Etihad Airways, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates, and the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi) are celebrating the exceptional growth of their Abu Dhabi Stopover programme. The relaunch of the initiative has exceeded expectations, significantly boosting Abu Dhabi’s tourism sector.

In December 2023, LATAM had its first Boeing 777-300ER fitted with the bionic surface film in São Paulo, becoming the first airline outside the Lufthansa Group and in the Americas region to adopt this innovative CO₂-saving solution. Since then, the Latin American airline has been testing the sharkskin technology in daily operations. Given the proven results, LATAM has now decided to install the innovative film on four additional aircraft. Five AeroSHARK-modified aircraft operated by the subsidiary LATAM Airlines Brazil will soon be cruising the skies.

Emirates, the world’s largest international airline, has resumed passenger services to Lagos, Nigeria, with a daily service. The official delegation onboard was led by Adil Al Ghaith, Senior Vice President Commercial Operations, Gulf, Middle East and Central Asia; David Broz, Senior Vice President of Aeropolitical and Airline Industry Affairs and Sami Aqil Abdullah, Senior Vice President Emirates Airport Services Outstation and Business Support. The official delegation from Nigeria onboard the flight included His Excellency, Festus Keyamo, Honourable Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development of Nigeria; His Excellency, Zayyan Ibrahim, Consul General of the Federal Republic of Nigeria in Dubai and the Northern Emirates and Adewale Babtunde Awolesi, Head of Chancery, Consulate General of Nigeria.

Hyatt Hotels Corporation has announced significant growth in its select service pipeline, with a ~25% increase in the Americas over the past three years. As of June 30, 2024, this segment represents over 50% of Hyatt’s total pipeline in the Americas. Complementing growth in lifestyle, luxury and all-inclusive, Hyatt’s select service portfolio remains a key driver for market expansion and generating awareness and enrollment in World of Hyatt, the industry’s fastest growing loyalty program. Through owner-driven innovation, Hyatt is advancing its select service brands, focusing on operational efficiency and profitability.

The first and only Forbes Triple Five-Star hotel in the Caribbean – The Ritz-Carlton, Grand Cayman – announces that tickets are on sale for the 16th annual Cayman Cookout. The premier culinary event will take place from January 15-20, 2025, at the iconic luxury resort and will feature more than 60 immersive cooking demonstrations, expert-led tastings and transformative excursions. The five-day journey will be led by a roster of award-winning talent including Chef Eric Ripert, Daniel Boulud, José Andrés, Andrew Zimmern and Kristen Kish among others. Individual event tickets and overnight accommodations are available for purchase at caymancookout.com.

Custom Travel Solutions (CTS), the software-as-a-service private-label platform for closed-user groups such as membership organizations & loyalty programs to sell travel,  is seeing significant international growth, with 63% of its transactions now taking place outside of the United States. This marks a substantial increase from 40% last year and reflects the growing global appetite for travel subscription models. Germany has emerged as the top market for CTS transactions outside the US, contributing 27% of total international activity. It is followed by Italy, which accounts for 7%, and Switzerland at 5%. Meanwhile, the US continues holding a 37% share of total transactions in 2024.