Last month, Nirvana Travel & Tourism shared plans of expanding its core services of tour management, passenger transportation, accommodation and entertainment and cultural programmes, to include a new, full-service event management department.

TTN spoke to its executive chair and chief executive officer, Alaa Al Ali, who recently was honoured in Estesmarat magazine’s listing of “The Most Creative Business Leaders in the Arab World 2017”.   

“What we are doing differently is that we are always actively looking for gaps in the market and how we can be innovators, whether it is on the technology side or the services we provide. We are investing a lot of time and money in technology that is tailor-made to our requirements, whether it be on the finance and HR front or our operations. At the same time, we are also focused on developing our people. Our staff and my family work together as one big family to ensure the satisfaction of our clients," he says.

A graduate of tourism and hotel management, Al Ali gained substantial industry experience both in hospitality and aviation before venturing out on his own. He plans to holiday either in Europe or South Africa, sometime this winter.

Established in 2007, Nirvana became a leading tour operator in Abu Dhabi and the UAE. With offices in over 40 different locations throughout Abu Dhabi, Al Ain, Dubai and Ras Al Khaimah, the brand has recently extended its reach by opening and operating offices in China, Spain, Egypt and Saudi Arabia. Within the few next years, it eyes locations such as Australia, UK and USA. The company has seen a steady growth of 30 to 40 per cent last year.

“We do a lot of wholesale business because we have our own booking tool, through which we book hotel, transportation and excursions and we are developing it to have more services like tickets and visas. This system is being sold to the B2B market, locally and regionally. Nirvana Travel & Tourism has GSAs in Jordan, Turkey and Lebanon.”

According to the chief executive, the top destinations this summer for the region are Europe – London, Germany and France being always in demand. “South Korea and Japan picked up in a big way during spring, so we expect this trend to continue into the summer. Georgia and Azerbaijan continue to be popular. We are working with Moroccan Tourism Board in Abu Dhabi to promote Morocco as a destination. It is a truly beautiful country, whether for singles or for families. Of course, we also promote Abu Dhabi and Dubai in the region and globally as they are some of our most important partners.”