Musafir unveils next-gen booking tool
Musafir.com, the UAE’s leading travel management platform, launched musafirtag, a next-generation booking tool tailored for travel agents, sub-agents, and reseller partners across the GCC and beyond, at the Arabian Travel Market (ATM) 2025. Built for the modern travel professional, musafirtag combines robust Agent Tools, an intelligent Back Office, and a supplier-facing Extranet – all housed in one seamless interface. Travel agents gain access to a full inventory including flights, hotels, transfers, activities, and visas, with real-time booking capabilities, scalable controls, and deep customisation options. “Musafirtag is more than a product – it’s our bold step forward in reshaping the B2B travel landscape across the region. We’ve brought together deep industry insight and cutting-edge technology to build a platform that empowers every agent, every sub-agent, and every customer touch point,” said Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulla Al Thani, Chairman and Co-Founder of musafir.com. O Beach Dubai offers crypto option O Beach Dubai has partnered with global crypto payment gateway Bitpace to introduce cryptocurrency payments across the venue. Guests can now seamlessly pay for reservations, services, and experiences using leading cryptocurrencies including Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum (ETH), and Tether (USDT), a first for lifestyle beach clubs of this calibre in the region. Bitpace’s integration with O Beach Dubai will enable fast, secure, and borderless transactions, removing the limitations of conventional banking and offering guests more flexibility and privacy in their spending, the company said. From VIP tables and poolside bookings to dining and retail purchases, every touchpoint at O Beach Dubai is now optimised for crypto. RAKTDA signs MoU with Open World Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority (RAKTDA) has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Open World, a Web3 technology innovator, to explore new possibilities in tourism through blockchain-powered travel rewards. Unveiled at the Arabian Travel Market 2025, the agreement aims to introduce a rewards system using tokenisation – a digital approach that could offer travellers new ways to engage with and enjoy the destination. Through this collaboration, RAKTDA and Open World will explore how blockchain-based rewards can be integrated into the tourism ecosystem through: Curated tourism experiences, personalised offers and access to exclusive events, digital reward tokens on tourism spend, and secure transactions within the Ras Al Khaimah tourism ecosystem. Qatar Airways hosts 'Gaming in the Sky' Qatar Airways has set a new benchmark with the launch of a pioneering e-sports competition, ‘Gaming in the Sky’, onboard a commercial aircraft. The event was powered by next-generation Starlink connectivity and took place on May 11 during a flight from Doha to London. The tournament brought together a global roster of top gaming and entertainment talent, including Tfue, Castro1021, Lisa Zimouche, Alodia Gosiengfiao, Dantic, SV2, AJ3, Aameghessib, Danny Aarons, Ffearfful, MattHDGamer, and Slater with a special appearance by Oussifooty as the host. The experience marked a new milestone in the convergence of aviation, entertainment, and technology. At 35,000 feet, the airline transformed the skies into a competitive gaming arena as two teams – Team Burgundy Oryx and Team Grey Aviators – faced off in a friendly mid-air showdown. Enabled by Starlink’s ultra-fast, low-latency internet, players competed in real-time with uninterrupted gameplay and live updates on Qatar Airways’ social media channels.