From flydubai’s Bangkok Route To Qatar’s Toy Festival, 5 GCC Updates For You

Some weeks in the GCC are all about big announcements & updates. Others are more random in the best possible way. This week, one airline opened a new route to Bangkok, banks in the UAE reminded people not to trust deals that look too good to be true, and Qatar officially gave children a reason to drag their parents to a festival. Also, Saudi Arabia quietly reminded everyone that museums can actually be pretty interesting.

5 GCC Updates Worth Knowing

1. flydubai Launches Daily Dubai-Bangkok Flights

flydubai has launched daily direct services between Dubai and Bangkok’s Don Mueang International Airport, giving travellers another option beyond the Thai capital’s main airport. The new route also becomes the airline’s second destination in Thailand after Krabi. The flights are operating as part of the carrier’s partnership with Emirates, which means easier connections and through-checked baggage for passengers continuing their journeys elsewhere.

2. UAE Banks Issue Fresh Warning Over Holiday Booking Scams

The UAE Banks Federation has warned travellers to be careful when booking flights, hotels and holiday packages online after a rise in fake websites and fraudulent offers targeting customers. The advice is fairly straightforward. Double-check websites, avoid rushing payments and be suspicious of prices that look dramatically cheaper than everything else online. Also, never share banking codes or verification messages with anyone claiming to be from a travel company. That one keeps coming back every summer for some reason.

3. Saudi Arabia’s Rafha Museum Showcases 3,000 Rare Coins And Currencies

The heritage museum in Rafha is home to more than 3,000 rare coins and currencies collected from different civilisations and periods of history. Visitors can find coins dating back to the Umayyad, Abbasid and Ottoman eras alongside older Saudi currency.

Also Read: From Oman’s Plastic Bag Ban To Qatar’ Mental Health Programme, 5 GCC Updates For You

4. Qatar Toy Festival Officially Opens For Summer Visitors

The Qatar Toy Festival is now open. Toy brands, activities and family entertainment are all under one roof for the summer season. The fourth edition of the Qatar Toy Festival was officially opened at the Doha Exhibition and Convention Centre, with this year’s edition being the biggest ever. The festival lasts until 31 July and spans over 22,000 square metres and four exhibition halls filled with activities for different age groups. This isn’t the festival’s first appearance on our radar either, it’s been a recurring summer favourite for families across the region.

5. Turkish Airlines Restarts Flights Across Key Gulf Cities

Services to Abu Dhabi resumed on July 1, while flights to Dammam, Kuwait and Bahrain will return throughout July. The airline has also increased frequencies to Dubai, Amman and Beirut as demand continues to recover. For travellers using Istanbul as a gateway to Europe or beyond, the extra flights should make finding seats a little easier again. This comes just weeks after Turkish Airlines resumed its Istanbul-Dubai route, so the airline’s clearly on a comeback across the Gulf this summer.

Also Read: June Bootids Meteor Shower Over AlUla To Abu Dhabi Cultivating 302,000 Coral Colonies; 5 GCC Updates

These GCC updates might seem unrelated, but they all affect your daily life in one way or another. How you travel, how you spend, and how you plan your weekends. So stay informed, and we’ll be back with more next week. Till then, Ma’a Salama, Habibi & Habibitis!

Cover Image Courtesy: CanvaPro/joyt from Getty Images, flydubai/Website