The summer crowds have dispersed, Christmas markets soon fill the squares and the charming city of Lisbon will be glowing with holiday lights and decorations. With mild temps, winter is an ideal time to spend time in Lisbon’s many museums, try its famous pastries and explore its charming streets, all walking distance from the centrally located AlmaLusa Hotels. Plus, the hotels are offering great Fall + Winter Stay Perks for bookings made by Nov. 30:

An enchanting island resort immersed in natural luxury, Amilla Maldives has introduced its latest wellness residencies, inviting guests to embark on a transformative journey towards greater physical vitality, mental clarity, and holistic wellbeing. Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) expert Dr. Lim Xiang Jun, founder of Singapore’s The Modern Traditional Doctor, will lead a Golden Week residency until 9 October; while Dr. Tridendra Shakya guides guests in rediscovering their balance and harmony from 13 to 31 October.

Wyndham Hotels & Resorts, one of the world’s largest hotel franchising companies, welcomed senior representatives from the Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism (DET), the UAE Ministry of Economy and Tourism, and leading hospitality and real estate organisations to a cocktail reception held ahead of FHS World Dubai 2026. Hosted at TRYP by Wyndham Dubai on 28 September, the evening brought together government and tourism stakeholders, hotel owners, developers and consultants to connect and exchange perspectives on the continued development of the UAE’s hospitality sector.

The Caribbean Media Exchange (CMEx) will celebrate veteran hotelier and Caribbean tourism leader Josef Forstmayr as a 2026 leadership laureate at the CMEx Leadership Awards and Fundraiser on Sunday, Dec. 6 at Loews Coral Gables Hotel in the Miami area. Forstmayr has been welcoming guests to Round Hill Hotel and Villas since becoming managing director in 1989. Under his leadership, the iconic Jamaican resort has earned numerous international honors including the World Travel Awards’ “Best Villas” title for consecutive years, AAA’s Four Diamond Award of Excellence and the Brass Key Award for “Most Romantic Resort.” Round Hill has also been featured on Condé Nast Traveler’s Gold List and Travel + Leisure’s World’s Best […]

The Caribbean Tourism Organization’s (CTO) State of the Tourism Industry Conference (SOTIC) 2026 is officially underway in Georgetown, Guyana, welcoming tourism leaders, industry partners, researchers, media, students and other stakeholders from across the Caribbean and beyond.

Air Cambodia is strengthening its connectivity between India and Cambodia with the introduction of a third weekly direct flight from Delhi to Phnom Penh, effective 17 December 2026. The additional Thursday frequency will complement the existing Tuesday and Saturday services, offering travellers greater flexibility and more opportunities to explore Cambodia.

River cruise line VIVA Cruises has launched its first travel agent selling guide. The guide highlights key brand USPs, including its ‘freedom, flexibility and choice’ ethos; fleet information on each of its nine ships; key cabin and suite features; and details of VIVA’s all-inclusive onboard offering. A dedicated section for the VIVA Boutique programme outlines itineraries on new ships VIVA BEYOND and VIVA UNIQUE, as well as additional onboard benefits, such as three restaurants being on offer and half of the accommodation comprising suites.

Wynn Al Marjan Island has unveiled its vision for Wynn Marina, reimagining the traditional marina as a vibrant waterfront destination and a seamless gateway into the wider resort. Designed as a destination in its own right, the 98-berth superyacht marina brings life on the water into the heart of Wynn Al Marjan Island. With the capacity to accommodate more yachts and larger vessels than any hotel-attached marina in the UAE, it will introduce a new kind of waterfront experience, connecting those arriving by sea directly with the resort while creating a vibrant setting for guests and visitors.

Tigerair Taiwan has launched tigerhop, a Dohop-powered Connected Travel platform that lets the airline sell connections with partner carriers through its own retail channels. Scoot is the first partner, extending the destinations customers can book with Tigerair Taiwan without traditional interline or codeshare agreements.

Maldivian, the national airline of the Maldives, has launched Maldivian Journey+, a new range of optional travel services designed to provide passengers with greater choice, convenience and comfort throughout their journey. The introduction of Journey+ responds to growing passenger demand for greater flexibility and the ability to personalise their travel experience. The first phase brings together a range of optional services under the Journey+ subbrand, allowing passengers to tailor different aspects of their journey based on their individual travel needs.

Now in its 2026 edition, the Global Restaurant Investment Forum (GRIF) is a business-led platform for senior operators, investors, and industry decision-makers to examine the forces shaping the restaurant sector and the opportunities emerging from them. This year, the forum will put the UAE market under the microscope, exploring its performance, challenges, and potential for continued growth.

This autumn, The Romanos, a Luxury Collection Resort, invites travellers to experience Messinia at its most inviting, where milder temperatures welcome days spent outdoors, time in nature and the region’s living traditions. Set amid olive groves overlooking the Ionian Sea at Navarino Dunes, the resort brings together longevity-led wellness, an exceptional sporting offering and authentic cultural experiences, all within a region shaped by 4,500 years of history.

The Hitachi-no-kuni Long Trail, connecting six cities and towns in northern Ibaraki Prefecture, has now fully opened as an approximately 350-kilometer route. With its full opening, the Hitachi-no-kuni Long Trail is now the longest long trail in Japan designed as a loop route.

JW Marriott Ranthambore Resort & Spa, recently launched as the 10,000th hotel in Marriott Bonvoy’s global portfolio and the 11th JW Marriott property in India, readies to welcome travelers into its first full season as Ranthambore National Park’s core zones reopened starting October 1st, 2026. The resort offers a thoughtfully designed retreat that encourages guests to connect more deeply with the natural rhythms of Ranthambore. More than a gateway to jungle safaris, it is a place where meaningful experiences unfold through a sense of presence, discovery and connection to the surrounding landscape.

Oman’s tourism appeal has rarely been the problem. Mountains, wadis, desert, coastline, heritage and a strong sense of local identity give it one of the Gulf’s most differentiated propositions. The commercial challenge has been making its fragmented supply easy for international travel sellers and visitors to discover and book. Shabib Al Maamari is building the infrastructure intended to solve that problem. Al Maamari has more than 20 years of experience across Oman’s public and private sectors, including oil, aviation and tourism. Before leading Visit Oman, he held senior positions at Oman Aviation Group and Transom, working on sector development, promotion, business-development policy and merger and acquisition strategy. Those […]

The question facing Qatar after the 2022 FIFA World Cup was never whether people had heard of the country. It was whether the hotels, transport, public spaces and international attention created for the tournament could support repeatable tourism demand. Abdulaziz Ali Al-Mawlawi now leads the organisation responsible for that conversion. An engineer by training, Al-Mawlawi built his career at the intersection of major events and destination marketing. He worked with the Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy, the organisation responsible for Qatar’s World Cup preparations, before serving as chief tourism marketing and promotion officer at Qatar Tourism. In May 2024, he became chief executive of the newly structured Visit Qatar, the […]

Sandeep Walia’s career has developed inside one company, but not inside one market or one type of hotel. Since joining Marriott International in 2005, he has moved through finance, development and operational leadership, building a perspective that connects owner returns, brand standards and the daily realities of hotel teams. Walia has more than 25 years of international hospitality experience. He became chief operating officer for Marriott’s Middle East business in 2021 and added responsibility for luxury operations across Europe, the Middle East and Africa in 2024. In 2026, his remit expanded again to include sub-Saharan Africa and global leadership of Design Hotels, the collection of independent, design-led properties affiliated […]

Kabir Mulchandani has never positioned FIVE as a conventional luxury hotel company. Its properties are designed as stages for a high-energy lifestyle, where rooms, restaurants, pools, clubs, branded residences and music reinforce one another. That clarity has made the business distinctive in a crowded hospitality market. Born in Mumbai, Mulchandani began his career in his family’s consumer-electronics business before moving into entrepreneurship and real estate. He founded the company that became FIVE Holdings as SKAI in the early 2010s, initially focusing on Dubai property and hospitality development. In 2017, the group adopted the FIVE name and sharpened its identity around entertainment-led luxury.

Ibrahim Al-Omar did not build his career entirely within airlines. That is precisely why his appointment to lead Saudia Group was significant. He arrived with experience in industries that had already faced liberalisation, digital disruption and large-scale transformation, bringing an outsider’s view to one of the kingdom’s most established institutions. Al-Omar trained as an electrical engineer at King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals and later completed executive leadership study at Harvard. He spent much of his early career in telecommunications, including senior roles at Saudi Telecom Company. He went on to become chief executive of the National Shipping Company of Saudi Arabia, known as Bahri, from 2014 to 2017, then […]

Hesham Talaat Moustafa approaches tourism from the scale of a city builder. Hotels are important to TMG Holding, but they sit alongside homes, commercial districts, golf, marinas, retail and infrastructure. That integrated model has made him one of Egypt’s most influential developers and an increasingly significant tourism investor across the region. Moustafa joined the family business in the 1980s. The group had begun as a construction company in the early 1970s and expanded under his leadership into large masterplanned communities, including Al Rehab and Madinaty. He became chief executive and managing director in 2017 and has since accelerated both geographic expansion and hospitality investment.