MANAMA: The International Air Transport Association (IATA) is partnering with Gulf Air, the national carrier of the Kingdom of Bahrain, to trial IATA Travel Pass – a mobile app to help passengers easily and securely manage their travel in line with any government requirements for COVID-19 testing or vaccine information. Gulf Air joins a growing number of carriers to participate in a trial of the IATA Travel Pass to help pave the way for the re-establishment of global connectivity while managing the risks of COVID-19. Gulf Air passengers will be able to create a ‘digital passport’ allowing them to match…
Author: holidayweekly
LAHORE: Renowned hotelier with thirty-five years of industry experience, Mr. Qasim Jafri, has taken charge of Avari Hotel Lahore, Avari Xpress Gulberg, and Avari Xpress Faisalabad as the Cluster General Manager. A Cornell University Alumni who speaks five languages, Mr. Jafri also attended hotel schools in Europe and Asia. He is a seasoned professional who has worked with known hotel chains in Europe, Middle East, Canada, and Pakistan, namely; Hilton International, Marriot International, Pearl Continental, and Avari Hotels International. He was General Manager of various 5-star hotels around the world and also Director Hospitality Division of Orient Group, CEO Imperium…
BANGKOK: Ms. Surayyal Hizmi, Lecturer Advisor of the PATA Lombok Tourism Polytechnic Student Chapter, is today named as the 2021 PATA Face of the Future. This is the most prestigious honor open to young tourism professionals in the Asia Pacific region. PATA Face of the Future is the most prestigious honor open to young tourism professionals in the Asia Pacific region “This year we received a fantastic list of applicants who could all be worthy of this recognition, and it makes me hopeful not just for the future of the industry but for the future of the world,” said PATA…
ABU DHABI: Etihad Airways has reported an operating loss of US$1.7 billion for fiscal 2020, accelerating the losses of US $0.8 billion seen last year. The Abu Dhabi flag-carrier blamed the Covid-19 for its deteriorating fortunes. The airline saw a 76 per cent fall in passengers carried throughout the year, down to 4.2 million from 17.5 million in 2019. This was a result of lower demand and reduced flight capacity caused by the unparalleled global downturn in commercial aviation, the carrier said. Total passenger capacity was reduced by 64 per cent in 2020 to 37.5 billion available seat kilometres, down…
NEW YORK: President Biden’s American Rescue Plan lays out much-needed relief that can’t come soon enough. The travel industry lost millions of jobs last year, accounting for nearly 40% of all jobs lost. U.S. Travel is grateful to Congress and the administration for their focus on combating the virus and providing relief to America’s hardest-hit industries. U.S. Travel Association President and CEO Roger Dow issued the following statement in support of the $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief package known as the American Rescue Plan: “President Biden’s plan lays out much-needed relief that can’t come soon enough, and we’re encouraged by the…
DOHA: Qatar Airways has been acknowledged for its performance during the global pandemic as the best airline in the world by eDreams, one of Europe’s largest online travel agents. The award drew on feedback from over 61,000 customers across 667 airlines awarding marks for service quality not only onboard but throughout each customer touchpoint, including flight refunds, reliability, ticket flexibility, value for money, overall experience, and safety. Qatar Airways topped the rating with a score of 4.4 / 5, reflecting the range of measures it introduced to support customers and trade partners during the pandemic, including the most flexible booking…
MADRID: The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) and Moroccan officials recently met to advance the organization of the 24th UNWTO General Assembly in October 2021, the first global high-level UN event to be held since the beginning of the pandemic. Led by the Secretary-General, Zurab Pololikashvili, a delegation from UNWTO has concluded an official visit to Morocco to discuss the program, calendar, and facilities to be prepared for this statutory meeting that will focus on Education and Youth, Rural Development, and Digital Innovation. The Minister of Tourism of Morocco, Nadia Fettah Alaoui, and her team accompanied the delegation during this three-day…
KARACHI: Last week Governor Sindh Imran Ismail inaugurated the ‘ArtRegent’, an art gallery at Regent Plaza Hotel & Convention Centre. The new gallery is opened with the joint collaboration of ArtKaam Gallery and Regent Plaza Hotel & Convention Centre for the Art Lovers of Karachi. A large cross section of the city’s elite, including industrialists, a very representative gathering of Karachi’s responsible citizens, businessmen, Artists, Media Personnel and professionals had responded to the invitation of Mr. Zubair Baweja and made the event a very impressive evening. Being the Chief guest while addressing the event, Governor Sindh Imran Ismail said that…
RAWALPINDI: The Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) has sought permission from Uzbekistan to operate its flights from Lahore to Tashkent and announced an increase in the number of international flights. PIA spokesman Abdullah Hafeez said that PIA Chief Executive Officer Air Marshal Arshad Malik had intensified efforts to launch Tashkent flights and talks had been held between the PIA CEO and Ambassador of Uzbekistan to Pakistan His Excellency Aibak Arif Usmanov and Ambassador of Pakistan to Uzbekistan Syed Ali Asad Gilani. During the meeting, the PIA sought permission to start Lahore-Tashkent flights as the national flag carrier planned to start the…
GENEVA: The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has released new analysis showing that the airline industry is expected to remain cash negative throughout 2021. Previous analysis, released in November, indicated that airlines would turn cash positive in the fourth quarter of 2021. At the industry level, airlines are now not expected to be cash positive until 2022. Estimates for cash burn in 2021 have ballooned to the $75 billion to $95 billion range from a previously anticipated $48 billion. IATA said it is already clear that the first half of 2021 will be worse than earlier anticipated. This is because…