https://www.breakingtravelnews.com/ en Breaking Travel News Copyright 2026 2026-09-27T19:11:44+00:00 https://www.breakingtravelnews.com/images/interface/rss_logo.gif https://www.breakingtravelnews.com/ https://www.breakingtravelnews.com/news/article/tourism-and-hospitality-elite-honoured-at-world-travel-awards-2026-in-the-m/ https://www.breakingtravelnews.com/news/article/tourism-and-hospitality-elite-honoured-at-world-travel-awards-2026-in-the-m/ The best travel organisations in Asia, Oceania and the Indian Ocean were honoured at a VIP gala ceremony in the Maldives. The stars of the industry convened at CROSSROADS Maldives for the World Travel Awards Asia, Oceania & Indian Ocean Gala Ceremony 2026 to discover who had won the most prestigious and highly sought-after honours in global tourism. Sun, 27 Sep 2026 19:11:44 +0000 Airline, Hotel, Cruise, Events, Technology, Tourism, Organisations & Operators, Spa, Sustainability, Car Rental, Rail & Coach, Food & Beverage https://www.breakingtravelnews.com/focus/article/top-middle-east-leaders-prateek-kumar-dusit-hotels-resorts/ https://www.breakingtravelnews.com/focus/article/top-middle-east-leaders-prateek-kumar-dusit-hotels-resorts/ Prateek Kumar’s regional brief is unusually broad. As senior vice president of operations for Dusit Hotels & Resorts, he oversees properties across Europe, the Middle East, Africa, India, the Philippines, Singapore, the Maldives and Japan, as well as selected hotels in Thailand. The map spans city hotels, islands, mature markets and new destinations, but the common task is preserving a Thai-rooted service identity while adapting it to local guests and owners. Sun, 27 Sep 2026 09:08:36 +0000 Features https://www.breakingtravelnews.com/news/article/world-travel-week-jamaica-launches-on-world-tourism-day/ https://www.breakingtravelnews.com/news/article/world-travel-week-jamaica-launches-on-world-tourism-day/ Jamaica has today, World Tourism Day, officially launched World Travel Week Jamaica 2026, a landmark six-day gathering bringing together leaders and organisations from across the international travel, tourism and hospitality industry. Taking place from 10-15 October 2026 at Princess Resorts in Negril, World Travel Week Jamaica will bring a portfolio of major international awards, industry gatherings and showcases together in one destination, placing Jamaica at the centre of the global tourism conversation. Sun, 27 Sep 2026 09:07:07 +0000 Events, Tourism, Organisations & Operators https://www.breakingtravelnews.com/focus/article/top-middle-east-leaders-bani-haddad-aleph-hospitality/ https://www.breakingtravelnews.com/focus/article/top-middle-east-leaders-bani-haddad-aleph-hospitality/ Bani Haddad founded Aleph Hospitality in 2015 around a structural opportunity. The Middle East and Africa had no shortage of hotel projects or international brands, but many owners needed an experienced operating partner able to manage properties locally, protect their interests and work flexibly with brand franchises. Aleph was built to occupy that space. Today, with more than 50 hotels across 23 countries, it describes itself as the region’s largest independent hotel management company. Sun, 27 Sep 2026 09:04:09 +0000 Features https://www.breakingtravelnews.com/focus/article/top-middle-east-leaders-talal-jassim-al-bahar-ifa-hotels-resorts/ https://www.breakingtravelnews.com/focus/article/top-middle-east-leaders-talal-jassim-al-bahar-ifa-hotels-resorts/ Talal Jassim Al-Bahar is best understood not simply as a hotel executive, but as an investor in the environments around hotels. As chairman and group chief executive of IFA Hotels & Resorts, he oversees a business whose interests span hospitality, branded residences, leisure and mixed-use real estate. His leadership reflects a central lesson of resort economics: the most valuable asset is often the destination ecosystem rather than the room inventory alone. Sun, 27 Sep 2026 09:00:01 +0000 Features https://www.breakingtravelnews.com/focus/article/top-middle-east-leaders-essa-faqeeh-areen-hospitality/ https://www.breakingtravelnews.com/focus/article/top-middle-east-leaders-essa-faqeeh-areen-hospitality/ Saudi Arabia’s hotel pipeline is often described in keys, brands and construction value. Essa Faqeeh’s work begins where those headlines become difficult: feasibility, concept, design coordination, pre-opening and performance. As chief executive of Areen Hospitality, he leads a company built to guide hospitality assets across their full life cycle, helping owners translate tourism ambition into properties that can actually operate. Sun, 27 Sep 2026 08:57:01 +0000 Features https://www.breakingtravelnews.com/focus/article/top-middle-east-leaders-stephen-ansell-hyatt/ https://www.breakingtravelnews.com/focus/article/top-middle-east-leaders-stephen-ansell-hyatt/ Stephen Ansell’s appointment as managing director for the Middle East and Africa in April 2024 brought his Hyatt career back to the region where it began. He joined the company in 1996 as director of food and beverage at Hyatt Regency Riyadh, then built an international record through hotel and regional leadership roles in Europe, Central Asia and the Middle East. That continuity gives him an unusually deep understanding of the company he is now expanding. Sun, 27 Sep 2026 08:55:39 +0000 Features https://www.breakingtravelnews.com/focus/article/top-middle-east-leaders-mahmood-alhashmi-ajman-tourism/ https://www.breakingtravelnews.com/focus/article/top-middle-east-leaders-mahmood-alhashmi-ajman-tourism/ Mahmood Alhashmi is leading Ajman’s tourism sector through an important institutional transition. After taking responsibility for tourism development in 2022, he became director general of the emirate’s Department of Tourism, Culture and Media when the integrated body was established in 2025. The new structure reflects a modern view of destination management: what a place offers, how it understands itself and how it communicates cannot be separated. Sun, 27 Sep 2026 08:50:59 +0000 Features https://www.breakingtravelnews.com/focus/article/top-middle-east-leaders-andrew-tyler-smith-red-sea-international-airport/ https://www.breakingtravelnews.com/focus/article/top-middle-east-leaders-andrew-tyler-smith-red-sea-international-airport/ Andrew Tyler-Smith leads an airport with a deliberately different purpose. Red Sea International Airport is the principal gateway to The Red Sea and AMAALA, Saudi Arabia’s new luxury tourism destinations. It must provide international connectivity and premium service while supporting a development model that places environmental limits and carefully managed growth at its core. As chief executive since January 2025, Tyler-Smith is responsible for making those priorities operationally compatible. Sun, 27 Sep 2026 08:48:44 +0000 Features https://www.breakingtravelnews.com/focus/article/top-middle-east-leaders-nadia-zaal-zaya/ https://www.breakingtravelnews.com/focus/article/top-middle-east-leaders-nadia-zaal-zaya/ Nadia Zaal is one of the Gulf’s most distinctive hospitality entrepreneurs because her projects begin with landscape rather than buildings. As co-founder and chief executive of Zaya, she has placed privacy, nature and design at the centre of high-end residential and resort development. Her best-known creation, Nurai Island near Abu Dhabi, demonstrated that a locally conceived private-island experience could compete for the world’s most demanding luxury guests. Sun, 27 Sep 2026 08:45:47 +0000 https://www.breakingtravelnews.com/focus/article/top-middle-east-leaders-sara-ahmed-buhiji-exhibition-world-bahrain/ https://www.breakingtravelnews.com/focus/article/top-middle-east-leaders-sara-ahmed-buhiji-exhibition-world-bahrain/ Sara Ahmed Buhiji stands at the junction of two systems that Bahrain needs to work together: destination demand and the venues capable of converting that demand into visits. Appointed chief executive of the Bahrain Tourism and Exhibitions Authority in January 2024 and serving as chair of Exhibition World Bahrain, she has a mandate that reaches from international marketing to business events, festivals, investment and workforce development. Sun, 27 Sep 2026 08:42:54 +0000 Features https://www.breakingtravelnews.com/focus/article/top-middle-east-leaders-khalifa-bin-braik-majid-al-futtaim-asset-management/ https://www.breakingtravelnews.com/focus/article/top-middle-east-leaders-khalifa-bin-braik-majid-al-futtaim-asset-management/ Khalifa Bin Braik’s career tracks the evolution of Gulf real estate from stand-alone construction into integrated destination management. As chief executive of Majid Al Futtaim Asset Management, he is responsible for a portfolio that includes 29 shopping malls and seven hotels across the Middle East and North Africa. The scale is substantial, but the more revealing feature is the combination: retail, hospitality, leisure and place-making are managed as connected drivers of visitation and value. Sun, 27 Sep 2026 08:39:18 +0000 Features https://www.breakingtravelnews.com/news/article/world-tourism-day-website-launches-to-connect-events-and-stories-worldwide/ https://www.breakingtravelnews.com/news/article/world-tourism-day-website-launches-to-connect-events-and-stories-worldwide/ A new website dedicated to celebrating and promoting World Tourism Day has launched, bringing together a global events directory, stories from across the travel industry and opportunities for people and organisations to get involved. Sun, 27 Sep 2026 07:57:57 +0000 Events, Technology, Tourism, Organisations & Operators https://www.breakingtravelnews.com/news/article/four-seasons-introduces-new-curated-itineraries-across-japan-thailand-and-h/ https://www.breakingtravelnews.com/news/article/four-seasons-introduces-new-curated-itineraries-across-japan-thailand-and-h/ Four Seasons is expanding its collection of curated itineraries, introducing three new multi-destination experiences that connect multiple Four Seasons properties through one seamlessly coordinated itinerary. The latest additions include stays and experiences across Japan, Thailand and Hawaii. Sun, 27 Sep 2026 07:49:53 +0000 Hotel, Organisations & Operators https://www.breakingtravelnews.com/news/article/onyx-hospitality-group-targets-growing-russia-cis-demand/ https://www.breakingtravelnews.com/news/article/onyx-hospitality-group-targets-growing-russia-cis-demand/ ONYX Hospitality Group, a leading management company for hotels, resorts, serviced apartments, luxury residences, restaurants and spas across Asia-Pacific, is strengthening its focus on the Russia and CIS travel market following a successful September sales mission across Moscow, St. Petersburg and, for the first time, Minsk in Belarus. The multi-city mission comes as demand for Thailand from Russia continues to perform strongly, while new air connectivity from Belarus is set to create further opportunities for leisure travel to Bangkok and Phuket. Sun, 27 Sep 2026 07:13:08 +0000 Hotel, Organisations & Operators https://www.breakingtravelnews.com/news/article/fh55-hotels-redefines-its-identity-a-new-brand-to-tell-the-story-of-contemp/ https://www.breakingtravelnews.com/news/article/fh55-hotels-redefines-its-identity-a-new-brand-to-tell-the-story-of-contemp/ Founded more than seven decades ago by Dino Innocenti, FH55 Hotels has built its identity over time on the ability to bring together tradition and innovation: on one side, the historic heritage of its locations and their strong connection with their destinations; on the other, an ongoing journey of renovation and enhancement, with a focus on design, service quality and the overall guest experience. Sun, 27 Sep 2026 07:09:36 +0000 Hotel, Organisations & Operators https://www.breakingtravelnews.com/news/article/72-of-indians-discover-offbeat-destinations-through-reels-but-trust-remains/ https://www.breakingtravelnews.com/news/article/72-of-indians-discover-offbeat-destinations-through-reels-but-trust-remains/ Travel inspiration today is increasingly digital, with social media and artificial intelligence becoming important parts of how Indians discover and plan their journeys. A recent survey by zingbus, based on 2,371 respondents, reveals how short-form content, AI-powered planning and trusted travel information are influencing travel decisions. The findings come ahead of World Tourism Day on September 27, whose 2026 theme, “Digital Agenda and Artificial Intelligence to Redesign Tourism,” reflects the growing role of technology in shaping the future of travel. Sun, 27 Sep 2026 07:05:13 +0000 Technology, AI, Organisations & Operators https://www.breakingtravelnews.com/news/article/serras-sevilla-introduces-a-new-brand-of-bespoke-luxury-service-to-seville/ https://www.breakingtravelnews.com/news/article/serras-sevilla-introduces-a-new-brand-of-bespoke-luxury-service-to-seville/ After much anticipation, Serras Sevilla officially opened its doors on 11 September, introducing Serras Collection’s signature philosophy of intuitive, highly personalised hospitality to Andalusia and unlocking the city’s most coveted experiences for guests. Sun, 27 Sep 2026 07:01:39 +0000 Hotel, Organisations & Operators https://www.breakingtravelnews.com/news/article/the-chance-for-agents-to-win-3000-towards-their-next-gold-medal-holiday/ https://www.breakingtravelnews.com/news/article/the-chance-for-agents-to-win-3000-towards-their-next-gold-medal-holiday/ Gold Medal, the flagship brand of Gold Medal Travel Group, has today launched its sixth brochure of the 2026-27 portfolio, In Focus: Australia, New Zealand & South Pacific, along with a supporting campaign running throughout September and October 2026. The campaign pairs the new brochure which can be ordered via Tradegate and online hub with fantastic benefits for agents, including double Farebank Rewards and a £3,000 holiday contribution giveaway. Sun, 27 Sep 2026 07:00:43 +0000 Organisations & Operators https://www.breakingtravelnews.com/news/article/how-le-meridien-phuket-mai-khao-beach-resort-is-reshaping-the-festive-seaso/ https://www.breakingtravelnews.com/news/article/how-le-meridien-phuket-mai-khao-beach-resort-is-reshaping-the-festive-seaso/ As travellers increasingly seek meaningful ways to celebrate the festive season, Le Méridien Phuket Mai Khao Beach Resort is unveiling its festive programme, blending international traditions with Phuket’s culture, cuisine and community through culinary experiences, a community-inspired Christmas Market and signature beachfront celebrations. Sun, 27 Sep 2026 06:55:33 +0000 Hotel, Events, Organisations & Operators