellation of recreational and sports events and activities, including conferences and exhibitions
• continuing the freeze on fees charged for selling tickets and issuing permits, and other government fees imposed on entertainment and business events
• continuing to allow renewal of commercial licences without renewing lease contracts
• continuing the cancellation of the requirement of 25 per cent down payment for accepting installments of licensing fees and licence renewal every month
• continuing the decision to reduce the land rent by 50 per cent for nurseries that are leasing land from Knowledge Fund Establishment.

Read related news coverage on WAM .

Follow related social media post on Twitter .

Banks in Dubai have come together to offer a comprehensive relief package to ease the financial pressure on their customers in the current economic environment caused by the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak. Banks that are providing relief to their customers include Emirates NBD, Dubai Islamic Bank, Emirates Islamic, Mashreq and Commercial Bank of Dubai.

The measures announced by the banks complement the UAE Government and the UAE Central Bank’s six-month economic stimulus package to support the business sector in the UAE and the Dubai Government’s three-month economic stimulus package to support the business sector in Dubai particularly.

The relief benefits include but are not limited to the following:

• customers using credit cards for cash withdrawals will enjoy 50 per cent reduction in the cash advance charges
• credit card holders can avail zero per cent easy payment plans on school fee transactions with zero processing fee
• credit cardholders can benefit from special pricing on easy payment plans, cash on call and zero per cent on balance transfers
• card holders can request refunds on foreign currency charges related to travel and hotel cancellations
• customers who are financially-impacted (due to unpaid leave or any other valid reason) can request to defer up to 3 monthly installments without fees and profit charges on existing and new finance facilities
• customers can request for debt consolidation solution
• first-time home buyers can get 5 per cent more financing (up to 85 per cent for UAE Nationals and up to 80 per cent for expatriates)

Dubai Free Zones Council announced an economic stimulus package to complement the Dubai Government’s efforts to overcome the COVID-19 situation. This initiative complements another package announced earlier to reduce business costs and enhance financial liquidity of companies operating in the free zones.

Dubai Free Zones Council’s package contributes to strengthening and supporting Dubai’s businesses by reducing the impact of the spread of COVID-19 on the economic situation. It includes five key elements. They are:

• postponing rent payments by a period of 6 months
• facilitating installments for payments
• refunding security deposits and guarantees
• cancelling fines for both companies and individuals
• permitting temporary contracts that allow the free movement of labour between companies operating in the free zones to continue for the rest of the year.

Furthermore, companies will enjoy additional facilities, such as the postponing of payment plans for all commercial properties owned by DIFC Investments for a period of 6 months. DIFC will reduce its ownership transfer fees from 5 per cent to 4 per cent for any property sale that occurs within the period from April to June.

Related links

• Dubai Free Zones Council launches economic stimulus package – WAM

Dubai Airport Free Zone Authority (DAFZA) launched a set of economic incentive packages to support companies based in the free zone, in order to ensure business continuity across various sectors. The incentive packages aim to help the businesses mitigate the severity of the economic impact caused by COVID-19.

The initiative includes postponing lease payments for up to three months and facilitating financial payments into easier monthly instalments. It supports retailers also who are operating from the free zone by exempting them from lease payments for a period of up to three months. The free zone would refund security deposits on leased spaces and labour guarantees to companies, as well as exempt new companies from registration and licensing fees. DAFZA would also cancel fines issued to companies.

Under the directives of H. H. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, Dubai Government launched a third stimulus package to ease the impact of the COVID-19 crisis on businesses. The stimulus package aims to support small and medium enterprises and a number of strategic sectors maintain business continuity by reducing operational costs.

Worth AED 1.5 billion, the new package raises the value of business incentives by the government in the past few months to AED 6.3 billion. The first stimulus package was worth AED 1.5 billion and the second was worth AED 3.3 billion.

New initiatives

The government launched many initiatives to support business sectors across the economy. Below are some of the initiatives in various sectors.

In the healthcare sector

In the tourism and entertainment sector

• extending the period for offering refunds of 50 per cent on municipality fees to hotel establishments and restaurants, from July to December 2020
• halving the ‘Tourism Dirham’ fee until the end of the year
• extending the decision to freeze the collection of fees for hotel rating, ticket sales, permits and other government services related to entertainment and business events.

In the international trade sector

In the construction sector

• expediting the payment of financial dues to contractors
• refunding all financial guarantees for construction activities related to commercial licences.

In the education sector

Extension of some initiatives from the first package

The current stimulus package includes extending the validity of some of the initiatives announced in the first stimulus package for three months until the end of September 2020 to support the private sector in recovering from the crisis. The initiatives include:

• freezing the collection of the 2.5 per cent market fee
• cancelling all fines for late payment of government service fees
• cancelling the payment of penalties to renew commercial licences
• renewing commercial licenses without renewing lease contracts
• cancelling the requirement to make a down payment of 25 per cent fees of government services
• exempting businesses from fees for discounts and special offers.
• extending the exemption of traditional commercial vessels registered locally in the UAE from paying docking fees at Dubai Port and Hamriya Port
• waiving AED 50,000 bank or cash guarantee to conduct customs clearance activity
• refunding bank and cash guarantees paid by customs clearance companies
• reducing the fees on customs documents from AED 50 to AED 5 for each transaction and accelerating the processing of customs complaints.

Image source: Dubai Media Office

Read news coverage on WAM and Dubai Media Office .

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United Arab Emirates struggles to recover after heaviest recorded rainfall ever hits desert nation

The United Arab Emirates is struggled to recover from the heaviest recorded rainfall ever to hit the desert nation, as its main airport worked to restore normal operations even as floodwater still covered portions of major highways and roads. (AP video/Malak Harb)

A man walks along a road barrier among floodwater caused by heavy rain on Sheikh Zayed Road highway in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Thursday, April 18, 2024. The United Arab Emirates attempted to dry out Thursday from the heaviest rain the desert nation has ever recorded, a deluge that flooded out Dubai International Airport and disrupted flights through the world’s busiest airfield for international travel. (AP Photo/Christopher Pike)

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A man carries luggage through floodwater caused by heavy rain while waiting for transportation on Sheikh Zayed Road highway in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Thursday, April 18, 2024. The United Arab Emirates attempted to dry out Thursday from the heaviest rain the desert nation has ever recorded, a deluge that flooded out Dubai International Airport and disrupted flights through the world’s busiest airfield for international travel. (AP Photo/Christopher Pike)

An abandoned vehicle stands in floodwater caused by heavy rain with the Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest building, seen on the background, in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Thursday, April 18, 2024. The United Arab Emirates attempted to dry out Thursday from the heaviest rain the desert nation has ever recorded, a deluge that flooded out Dubai International Airport and disrupted flights through the world’s busiest airfield for international travel. (AP Photo/Christopher Pike)

People wait for transportation amidst floodwater caused by heavy rain on Sheikh Zayed Road highway in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Thursday, April 18, 2024. The United Arab Emirates attempted to dry out Thursday from the heaviest rain the desert nation has ever recorded, a deluge that flooded out Dubai International Airport and disrupted flights through the world’s busiest airfield for international travel. (AP Photo/Christopher Pike)

A man carries a child through floodwater caused by heavy rain while waiting for transportation on Sheikh Zayed Road highway in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Thursday, April 18, 2024. The United Arab Emirates attempted to dry out Thursday from the heaviest rain the desert nation has ever recorded, a deluge that flooded out Dubai International Airport and disrupted flights through the world’s busiest airfield for international travel. (AP Photo/Christopher Pike)

Vehicles drive through standing floodwater caused by heavy rain on an onramp to Sheikh Zayed Road highway in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Thursday, April 18, 2024. The United Arab Emirates attempted to dry out Thursday from the heaviest rain the desert nation has ever recorded, a deluge that flooded out Dubai International Airport and disrupted flights through the world’s busiest airfield for international travel. (AP Photo/Christopher Pike)

Vehicles drive through standing floodwater caused by heavy rain on Sheikh Zayed Road highway in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Thursday, April 18, 2024. The United Arab Emirates attempted to dry out Thursday from the heaviest rain the desert nation has ever recorded, a deluge that flooded out Dubai International Airport and disrupted flights through the world’s busiest airfield for international travel. (AP Photo/Christopher Pike)

People wait for transportation on Sheikh Zayed Road highway in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Thursday, April 18, 2024. The United Arab Emirates attempted to dry out Thursday from the heaviest rain the desert nation has ever recorded, a deluge that flooded out Dubai International Airport and disrupted flights through the world’s busiest airfield for international travel. (AP Photo/Christopher Pike)

People walk through floodwater caused by heavy rain while waiting for transportation on Sheikh Zayed Road highway in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Thursday, April 18, 2024. The United Arab Emirates attempted to dry out Thursday from the heaviest rain the desert nation has ever recorded, a deluge that flooded out Dubai International Airport and disrupted flights through the world’s busiest airfield for international travel. (AP Photo/Christopher Pike)

Abandoned vehicles stand in floodwater caused by heavy rain along Sheikh Zayed Road highway in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Thursday, April 18, 2024. The United Arab Emirates attempted to dry out Thursday from the heaviest rain the desert nation has ever recorded, a deluge that flooded out Dubai International Airport and disrupted flights through the world’s busiest airfield for international travel. (AP Photo/Christopher Pike)

An abandoned vehicle stands in floodwater caused by heavy rain in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Thursday, April 18, 2024. The United Arab Emirates attempted to dry out Thursday from the heaviest rain the desert nation has ever recorded, a deluge that flooded out Dubai International Airport and disrupted flights through the world’s busiest airfield for international travel. (AP Photo/Christopher Pike)

A flooded street by heavy rain is seen, with the Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest building, on the background, in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Thursday, April 18, 2024. The United Arab Emirates attempted to dry out Thursday from the heaviest rain the desert nation has ever recorded, a deluge that flooded out Dubai International Airport and disrupted flights through the world’s busiest airfield for international travel. (AP Photo/Christopher Pike)

A man walks through standing floodwater caused by heavy rain with the Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest building, seen in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Thursday, April 18, 2024. The United Arab Emirates attempted to dry out Thursday from the heaviest rain the desert nation has ever recorded, a deluge that flooded out Dubai International Airport and disrupted flights through the world’s busiest airfield for international travel. (AP Photo/Christopher Pike)

A man walks through standing floodwater caused by heavy rain in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Thursday, April 18, 2024. The United Arab Emirates attempted to dry out Thursday from the heaviest rain the desert nation has ever recorded, a deluge that flooded out Dubai International Airport and disrupted flights through the world’s busiest airfield for international travel. (AP Photo/Christopher Pike)

A group of people work to recover an abandoned vehicle taken by floodwater caused by heavy rain in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Thursday, April 18, 2024. The United Arab Emirates attempted to dry out Thursday from the heaviest rain the desert nation has ever recorded, a deluge that flooded out Dubai International Airport and disrupted flights through the world’s busiest airfield for international travel. (AP Photo/Christopher Pike)

Vehicles drive through standing floodwater caused by heavy rain in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Thursday, April 18, 2024. The United Arab Emirates attempted to dry out Thursday from the heaviest rain the desert nation has ever recorded, a deluge that flooded out Dubai International Airport and disrupted flights through the world’s busiest airfield for international travel. (AP Photo/Christopher Pike)

A man walks through floodwater in the Mudon neighborhood in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Thursday, April 18, 2024. The United Arab Emirates attempted to dry out Thursday from the heaviest rain the desert nation has ever recorded — a deluge that flooded out Dubai International Airport and disrupted flights through the world’s busiest airfield for international travel. (AP Photo/Jon Gambrell)

Civil defense officials bring water on a raft to a family in the Mudon neighborhood in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Thursday, April 18, 2024. The United Arab Emirates attempted to dry out Thursday from the heaviest rain the desert nation has ever recorded — a deluge that flooded out Dubai International Airport and disrupted flights through the world’s busiest airfield for international travel. (AP Photo/Jon Gambrell)

Dubai civil defense officials drive through floodwater in the Mudon neighborhood in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Thursday, April 18, 2024. The United Arab Emirates attempted to dry out Thursday from the heaviest rain the desert nation has ever recorded — a deluge that flooded out Dubai International Airport and disrupted flights through the world’s busiest airfield for international travel. (AP Photo/Jon Gambrell)

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The United Arab Emirates tried to wring itself out Thursday after the heaviest recorded rainfall ever to hit the desert nation , with its main airport allowing more flights even as floodwater still covered portions of major highways and communities.

Dubai International Airport, the world’s busiest for international travel , allowed global carriers on Thursday morning to again fly into Terminal 1 at the airfield. And long-haul carrier Emirates, crucial to East-West travel, began allowing local passengers to arrive at Terminal 3, their base of operations.

However, Dubai Airports CEO Paul Griffiths said in an interview with The Associated Press that the airfield needed at least another 24 hours to resume operations close to its usual schedule. Meanwhile, one desert community in Dubai saw floodwaters continue to rise Thursday to as much as 1 meter (3 feet) as civil defense officials struggled to pump out the water.

“We were looking at the radar thinking, ‘Goodness, if this hits, then it’s going to be cataclysmic,’” Griffiths said of the storm. “And indeed it was.”

The airport ended up needing 22 tankers with vacuum pumps to get water off its grounds. Griffiths acknowledged that taxiways flooded during the rains, though the airport’s runways remained free of water to safely operate. Online videos of a FlyDubai flight landing with its reverse thrust spraying out water caught the world’s attention.

“It looks dramatic, but it actually isn’t that dramatic,” Griffiths said.

Emirates, whose operations had been struggling since the storm Tuesday, had stopped travelers flying out of the UAE from checking into their flights as they tried to move out connecting passengers. Pilots and flight crews also had a hard time reaching the airport given the water on roadways.

But on Thursday, Emirates lifted that order to allow customers into the airport. That saw some 2,000 people come into Terminal 3, again sparking long lines, Griffiths said.

Others who arrived at the airport described hourslong waits to get their baggage, with some just giving up to head home or to whatever hotel would have them.

Two men walk through floodwater in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Wednesday, April 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Jon Gambrell)

The UAE, a hereditarily ruled, autocratic nation on the Arabian Peninsula, typically sees little rainfall in its arid desert climate. However, a massive storm forecasters had been warning about for days blew through the country’s seven sheikhdoms.

By the end of Tuesday, more than 142 millimeters (5.59 inches) of rainfall had soaked Dubai over 24 hours. An average year sees 94.7 millimeters (3.73 inches) of rain at Dubai International Airport. Other areas of the country saw even more precipitation.

Meanwhile, intense floods also have struck neighboring Oman in recent days. Authorities on Thursday raised the death toll from those storms to at least 21 killed.

The UAE’s drainage systems quickly became overwhelmed Tuesday, flooding out neighborhoods, business districts and even portions of the 12-lane Sheikh Zayed Road highway running through Dubai.

The state-run WAM news agency called the rain “a historic weather event” that surpassed “anything documented since the start of data collection in 1949.”

In a message to the nation late Wednesday, Emirati leader Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the ruler of Abu Dhabi, said authorities would “quickly work on studying the condition of infrastructure throughout the UAE and to limit the damage caused.”

On Thursday, people waded through oil-slicked floodwater to reach cars earlier abandoned, checking to see if their engines still ran. Tanker trucks with vacuums began reaching some areas outside of Dubai’s downtown core for the first time as well. Schools remain closed until next week.

Vehicles sit abandoned in floodwater covering a major road in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, April 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Jon Gambrell)

Authorities have offered no overall damage or injury information from the floods, which killed at least one person.

However, at least one community saw the effects of the rainfall only get worse Thursday. Mudon, a development by the state-owned Dubai Properties, saw flooding in one neighborhood reach as much as 1 meter. Civil defense workers tried to pump the water out, but it was a struggle as people waded through the floodwater.

Residents of Mudon, who spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity given the UAE’s strict laws governing speech, described putting together the equivalent of nearly $2,000 to get a tanker to the community Wednesday. They alleged the developers did nothing to help prior to that, even as they called and emailed. They also said a nearby sewage processing facility failed, bringing more water into their homes.

“A lot of people were in denial of how bad it was,” one homeowner said as civil defense officials waded through the water, bringing bottled water on a raft.

Dubai Holding, a state-owned company that has Dubai Properties as an arm, did not respond to questions. It’s part of a wider nexus that U.S. diplomats have called “Dubai Inc.” — all properties overseen by the city-state’s ruling family.

The flooding sparked speculation that the UAE’s aggressive campaign of cloud seeding — flying small planes through clouds dispersing chemicals aimed at getting rain to fall — may have contributed to the deluge. But experts said the storm systems that produced the rain were forecast well in advance and that cloud seeding alone would not have caused such flooding.

Scientists also say climate change is responsible for more intense and more frequent extreme storms, droughts, floods and wildfires around the world. Dubai hosted the United Nations’ COP28 climate talks just last year.

Abu Dhabi’s state-linked newspaper The National in an editorial Thursday described the heavy rains as a warning to countries in the wider Persian Gulf region to “climate-proof their futures.”

“The scale of this task is more daunting than it appears even at first glance, because such changes involve changing the urban environment of a region that for as long as it has been inhabited, has experienced little but heat and sand,” the newspaper said.

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• Legislative news
• Extending the economic incentives package | Oct 2020

Extending further the economic incentives package provided by Dubai government

With reference to the economic incentives package announced in March 2020 to support and mitigate the effects if the covid-19, Dubai Tourism has decided to extend the period of these incentives packages.

Circulars DET Education • Events • Holiday homes • Hotels • Retail • Tourism Companies 4 Oct 2020, UAE - Dubai

Dynamic Event Solutions

Enriched Cultural Journeys

Tailored Group Travel Experiences

Team-Bonding Moments

Productive Meeting Solutions

Hidden Gems

Cherished Memories

Immersive Education Tours

Exclusive Access

Unrivaled Travel Solutions

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Thrilling Adventures Expeditions

Enter our world of meaningful meetings, inspiring incentives, collaborative conferences and exhilarating events.

Embark on an awe-inspiring adventure of delightful discoveries, engaging experiences, and enchanting exploration with our 'Inbound Tour Operator Services'

Indulge your interests, feed your curiosity, nurture your passions and stimulate your inspiration with our content-focused creativity-infused special interest tours

Unwind in lavish comfort, revel in the lap of luxury and experience the ultimate in extravagance with our opulent and indulgent travel offerings

Luxury Travel

In 2012, amidst the towering skyscrapers and mesmerizing sand dunes of Dubai, a veteran travel enthusiast, embarked on an adventure to create Incentive Connections - a Destination Management Company (DMC) and Inbound Tour Operator. Along with his team of like-minded tourism professionals, he set out to redefine excellence in travel by crafting unforgettable experiences with a touch of joy, delight, and infectious enthusiasm. No stone was left unturned, and no idea was too wild as they pulled out all the stops to create a company that's truly exceptional in every way! This is their journey, in their words…

Nationalities Served

M.i.c.e. events, repeat clients.

Both tours to Dubai and Abu Dhabi were really enjoyable. The guide on both was excellent, he was very informative and I learned a lot. The transport was good and the restaurants were very nice.

We would like to record our appreciation that the trip was "very well organized" and throughout the trip, there were no hic-ups whatsoever.

We had a great experience and amazing service. The stay they provide are very comfortable and the food was also very nice. The tour guide they provided was also very friendly and very helpful. Thank you for the service.

We had a wonderful trip. The driver was very excellent and professional. All the arrangements were perfect. Thank you so much for all your help with it.

Everything was a smooth ride right from start. The itinerary was amazing with great accommodations super suggestions. We had the best time in the UAE.

We all had a very comfortable trip and every detail in itinerary went on very smoothly. Thank you for organizing such a memorable holiday.

We would like to record our appreciation that the trip was "very well organized" and throughout the trip, there were no hiccups whatsoever.

WHAT CLIENTS SAY

Emirates is dealing with a 30,000 bag backlog as it grovels to customers about its handling of Dubai floods

• Severe flooding caused by the heaviest rain in 75 years brought travel chaos to Dubai Airport last week.
• The ongoing fallout has prompted Emirates boss Tim Clark to issue an apology to customers. 
• 30,000 bags still need to be returned to customers, he said.

Emirates, the Middle East's largest airline, is still trying to return 30,000 leftover bags to customers affected by the torrential rains and flooding that brought Dubai Airport to a standstill last week.

Over the weekend, the airline's president, Tim Clark, acknowledged that Emirates' response to the disruption had been "far from perfect" and apologized to customers.

"I would like to offer our most sincere apologies to every customer who has had their travel plans disrupted during this time," Clark wrote in an open letter posted online on Saturday.

Calling the previous week "one of the toughest for Emirates operationally," he said that the airline had been forced to cancel nearly 400 flights and delay many more after storms brought the region's highest rainfall in 75 years.

"Flooded roads impeded the ability of our customers, pilots, cabin crew, and airport employees to reach the airport, and also the movement of essential supplies like meals and other flight amenities," Clark wrote.

In total, 1,478 flights had been canceled at the world's second busiest airport by Friday morning, according to Reuters.

While planes remained stuck on flooded taxiways, submerged roads surrounding the airport left some passengers stranded in the airport.

Related stories

To accommodate disrupted passengers, Emirates said it had secured 12,000 hotel rooms and issued 250,000 meal vouchers.

Despite the chaos and a government warning telling people to stay at home, Emirates flight attendants in Dubai were also told to report for duty.

However, Clark acknowledged that many passengers had been frustrated by the congestion, lack of information, and confusion at terminals.

In an effort to handle the ongoing fallout, he said that a task force had been created to sort and return 30,000 pieces of left-over luggage to its owners.

The airline officially resumed regular flight operations at Dubai Airport on Saturday, but warned it would still take several days to clear the backlog.

Non-UAE-based carriers were still facing restrictions over the weekend. Foreign airlines with more than two flights in 24 hours were issued with a Notice to Air Missions (NOTAM) instructing them to reduce operations by 50%, Indian news agency PTI reported.

According to FlightRadar 24's data , all arrivals and departures were largely running to schedule again on Monday morning.

The oil-rich United Arab Emirates has become one of the most attractive economic hubs in the Gulf region.

Its efforts to diversify its economy away from oil, centered on Dubai as a tourism hot spot, have helped the country position itself as a major player on the world stage. In a sign of its growing popularity, the number of passengers traveling to Dubai Airport increased by 31.7% in the last year.

Watch: Thousands of bags pile up at US airports after flight cancellations

• Main content

ATM 2024 to explore transformative innovation, entrepreneurship in global travel

I nternational policymakers and industry executives are set to gather in the United Arab Emirates for the 31st Arabian Travel Market (ATM) 2024. Scheduled to be held at the Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC) from 6 May to 9 May, the event will examine the role of entrepreneurship and innovation in transforming the global tourism industry.

Over 200 speakers will participate in more than 50 sessions during the four-day event. Experts from around the world will take to ATM’s Global Stage and Future Stage (formerly the Travel Tech Stage) to address some of the sector’s most pressing issues, including the growing role of artificial intelligence (AI), the future of aviation, how to stand out in the luxury segment, retail tourism, and sustainable travel.

As the Middle East’s leading exhibition for inbound and outbound travel and tourism professionals, ATM 2024 will build on last year’s record-breaking 30th edition with its theme: Empowering Innovation: Transforming Travel Through Entrepreneurship . Exhibitors and attendees will have the chance to explore new market opportunities, the benefits of collaboration and connectivity, how to attract investment and more.

Innovating global travel

Danielle Curtis, exhibition director ME, Arabian Travel Market, says: "The future of the global travel industry will be shaped by innovators and entrepreneurs, which is why we are so excited to shine a spotlight on the latest insights and technologies at ATM 2024.

From startups to established brands, this year’s exhibition will showcase fresh thinking on how the sector can enhance customer experiences, drive efficiency and deliver positive economic impacts across the Middle East and beyond."

Exhibitor participation is expected to be 23% higher than last year, making ATM 2024 the largest edition in the event’s history. Growth is expected across all show verticals, including regional year-on-year upticks for the Middle East (19% larger), Europe (32% larger), Asia (20% larger) and Africa (28% larger).

The exhibition’s sold-out Travel Tech space will be 56% greater on the show floor, with products from the sector demonstrating 33% growth year on year. Hotel participation, meanwhile, is projected to be 21% higher than last year.

Diverse topics on the agenda

This year’s edition will once again enable attendees to move beyond traditional leisure travel by exploring opportunities related to luxury, business, and meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions (MICE). ATM 2024 will feature an array of discussions on these subjects, including sessions dedicated to premium offerings, healthcare meetings, global business travel, sustainable procurement, sporting events and more.

Speakers at ATM 2024 will explore a series of emerging and established market segments, such as experiential, accessible and multi-generational travel, highlighting opportunities for growth, transformation and disruption.

Delegates will also consider the implications of advancements in fields such as AI and how these technologies are impacting the Middle East’s travel industry.

"With less than a month to go before the international travel community converges on Dubai, we are looking forward to welcoming our biggest-ever cohort of exhibitors and guest speakers," Curtis adds. "For more than 30 years, ATM has provided a forum in which participants can share insights, overcome challenges and seize opportunities, and the 2024 edition will be no exception."

Building on ATM 2023’s Working Towards Net Zero theme, environmentally responsible travel will represent another key focus this year. Informed by the UAE’s Year of Sustainability and the most recent United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP28), which took place in Dubai last year, ATM 2024 will explore how innovation can be leveraged to help achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), creating a greener travel and tourism sector for future generations.

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Hot Oceans Worsened Dubai’s Dramatic Flooding, Scientists Say

An international team of researchers found that heavy rains had intensified in the region, though they couldn’t say for sure how much climate change was responsible.

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By Raymond Zhong

Scenes of flood-ravaged neighborhoods in one of the planet’s driest regions stunned the world this month. Heavy rains in the United Arab Emirates and Oman submerged cars, clogged highways and killed at least 21 people. Flights out of Dubai’s airport, a major global hub, were severely disrupted.

The downpours weren’t a total surprise — forecasters had anticipated the storms several days earlier and issued warnings. But they were certainly unusual.

Here’s what to know.

Heavy rain there is rare, but not unheard-of.

On average, the Arabian Peninsula receives a scant few inches of rain a year, although scientists have found that a sizable chunk of that precipitation falls in infrequent but severe bursts, not as periodic showers. These rains often come during El Niño conditions like the ones the world is experiencing now.

U.A.E. officials said the 24-hour rain total on April 16 was the country’s largest since records there began in 1949 . And parts of the nation had already experienced an earlier round of thunderstorms in March.

Oman, with its coastline on the Arabian Sea, is also vulnerable to tropical cyclones. Past storms there have brought torrential rain, powerful winds and mudslides, causing extensive damage.

Global warming is projected to intensify downpours.

Stronger storms are a key consequence of human-caused global warming. As the atmosphere gets hotter, it can hold more moisture, which can eventually make its way down to the earth as rain or snow.

But that doesn’t mean rainfall patterns are changing in precisely the same way across every part of the globe.

In their latest assessment of climate research , scientists convened by the United Nations found there wasn’t enough data to have firm conclusions about rainfall trends in the Arabian Peninsula and how climate change was affecting them. The researchers said, however, that if global warming were to be allowed to continue worsening in the coming decades, extreme downpours in the region would quite likely become more intense and more frequent.

Hot oceans are a big factor.

An international team of scientists has made a first attempt at estimating the extent to which climate change may have contributed to April’s storms. The researchers didn’t manage to pin down the connection precisely, though in their analysis, they did highlight one known driver of heavy rain in the region: above-normal ocean temperatures.

Large parts of the Indian, Pacific and Atlantic Oceans have been hotter than usual recently, in part because of El Niño and other natural weather cycles, and in part because of human-induced warming .

When looking only at El Niño years, the scientists estimated that storm events as infrequent as this month’s delivered 10 percent to 40 percent more rain to the region than they would in a world that hadn’t been warmed by human activities. They cautioned, however, that these estimates were highly uncertain.

“Rainfall, in general, is getting more extreme,” said Mansour Almazroui, a climate scientist at King Abdulaziz University in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, and one of the researchers who contributed to the analysis.

The analysis was conducted by scientists affiliated with World Weather Attribution, a research collaboration that studies extreme weather events shortly after they occur. Their findings about this month’s rains haven’t yet been peer reviewed, but are based on standardized methods .

The role of cloud seeding isn’t clear.

The U.A.E. has for decades worked to increase rainfall and boost water supplies by seeding clouds. Essentially, this involves shooting particles into clouds to encourage the moisture to gather into larger, heavier droplets, ones that are more likely to fall as rain or snow.

Cloud seeding and other rain-enhancement methods have been tried around the world, including in Australia, China, India, Israel, South Africa and the United States. Studies have found that these operations can, at best, affect precipitation modestly — enough to turn a downpour into a bigger downpour, but probably not a drizzle into a deluge.

Still, experts said pinning down how much seeding might have contributed to this month’s storms would require detailed study.

“In general, it is quite a challenge to assess the impact of seeding,” said Luca Delle Monache, a climate scientist at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography in La Jolla, Calif. Dr. Delle Monache has been leading efforts to use artificial intelligence to improve the U.A.E.’s rain-enhancement program.

An official with the U.A.E.’s National Center of Meteorology, Omar Al Yazeedi, told news outlets that the agency didn’t conduct any seeding during the latest storms. His statements didn’t make clear, however, whether that was also true in the hours or days before.

Mr. Al Yazeedi didn’t respond to emailed questions from The New York Times, and Adel Kamal, a spokesman for the center, didn’t have further comment.

Cities in dry places just aren’t designed for floods.

Wherever it happens, flooding isn’t just a matter of how much rain comes down. It’s also about what happens to all that water once it’s on the ground — most critically, in the places people live.

Cities in arid regions often aren’t designed to drain very effectively. In these areas, paved surfaces block rain from seeping into the earth below, forcing it into drainage systems that can easily become overwhelmed.

One recent study of Sharjah , the capital of the third-largest emirate in the U.A.E., found that the city’s rapid growth over the past half-century had made it vulnerable to flooding at far lower levels of rain than before.

Omnia Al Desoukie contributed reporting.

Raymond Zhong reports on climate and environmental issues for The Times. More about Raymond Zhong