Etihad Airways has revealed its busiest month of the year, while a historic Turkish hotel is set to undergo a renovation and rebrand. Meanwhile, the world's busiest travel rush is under way thanks to the Lunar New Year.
Here's a round-up of recent travel and tourism news – in case you missed it.
Etihad Airways releases December passenger stats
The UAE’s national airline has released its traffic statistics for December, which was its busiest month of the year. It welcomed 1.7 million passengers during the month, up 22 per cent from last year (1.4 million).
Etihad carried more than 18 million guests in 2024. Chief executive Antonoaldo Neves said: “It represents an 80 per cent increase in our total passenger numbers for 2022, underlining our strong growth trajectory over the past two years.
“In December, our network continued to grow as we resumed our service to Nairobi, Kenya, and we are looking forward to starting operations to the new destinations recently announced.”
The airline last year introduced several new direct routes, among them Boston, Bali, Nairobi, Prague and Jaipur.
Record nine billion domestic trips estimated for Lunar New Year
The world’s largest annual travel surge has begun, as millions prepare for Chinese New Year celebrations and the Year of the Snake. Officials estimate that a record nine billion domestic trips will take place in China during the 40-day travel period from January 14 to February 22.
Road trips are expected to dominate, with 7.2 billion journeys projected – accounting for about 80 per cent of all travel. That is followed by train and air travel. Rail travel is predicted to hit a record 510 million trips, a 5.5 per cent increase from last year, while air travel is expected to exceed 90 million trips.
According to state broadcaster CCTV, top air travel destinations include Chongqing, Chengdu, Beijing, Harbin and Xi’an. The state railway operator reports Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Nanjing, Hangzhou and Wuhan as railway hotspots.
Internationally, flights to Tokyo, Osaka, Bangkok and Singapore are also in high demand, according to the civil aviation regulator.
Historic hotel in Istanbul to undergo renovation and rebrand
Accor, a French hospitality group with more than 5,600 properties in more than 110 countries, is set to take over management of The Grand Tarabya, a historic hotel in Istanbul’s Tarabya neighbourhood along the Bosphorus Strait.
One of the country’s first five-star hotels, it will become Accor’s 38th property in the Turkish city. Originally opened in 1966, The Grand Tarabya boasts panoramic views of the Bosphorus; 248 rooms; 29 residences; seven restaurants; and a wellness centre. Accor will manage the property under a white-label arrangement during an extensive renovation, after which it will be rebranded as a Fairmont hotel.
Accor currently operates more than 70 hotels in Turkey across several brands, including Raffles, Fairmont, Sofitel, MGallery, Rixos, Swissotel, Pullman, Movenpick, Grand Mercure, Novotel, Mercure, ibis Styles, and ibis.
Kyoto to raise accommodation tax in 2026
Local government officials in Kyoto, a popular Japanese tourist destination, have announced that the city will raise its hotel tax in 2026 to address overtourism and fund infrastructure improvements.
Under the new plan, rooms priced more than 100,000 yen ($640) will incur a tax of 10,000 yen ($63) per night, the highest rate in the country.
The increased taxes are expected to generate approximately 12.6 billion yen ($80 million) annually – more than double the current revenue. Kyoto’s mayor, Koji Matsui, said the income would be used to promote tourism and also support projects benefiting the city’s residents. This includes upgrades to roads and bridges, as well as enhanced disaster response measures.
"I want the citizens to tangibly feel that taking in tourists will improve their daily lives," said Matsui. Kyoto currently welcomes 50.28 million visitors each year, including day-trippers.
The new tax system will have five tiers. Rooms priced below 6,000 yen will be subject to a 200 yen tax, while those costing 100,000 yen or more will be subject to a maximum 10,000 yen tax.
Hilton and Peloton team up again
Hilton and Peloton are collaborating to help travellers who want to stay on top of their fitness while away from home.
Hotel guests can now access Peloton’s on-demand fitness content on their in-room TVs, and no bikes or other equipment is needed. The instructor-led workout classes include yoga, strength, barre, cardio, stretching and Pilates.
The service is now available in 2,400 hotels and builds on an existing Hilton-Peloton partnership. All 5,400 Hilton-branded hotels in the US currently have Peloton bikes in their fitness centres.
Hilton's new in-room service comes after a 2024 study from the Global Wellness Institute found that 80 per cent of guests are more likely to return to hotels offering personalised wellness services, such as tailored fitness plans and spa treatments.
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Sholto Byrnes on Myanmar politics
Company profile
Company name: Nestrom
Started: 2017
Co-founders: Yousef Wadi, Kanaan Manasrah and Shadi Shalabi
Based: Jordan
Sector: Technology
Initial investment: Close to $100,000
Investors: Propeller, 500 Startups, Wamda Capital, Agrimatico, Techstars and some angel investors
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
Available: Now
Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh590,000
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Other acts on the Jazz Garden bill
Sharrie Williams
The American singer is hugely respected in blues circles due to her passionate vocals and songwriting. Born and raised in Michigan, Williams began recording and touring as a teenage gospel singer. Her career took off with the blues band The Wiseguys. Such was the acclaim of their live shows that they toured throughout Europe and in Africa. As a solo artist, Williams has also collaborated with the likes of the late Dizzy Gillespie, Van Morrison and Mavis Staples.
Lin Rountree
An accomplished smooth jazz artist who blends his chilled approach with R‘n’B. Trained at the Duke Ellington School of the Arts in Washington, DC, Rountree formed his own band in 2004. He has also recorded with the likes of Kem, Dwele and Conya Doss. He comes to Dubai on the back of his new single Pass The Groove, from his forthcoming 2018 album Stronger Still, which may follow his five previous solo albums in cracking the top 10 of the US jazz charts.
Anita Williams
Dubai-based singer Anita Williams will open the night with a set of covers and swing, jazz and blues standards that made her an in-demand singer across the emirate. The Irish singer has been performing in Dubai since 2008 at venues such as MusicHall and Voda Bar. Her Jazz Garden appearance is career highlight as she will use the event to perform the original song Big Blue Eyes, the single from her debut solo album, due for release soon.
The specs
Engine: 5.0-litre V8
Power: 480hp at 7,250rpm
Torque: 566Nm at 4,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: L/100km
Price: Dh306,495
On sale: now
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
Paris Can Wait
Dir: Eleanor Coppola
Starring: Alec Baldwin, Diane Lane, Arnaud Viard
Two stars
Our legal advisor
Ahmad El Sayed is Senior Associate at Charles Russell Speechlys, a law firm headquartered in London with offices in the UK, Europe, the Middle East and Hong Kong.
Experience: Commercial litigator who has assisted clients with overseas judgments before UAE courts. His specialties are cases related to banking, real estate, shareholder disputes, company liquidations and criminal matters as well as employment related litigation.
Education: Sagesse University, Beirut, Lebanon, in 2005.
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
MATCH INFO
Jersey 147 (20 overs)
UAE 112 (19.2 overs)
Jersey win by 35 runs
Who's who in Yemen conflict
Houthis: Iran-backed rebels who occupy Sanaa and run unrecognised government
Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council
Southern Transitional Council: Faction in Yemeni government that seeks autonomy for the south
Habrish 'rebels': Tribal-backed forces feuding with STC over control of oil in government territory
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre twin-turbo flat-six
Power: 480hp at 6,500rpm
Torque: 570Nm from 2,300-5,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch auto
Fuel consumption: 10.4L/100km
Price: from Dh547,600
On sale: now
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In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
