Mena destinations are preparing for the return of Chinese travellers as outbound demand from China remains resilient. New Dragon Trail International research highlights recovery opportunities ahead of Arabian Travel Market (ATM) 2026 in Dubai.
Vietnam’s Golf Coast expects a strong 2026 season as Da Nang records record tourism growth, welcoming 7.74 million overnight visitors in the first five months, including 4.18 million international arrivals, up 23.6% year on year.
Syria reopened Deir ez-Zor International Airport on August 5 after nearly 14 years of closure, resuming domestic flights from Damascus and international services from Kuwait following the completion of maintenance and rehabilitation works.
The National Bank of Bahrain (NBB) has announced a new partnership with Turkish Airlines to provide exclusive travel benefits to its cardholders, including a 20% discount on flights.
Riyadh Air has launched its inaugural flight to Mumbai, marking its entry into the Indian market and becoming the airline’s eighth scheduled destination just eight weeks after commencing operations.
Cybercriminals are increasingly exploiting digital travel platforms, with Kaspersky detecting nearly 270,000 attacks disguised as popular travel brands over the past year, highlighting growing cybersecurity risks for travellers booking and managing journeys online.
Bahrain and the UAE have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to strengthen cooperation on the implementation of the "One Stop" pre-clearance project for air travellers, aimed at streamlining border procedures and improving the passenger travel experience.
Gulf Air has opened bookings for its new direct Bahrain–Kuala Lumpur service, launching on September 29, 2026, with additional flights scheduled ahead of the Formula 1 Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix 2026 in Malaysia to meet expected travel demand.
Türkiye welcomed 25.8 million international visitors in the first six months of 2026, while tourism revenues remained stable compared with the previous year at $25.8 billion, according to Mehmet Ersoy, Türkiye’s Minister of Culture and Tourism.
Record Travel & Tourism investment exceeding $1 trillion in 2025, driven by major markets including the US, China, India and Saudi Arabia, is fueling global economic growth, improving connectivity and creating jobs, according to the latest report from the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC).
