Travel/Tourism
Nigerians to Enjoy Free Trips to Dubai for Shopping Festival
Dubai’s Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (Dubai Tourism), is set to delight Nigerians with prizes and free trips to Dubai as part of activities marking the 25th anniversary of the famous Dubai Shopping Festival (DSF). This should include Ghana, and separate ones for Kenya and South Africa.
Dubai Tourism and its partners are kicking off several competitions offering Nigerians and Ghanaians the chance to win big just in time for the holidays. The gifts include shopping vouchers or fully funded trips to Dubai to enjoy unique experiences, world-class concerts, pop up markets, events, and daily firework displays during DSF, which takes place December 26, 2019 to February 1, 2020.
Option 1: Book a trip to Dubai with tour operators, Tour Brokers International (TBI), Wontra or Wakanow between now and December 20th to travel to Dubai in January 2020 and be automatically entered to win shopping vouchers upon arrival to spend while in Dubai. The winners will be announced after December 26 through the trade partners and Dubai Tourism.
Option 2: A six-week online competition, in partnership with BellaNaija, will see 10 winners from Nigeria and 5 from Ghana, win a five-night trip to Dubai to celebrate the festivities during the 25th anniversary of DSF.
To participate in the competition ongoing through December 20th, participants must submit a 60-second video explaining how they would spend a week in Dubai, what they want to see and where they want to go. The short video clip then needs to be posted to Instagram, tagging and following @bellanaijastyle and @visitdubai_af & @dsfsocial accounts. All participants must be 25 to enter the competition.
The lucky winners will receive gifts including a shopping voucher worth AED 1000; five-night hotel stay; flight tickets and airport transfers. Winners will be announced on social media accounts on December 23rd and will travel to Dubai in January 2020.
Commenting on the contest, Head of Campaign Management for Africa, Salim Ali Mohammed Dahman said: “The Dubai Shopping Festival has been always been an event that the entire city really gets into. Now going into its 25th anniversary means it will be grander than ever before.
“We know that our African visitors love to shop; whether for luxury items or just the basics, they rate shopping as one of the top things they love to do when visiting Dubai.
“For us, we wanted to take this special occasion to invite first time visitors or those coming back to Dubai again with a warm welcome and a heavy dose of retail therapy. As a city, we are rolling out the red carpet to celebrate this milestone and encourage everyone in Nigeria and Ghana to participate in this competition.”
Established in 1996, DSF is one of the first city-wide shopping festivals in the world and the biggest in the region. It demonstrates the breadth of Dubai’s retail offering and this 25th anniversary edition will feature celebrations and entertainment, including the jubilee opening ceremony, concerts, live shows and cultural performances.
There are also fantastic retail deals, including offers and extraordinary experiences with unbelievable discounts on 800+ brands at over 3,500+ outlets as well as global brands activations at malls, shopping districts, and Souks.
Additional city celebrations featuring promotions that start the minute you arrive at the Dubai International Airport, including, exclusive hotel packages, festival-long daily raffles, Infinity car giveaways and a $1 million cash prize.
By Aduragbemi Omiyale
About 14.12 per cent stake in Ikeja Hotel Plc has been acquired by Honeywell Group Limited, a notice on the Nigerian Exchange (NGX) Limited has revealed.
Honeywell Group took up the part of the hospitality firm through one of its affiliates known as HGL Real Estate Limited.
Ikeja Hotel, in the disclosure filed with the NGX on July 2, 2026, said the stake comprised 305,323,525 units of its equities.
“Ikeja Hotel hereby notifies the Nigerian Exchange Limited and the general public that it has received notification from HGL Real Estate Limited, an affiliate of Honeywell Group Limited, that it has acquired 305,323,525 units of Ikeja Hotel Plc’s shares, representing 14.12 per cent shareholding in the company,” the notice stated.
Ikeja Hotel is one of Nigeria’s leading hospitality investment and hotel management companies with premium hospitality assets.
It operates two leading hospitality organisations in Lagos, the Sheraton Lagos Hotel and Balmoral Convention Centre.
By Aduragbemi Omiyale
About 10 hospitality establishments, including hotels and restaurants, were sealed on Wednesday by officials of the Lagos State Environmental Protection Agency (LASEPA).
The affected businesses are located in different locations in the Alimosho Local Government Area of the metropolis, Business Post learned from a statement from the agency.
It was stated that they were sealed by LASEPA for persistent violations of environmental regulations despite repeated warnings, abatement notices, and several opportunities to comply with the agency’s directives.
According to the notice, the enforcement exercise was carried out in line with the directives of the Lagos State government to ensure strict compliance with environmental laws and to safeguard public health.
The affected facilities were said to have breached various environmental regulations, including noise pollution, air pollution, unlawful discharge of untreated effluent, obstruction of official duties, among others.
LASEPA closed the premises of Granduer Meridian at Obasa Akiniyi Street, Oluwaga, Ipaja for non-compliance with the agency’s directives; Lasola (Spazio Bar), located on Ipaja Road, Fatolu Bus Stop, Ipaja, was sealed for noise pollution and non-compliance with directives; Millennium Restaurant, located at Gate Bus Stop, Ipaja, Ayobo, was shut down for non-compliance with directives; O2 Exquisite Suites & Tower on Jimoh Akinremi Street, Jimoh Bus Stop, Akowonjo, was sealed for non-compliance with directives; and Chirozz Hotel & Suites, located on Samuel Street, Akowonjo, by Vulcanizer Bus Stop, Egbeda, was closed for noise pollution and non-compliance with directives.
In addition, House 7 Hotel, located at Remi Akande Street, Egbeda, was sealed for non-compliance with LASEPA’s directives; House 48 on Isiba Oluwo Street, Egbeda, was sealed for non-compliance with directives; Exclusive Hotel, located at Ishan Kimishe, Akesan Bus Stop, was shut down by non-compliance with directives; Sabola Ventures Limited, Iocated at Km 11, LASU–Isheri Road, Igando, was shut down for operating without evidence of an Effluent Treatment Plant (ETP), and discharging untreated effluent into public drains; and City Int’l Motel, located at Chief Olu-Adegbite Street, off Oladun Street, Council Bus Stop, Idimu, was sealed for non-compliance with directives.
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
Emirates has become the first airline cargo carrier to deploy the Boeing 777-300ERSF passenger-to-freighter converted aircraft.
The aircraft (A6-EBK) will enter commercial service with a flight from Hong Kong to Dubai carrying over 100 tonnes of cargo, a statement from the airline operator stated.
The converted Emirates Boeing 777-300ERSF offers 100 tonnes of payload capacity and 811 m³ of cargo volume, representing a 25 per cent increase in cargo volume over the Boeing 777-F production freighter.
At 47 pallet positions, the converted aircraft also accommodates 10 additional pallet positions when compared with the Boeing 777-F production freighter, making it ideal for transporting volumetric cargo such as e-commerce goods, which currently constitute around 20 per cent of global air cargo tonnage with further growth projected in the next few years.
The converted Boeing 777-300ERSF is the sixth new freighter, following five Boeing 777-F production freighters, to join Emirates SkyCargo’s fleet since March 2026.
As part of its ambitious expansion strategy, Emirates SkyCargo will also be taking delivery of five additional Boeing 777-F aircraft as well as one additional converted Boeing 777-300ERSF by December 2026.
Emirates SkyCargo will also be introducing three additional converted Boeing 777-ERSFs into its fleet in 2027.
“The induction of the first converted Emirates Boeing 777-300ERSF into operational service represents the next step in the expansion of our fleet and operational agility.
“We are optimising our fleet assets by converting older Boeing 777-300ER passenger aircraft to meet the growing demand for air cargo capacity to transport goods rapidly across the world,” Emirates SkyCargo’s Divisional Senior Vice President, Badr Abbas, commented.
“Combined with our growing fleet of Boeing 777-F production freighters, we have already been able to scale our global freighter network from just over 40 destinations in February this year to 62 destinations currently and growing.
“We are providing our global customers with scalable cargo capacity and ultimate flexibility and connectivity when moving cargo to and through our hub in Dubai,” Abbas added.
