News

Syria Rolls Out First National Tourism Discount Card

The Tamayouz program launches in early 2026, offering discounts of up to 50% as Damascus tests a new push for domestic travel.

Published

10 months ago

December 22, 2025

Nour Nasir

syria rolls out first national tourism discount card

Syria has introduced its first nationwide tourism discount card, a move aimed at jumpstarting domestic travel and tightening coordination with private-sector operators.

The “Tamayouz” card, announced by the Syrian Ministry of Tourism, promises discounts of up to 50% at more than 70 partner establishments in its initial rollout. The program is scheduled to go live in early 2026, covering hotels, resorts, chalets and travel agencies, with offers refreshed monthly.

Tourism Minister Mazen Al Salhani said the card is designed to formalize how discounts are issued across the sector, starting with domestic tourism. Access in the first phase will be limited to selected government employees, before expanding into a broader system that blends ministry-backed offers with private-sector deals.

“This card reflects our commitment to establishing a structured culture of tourism discount programs, which represents a key component of any modern tourism sector,” Al Salhani said.

The ministry is positioning Tamayouz as more than a pricing tool. Officials say the program will serve as a platform for deeper public–private cooperation, with a target of expanding the partner network to around 300 establishments by the end of 2026. Participating businesses will be required to apply approved discounts daily, including during official holidays.

A digital component is also planned. Alongside the physical card, a SmartApp — initially web-based — will provide an interactive map of participating venues, a points-based rewards system, and instant discount redemption via barcode or QR code. Technical support will be available to cardholders as the system rolls out.

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Al Salhani said the ministry also wants to draw established international discount programs into the Syrian market as part of a broader effort to align with global tourism practices. “We encourage leading global experiences to enter the Syrian market to spread this international culture,” he said.

For now, the focus remains inward. However, the structure of Tamayouz mirrors loyalty and discount platforms already common across the region, marking a tentative step toward standardizing offers and rebuilding tourism demand under tighter state oversight.

News

Abu Dhabi’s Robot Kitchen Is Serving Up Biryani, Not Burgers

Circus SE wants to put a tiny automated factory inside the buildings where Gulf residents live and work, bypassing part of last-mile delivery.

Published

6 days ago

October 20, 2026

Nour Nasir

abu dhabi's robot kitchen is serving up biryani not burgers

Circus SE

The most telling thing about a new autonomous kitchen now running in Abu Dhabi’s Marina Square is what it won’t cook:

“We don’t do fast food,” says Nikolas Bullwinkel, Founder and CEO of Circus SE. “We’ve actively decided not to build a machine that can only do burgers”.

Instead, the CA-1 system is built around pot-based cooking: curries, pastas, soups and rice dishes. After experimenting with highly personalized recipes, Circus deliberately leaned back toward recognizable food. “We’re going with a chicken biryani because you know it,” Bullwinkel says of the AED 40 dish.

circus se ca-1 robot system

The Germany-based robotics and food technology company operates across eight countries, and Abu Dhabi is its first deployment outside Europe. More locations are expected there and in Dubai.

In Germany, its units can be placed in supermarkets, gas stations, airports and hospitals. In the Gulf, Bullwinkel wants them inside residential and office buildings, replacing some of the complexity of last-mile delivery. “We’re basically bringing a very tiny factory a few square meters into your building,” he says. Catering company Royal Prestige supplies the ingredients and knowledge of local tastes.

The CA-1 manages up to 36 refrigerated ingredient silos alongside automated induction cooking, robotic plating and a self-cleaning dishwasher. Two robotic arms move ingredients through the system with minimal human intervention. It can produce up to 120 hot meals an hour, and a meal such as rice and curry can take around three to four minutes.

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Five cameras and multiple sensors monitor heat, temperature and consistency, an attempt to approximate what a chef perceives. “You can hear something gets burned, you can smell it, you can see it at some point,” Bullwinkel says. CircusOS, the company’s operating system, adjusts recipes in real time.

You might think of the platform as a threat to kitchen staff, but Bullwinkel frames Circus as a way for chefs to develop recipes and distribute them at scale. With that being said, rising labor costs and shortages are also part of his case for automation.