TOKYO: Tokyo’s Olympics chief said on Friday that Japan was committed to holding a safe Games this summer, as a surge in COVID-19 cases prompted an expansion of contagion controls and with fresh calls for the Games to again be postponed or cancelled. The government expanded quasi-emergency measures to 10 regions as the fourth wave of infections spread, casting more doubt on whether the Olympics can be held in Tokyo in fewer than 100 days. “We’re not thinking of cancelling the Olympics,” Tokyo 2020 President Seiko Hashimoto said, speaking on behalf of the organizing committee. “We will continue to do…
Author: holidayweekly
Carnival Corporation has reported a net loss of US$2 billion for the first quarter of 2021. The company was forced to halt all sailings in March last year as the Covid-19 pandemic spread around the world and has yet to return in many markets. However, Carnival said the cash burn rate in the first quarter was better than expected as the company identified and implemented opportunities to optimize its monthly spending. The group currently expects six of its nine brands to resume limited guest cruise operations by this summer. Aida resumed operations in March sailing in the Canary Islands, while…
HONG KONG: A new sea-to-air ferry transfer service from Shenzhen Shekou Port to the SkyPier in the airside of Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA) will be offered from April 15 by Qatar Airways, which hopes to improve passenger movement in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA). Qatar Airways customers can purchase their ferry tickets from SkyLink or the port’s website. They will be provided with boarding passes and baggage check-through service to their final destinations at the Shenzhen Shekou terminal, where they will also clear their customs and immigration. Southern China travelers can soon enjoy a convenient sea-to-air service…
KARACHI: The European Union Aviation Safety Agency has indefinitely extended the suspension of Pakistan International Airlines flight operations to the EU until it has all the necessary information “available to decide on the way forward”, reported The News. PIA’s Third Country Operations Authorization (TCOA) was suspended by the EU in July 2020 for six months after controversial statements by Aviation Minister Ghulam Sarwar Khan regarding the verification of degrees of Pakistani pilots working for the national flag carrier and other airlines. The EASA decision to suspend PIA flight operations to the EU had come in February 2021, after the International…
LONDON: Travelodge has announced the appointment of leisure travel veteran, Martin Robinson, as its new Chairman. He has spent most of his career within the sector and brings a wealth of brand building, strategic management, and leadership expertise. He spent 17-years at Center Parcs as chief executive of their European business and chairman of the UK. Robinson also spent ten years on the boards of Disneyland Paris and Regus and has chaired various other businesses, including Holmes Place Health Clubs and Wagamama. He currently chairs the UK business for Burger King, the second-largest fast-food chain in the world, and Parkdean…
LONDON: The World Travel & Tourism Council’s annual Economic Impact Report today reveals that the dramatic collapse of the UK’s Travel & Tourism sector has wiped out a staggering £148 billion from the UK economy. The annual EIR from the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC), which represents the global Travel & Tourism private sector, shows the sector’s contribution to GDP, dropped by a precipitous 62.3%. Travel & Tourism GDP fell from £238 billion (10.1%) in 2019 before the pandemic struck, to just £90 billion (4.2%), a mere 12 months later, in 2020. The year of crippling travel restrictions, and…
GILGIT: First-ever direct flight from Lahore of the national flag carrier, Pakistan International Airline (PIA) landed at the Skardu Airport here on Wednesday, April 07. The PK-8453 flight took off from the Allama Iqbal International Airport on Wednesday morning with 153 passengers on board and landed at the Skardu Airport after one hour and 15 minutes. The PIA officials received and presented bouquets of flowers to the passengers at the airport. Later, a cake-cutting ceremony was also held to celebrate the occasion. Gilgit-Baltistan tourism minister Raja Nasir Ali Khan said the first PIA flight coming directly from Lahore also received…
ISTANBUL: Turkish Airlines has resumed their premium onboard dining and hot meal service, on all Business and Economy Class flights longer than two hours 15 minutes flight time. The global carrier offers a premium traveling experience and is world-renown for its cuisine and hospitality. In 2020 Turkish Airlines made some changes to meal services on flights, in line with additional coronavirus-related measures. I flew on Turkish Airlines in February this year and documented their changes onboard. In an interview, the Chairman of Turkish Airlines while speaking about their drastic cost-cutting earlier in February promised to bring back the meals. Turkish…
ISLAMABAD: Mr. Aftab-ur-Rehman Rana, the founder President of Sustainable Tourism Foundation Pakistan and former Director-General of Adventure Foundation Pakistan, has been appointed as the Managing Director of Pakistan Tourism Development Corporation (PTDC) on the honorary basis with immediate effect, as per the official notification issued by the Cabinet Division, Government of Pakistan. His appointment was approved in the meeting of the Federal Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister of Pakistan on 1st April 2021. His appointment as the Managing Director of PTDC will provide an opportunity to improve the coordination among the tourism industry stakeholders and to bridge the gap…
LAHORE: The Tourism Development Corporation of Punjab (TDCP) is carrying out rehabilitation and reconstruction of various religious and historic sites, including the gurdwaras at Rohri Sahab, Sacha Suda, and Nankana, under the Punjab Tourism for Economic Growth Project (PTEGP). This was informed during a meeting held to review the current progress on religious tourism promotion. Secretary Tourism Ehsan Bhutta presided over the session. Additional Secretary Tourism, Director Auqaf, DS Religious Affairs department, DD ETPB, Director WCLA, Senior Chief Planning & Development Board, Director Archeology, representatives of PTEGP, and other officials concerned were all present on the occasion. The meeting was…