MADRID: Ambassadors to Spain from the region of Europe gathered for a high-level meeting with the Secretary-General of the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO). The virtual meeting with Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili focused on the timely and responsible restart of tourism across the continent. Ambassadors act as a bridge between the Secretariat of the United Nations specialized agency in Madrid and their home countries. Mr. Pololikashvili who himself served as Ambassador of Georgia to Spain before taking up the leadership of UNWTO highlighted the important role that diplomats must play in coordinating efforts to lift restrictions on travel and to restore confidence…
Author: holidayweekly
KARACHI: International Human Rights Commission (IHRC) has appointed Mr. Asim Irshad as their Ambassador in the Islamic Republic of Pakistan for the next two years. A press note from the office of “The Secretary General International Human Rights Commission” says that “Sir Rafal Marcin Wasik” was pleased to appoint and designate Mr. Asim Irshad as an official Ambassador. Ambassador at Large and Advisor UN Affairs IHRC Mr. Mohsin Durrani proposed him to designate for the appointment.
Founded in 2014, the global initiative is designed to recognise and reward excellence in golf tourism, courses and golf destinations. Winners include Georgia’s legendary Augusta National Golf Club, crowned ‘World’s Best Golf Course’. Ryder Cup winning captain José María Olazábal was named ‘Golf Course Designer of the Year’, following in the steps of previous winners Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player and Sir Nick Faldo. Golfing icon and ten-time major winner, Annika Sorenstam, was the recipient of the ‘Lifetime Achievement Award’. The beauty of Australia’s golf courses, which range from coastal links to wild greens, was acknowledged with the title of ‘World’s…
SINGAPORE: Due to the uncertainty about when travel restrictions might be lifted, Princess Cruises is extending its pause in operations for cruises departing from Australia and New Zealand through May 31, 2021. Guests will receive a refundable Future Cruise Credit (FCC) equivalent to 100% of the cruise fare paid plus an additional non-refundable bonus FCC equal to 25% of the cruise fare paid. To receive the above FCCs, no action is required by the guest or their travel advisor. Alternatively, guests can forfeit the bonus FCC offer and request a refund for all money paid on their booking by using…
MONTREAL: The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has enhanced its Travel Industry Designator Service (TIDS) and will also no longer charge travel agencies to use the service. With the improved overall user experience, agencies can now self-manage their profile online, simplifying the processes for both themselves and the travel suppliers. TIDS is an IATA program which provides a unique identification code for travel agents and sales intermediaries (such as meeting planners and event organizers) who are not IATA-Accredited Agents and are located outside of the US. As new booking sources and platforms emerge in the distribution space, industry suppliers face…
LONDON: England will enter a second national lockdown in the coming days, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has announced. The decision came hours after the UK passed the grim milestone of one million coronavirus cases. The month-long shutdown will come into effect from Thursday, November 5 after a parliamentary vote early next week, Johnson said during a news conference on Saturday evening. “We must act now to contain the autumn surge,” he said. Johnson was forced to make the announcement on Saturday after the government’s plans were leaked to numerous national newspapers the previous evening. The plan had been initially…
KARACHI: Imperial Builders are restoring the heritage building of Cecil Hotel in Murree, which dates back to the British Era to its past glory, in collaboration with Hashoo Group who will manage the completed hotel Hashoo Group are the owners and operators of Pearl-Continental Hotels, Marriott Hotels, and Hotel One in Pakistan, whereas Imperial Builders are recognised in the construction industry for completing outstanding structures around Pakistan. In this connection, a Memorandum of Understanding was signed between Hashoo Group and Imperial Builders at Pearl-Continental Hotel Karachi on Monday, 26th October 2020. “In line with the Prime Minister’s vision to promote…
Royal Caribbean has posted a loss of $1.3 billion in the three months to 30 September as the cruise industry continues to haemorrhage cash. The cruise line said its average monthly cash burn is between $250 million to $290 million as it awaits the resumption of services. It said it expects to re-start global cruise operations in a ‘phased manner’. Quantum of the Seas is expected to resume cruising from Singapore in December with initial voyages operating with reduced occupancy, modified itineraries and ‘enhanced health protocols’. “We continue to aggressively manage our spend and take opportunistic actions to bolster our…
DUBAI: Dubai-based airline flydubai has been steadily increasing its operations since July and now serves 44 destinations across Africa, Europe, Central Asia, the GCC and Middle East, and the Indian Subcontinent. flydubai’s first flight to the Maldives touched down in Male’ on 27 October; marking the start of an up to four-times weekly service. Since the airline announced the new route, it has seen growing demand for flights to the Maldives and as a result it will operate daily flights, during the peak seasonal holiday period, from 17 December 2020 until 18 January 2021. In addition, the four-hour flight from…
LAHORE: Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) on Friday, October 29 reduced the number of countries from where passengers were allowed to enter Pakistan without a coronavirus test. The latest travel advisory divides international travellers into two categories where category A will not need a negative COVID-19 test while those in category B will be required to undergo coronavirus screening 96 hours prior to boarding a flight to Pakistan. Keeping in view a COVID-19 surge across the globe, the number of countries in category A has been reduced from 30 to 22. These include Singapore, China, Cuba, Estonia, Japan, Ghana, Norway, Turkey,…