Inayat-ur-Rahman, Business Editor

Etisalat on Thursday  added more flavours to the Expo 2020 Dubai by launching a wide range of special Expo 2020 Dubai offers and benefits, enabling visitors and residents to stay connected on the world’s fastest mobile network as well as experience the best of TV entertainment and superfast broadband speeds.

 Khaled Elkhouly, Chief Consumer Officer, Etisalat, said: “We are delighted to introduce a host of offers and benefits such as loads of data and voice minutes, free double data and bill discounts, enhanced TV content and incredible home internet speeds, along with complimentary passes to Expo 2020 Dubai, the biggest cultural gathering in the world. At Etisalat, we are committed to provide top-notch benefits and are continuously innovating and evaluating ways to introduce best-in-value propositions to all our customer segments.”

Visitor Line Premium and Visitor Line Premium+ plans, offer a one-day Expo pass and one multi-day Expo pass, respectively. A Visitor Line Premium (Dhs125) plan comes with 6GB data, 120 flexible minutes, five hours of free WiFi, Dhs 100 off Careem taxis, and instant access to Smiles ‘Unlimited Buy 1 Get 1’ vouchers. A Visitor Line Premium+ (Dhs200) plan provides 22.5GB data, 525 flexible minutes, 30 hours of free WiFI, and the same Careem and Smiles benefits.

 Customers migrating to Etisalat’s latest Freedom plans - New Freedom starting from Plan200 and Emirati Freedom - will get double data for three months and a bill discount of up to Dhs225. Customers signing up online will avail complimentary one-day, multi-day or season passes based on their selected plan.

New eLife customers who sign up online are also in for a treat. Etisalat is offering complimentary multi-day passes and other free benefits worth up to Dhs1,800. These benefits include free speed boost of 250Mbps, free premium TV packs for three months, and free installation, among others.

Etisalat is Expo 2020’s Official Telecommunications and Digital Services Premier Partner. It has built a dedicated modern network for Expo 2020 Dubai to meet its requirements and provide telecom services for the visitors throughout the six-month event. With a fiber network extended to every corner of the site, Expo 2020 Dubai visitors will experience seamless uninterrupted services with best-in-class download and upload speeds, high-quality content and minimal latency.

 Meanwhile, Uganda Tourism Board (UTB), Government of Uganda’s destination marketing organization has at the Uganda Tourism Trade and Investment Forum 2021 has announced the launch of a revitalized and strengthened multi-level tourism promotional push to attract residents of the UAE and Gulf Countries to choose Uganda as their preferred destination for luxury adventure, once-in-a-life-time experiences, and reconnection programs with nature, culture and the Ugandan people.

The announcement was made in conjunction with Uganda’s participation at Expo 2020, and the launch of inaugural direct flights by Uganda Airlines to Dubai.

Speaking at the Uganda Forum and heading a delegation of 15 tourism officials and key professionals from the Ugandan tourism industry, Ms. Lilly Ajarova, Chief Executive Officer, Uganda Tourism Board commented: “Uganda Tourism Board is extremely excited to launch our revitalised international travel program targeting the UAE and GCC specifically, our presence this week in Dubai, along with the launch of Expo 2020 and the launch of Uganda Airlines flights to Dubai makes this mission extremely poignant and meaningful.”

Uganda has exceptional direct flight connectivity between Uganda and the UAE, with Emirates flying 5 times a week and flydubai daily flights from Dubai, and Air Arabia operating 3 flights a week from Sharjah starting the 10th of October. Uganda Airlines touched down in Dubai for the first time on October 4th, 2021, and now operates scheduled flights 3 times a week. Qatar Airways also operates daily direct flights from Doha.

Using the wide variety of carriers and flight options available, the Uganda Tourism Board (UTB), will launch a number of partnerships and marketing initiatives and activations, to ensure exciting, quality-focused tourism offerings are made available to UAE and Gulf Country residences seeking rejuvenation, exhilaration, a reconnection to nature and people and touches of meaningful luxury moments in a covid-safe environment.

The activities kick off with a series of tourism seminars and workshops in both Dubai and Abu Dhabi on October 10th and 11th respectively, for the UAE’s leading outbound travel professionals, and meetings and incentive planners. The Ugandan Pavilion at Expo 2020 will also feature opportunities for all visitors to learn what Uganda has to offer as travel destination, as well as discovery travel packages with value-added offers. Throughout the coming months a plethora of digital marketing, social media campaigns as well as the hosting of UAE media, influencers and key travel agents will also be conducted to spread the word of Uganda as the Pearl of Africa.  Representing the hotel and hospitality industry, Susan Muhwezi, the Vice Chairperson Uganda Tourism Board and Chairperson Uganda Hotel Owners Association said, “The Ugandan tourism industry is committed to reaching out to the UAE and surrounding Gulf countries on many levels. Through consumer and travel trade marketing, exceptional holiday experiences will be created and communicated to entice visitors. Additionally, we are also committed to engage with the UAE’s many hotel suppliers, hospitality and tourism training professionals to ensure that our two tourism industries are well connected in a myriad of levels.”  Meanwhile, the Pakistan Pavilion in the Expo 2020 Dubai has also organised a Panel discussion on Clean Green Pakistan with Mr. Malik Amin Aslam, Federal Minister and Adviser to Prime Minister of Pakistan for Climate Change andFurqan Syed, CEO of PepsiCo Pakistan.

The Climate & Biodiversity Thematic Week started in Expo 2020 Dubai from the 3rd of October and will continue till 9th October.

During this week, the Expo 2020 Dubai has planned several talk forums and leadership sessions. Connecting with Expo 2020 initiatives, Pakistan Pavilion has also organised several forums to bring to light Pakistan’s efforts on climate change.

Speaking at the occasion, Mr. Malik highlighted the initiatives taken by the present government towards a ‘Clean and Green Pakistan’ and shed some light on the plans for the future. The minister stressed the urgency to preserve the environment and adopt effective methods to make future progress eco-friendly. He appreciated the role of the private sector in working in unison with the Government on climate change. The event was organised with PepsiCo Pakistan.

The Federal Minister also witnessed the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between PepsiCo Pakistan and Novatex for putting up a bottle recycling plant with a capacity to recycle 500 million bottles in a year. The plant will be operational by 2022.

In addition to a comprehensive roll out of marketing activities from this month into the New Year, our marketing programs in the UAE will be further enhanced as we will also look to make the UAE and the Middle East region the first international market to launch our new branding campaign that will be launched in early 2022. With our representative office located in Dubai, our commitment to this market is strong and long term, concluded Ajarova.

Meanwhile, applying innovation and entrepreneurship to the service of sustainability is one of the objectives that the ISA Group has set for itself in its 2030 strategy, and it is an example of what it is taking to Expo Dubai 2020 to represent the country. On this stage, the company will show the world its leadership in the Latin American energy sector and its role in the energy transition. It will also present its cutting-edge initiatives in sustainable development, with which it is making a tangible and relevant contribution to major causes of global interest, such as climate change mitigation and the construction of social fabric.

n line with its commitment to protect the planet, and as an example for other companies, the company, in alliance with Ecopetrol, will offset the carbon footprint of the entire Colombia Pavilion during the week of October 3-9, in order to become Net Zero Carbon. This will be registered through EcoRegistry, the carbon market platform based on blockchain technology developed by XM, an affiliate of Grupo ISA in Colombia, which allows the issuance, transfer, and retirement of carbon credits.

The resources obtained through this compensation will be invested in the conservation project, Cocoman Frontera Redd+, which works to prevent the deforestation of the forests of the Higher Community Councils of Novita, located in the department of Chocó in Colombia, one of the most biodiverse places on the planet.

The activities developed with this funding are: support for forest ranger families, promotion of productive alternatives to logging, environmental education, conservation of native species and seedling trees, among other activities of great importance to protect this important green lung.

Another of the global impact projects with which Grupo ISA will be presenting at Expo Dubai 2021 is Conexión Jaguar, the sustainability program with which, together with its technical partners, South Pole and Panthera, contributes to the conservation of biodiversity, climate change mitigation, the development of rural communities and the connectivity of the jaguar’s natural habitats in Latin America.