MUZZAFARGRAH: The mega tourism event, the 5th Thal Desert Jeep Rally 2020 organized by Tourism Development Corporation of Punjab(TDCP) concluded successfully. Veteran off-road racer Sahibzada Sultan emerged victorious in the 5th Thal Desert Jeep Rally on Sunday, November 22. He won the Category A race after completing the 105-kilometre distance in an hour, six minutes and 14 seconds. This time, Mir Nadir Magsi and Roni Patel were not participating in the race due to coronavirus. Asif Fazal Chaudhary and Faisal Khan Shadikhel finished at second and third positions respectively with their respective times of 1:07:06 and 1:07:56. In B category,…
Author: holidayweekly
KARACHI The Bank of Punjab (BOP) and Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) signed a landmark MOU, on 20th Nov. 2020, for promotion of BOP products and services at PIA infrastructure. As per agreement, PIA will be making available collaterals such as boarding cards as well as space in PIA Offices to BOP for advertising its products and services. Speaking at the ceremony, Group Chief, Corporate & Investment Banking BOP, Mr. Farid Ahmed Khan said, “We are very excited today that a landmark MOU has been inked between BOP & PIA. This mutual agreement will provide us with the opportunity to reach…
LONDON: About 1.7 million passengers arrived in the UK by air in October, 82% lower than the 9.8 million arrivals compare to the same month of 2019. Visits to Britain plummeted as coronavirus gripped the economy and international travel ground to halt, figures confirmed on Thursday. Home Office statistics show an estimated 67.2 million passengers arrived in the UK in the year to September 2020, including overseas tourists and returning UK nationals, a 78.8 million fall, or 54%, compared with the previous year. The dramatic drop was fuelled by “significantly fewer passenger journeys” between April and October, when there was…
MONTREAL: Airlines need up to another $80 billion to survive, the head of the industry’s trade association told a French daily on Friday, as many countries tighten restrictions to confront another wave of coronavirus infection. “For the coming months the industry is estimated to need $70-$80 billion (59 to 67 billion euros) in additional aid,” the head of the International Air Transport Association (IATA) Alexandre de Juniac told La Tribune. “Otherwise they won’t survive.” Airlines are one of the sectors worst hit by measures adopted by governments to slow the spread of the coronavirus, but they have also received an…
ISLAMABAD: The NUST Institute of Policy Studies (NIPS) organized a webinar on “Pakistan’s Tourism Potential,” at Islamabad campus on November 24,2020. The event brought to the fore the crucial propellers of strength and harmony in the tourism sector of Pakistan. A distinctive factor was the pursuit of discovering connections of our local approaches and experiences with the world-class Turkish ideals of tourism advancement. The keynote addresses were delivered by two eminent personalities – Mr Sayed Zulfikar Bukhari, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister for Overseas Pakistanis, Human Resource Development, and Chairman National Tourism Coordination Board; and His Excellency İhsan Mustafa…
ABU DHABI: Etihad Airways has partnered with information technology company SITA to trial the use of facial biometrics in order to check in cabin crew at the airline’s crew briefing centre at Abu Dhabi International Airport. The trial will use facial recognition technology to identify and authenticate crew members, allowing them to complete check-in procedures and mandatory pre-flight safety and security questions digitally via their own mobile devices. The new initiative will replace the current kiosk-based check-in process which requires crew to use their staff identity cards as a form of authentication. Sulaiman Yaqoobi, Vice President flight operations, Etihad Aviation…
VENICE: Venice is postponing its tourism tax until 2022 due to the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic on the numbers of visitors heading to the iconic city. The city will now be introducing a tourism tax from the 1st January 2022. It was originally due to launch in 2019 but has been delayed twice already, once due to the logistics of implementing a tax, and again earlier this year when the pandemic first broke. The new tourism tax would see tourists charged up to €10 for visiting the city, particularly those visiting on a cruise holiday or just for a…
World Ski Awards, the global initiative to recognise and reward excellence in ski tourism has unveiled the winners of its 2020 programme to coincide with its inaugural World Ski Awards Winners Day. Winners include Europe’s highest ski resort, Val Thorens, voted ‘World’s Best Ski Resort’, thanks to its winning combination of snowsure pistes and extensive slopeside accommodation. Sleek urban design amid a spectacular alpine helped Switzerland’s W Verbier to capture ‘World’s Best Ski Hotel’, while Chalet Zermatt Peak, sitting in the shadow of the majestic Matterhorn, claimed ‘World’s Best Ski Chalet’. New arrival on Japan’s luxury ski hospitality scene, Park…
KARACHI: The unprecedented circumstances caused by the pandemic shook the way of functioning across the world to its core. Businesses and industries also suffered ill fate and extreme losses throughout the year however if we were to name one industry that were the most adversely affected it had to be the travel & trade world. With an already unsteady travel & trade industry, Pakistan’s travel agents suffered gravely. BSP dues, refunds and due bills were few of the many problems faced by them in the past few months. In such difficult times, circumstances’ certain members of the travel fraternity under…
NEW DEHLI: Air India has received its 5th ban from flying to Hong Kong after carrying multiple positive passengers on two consecutive flights. Air India is now barred from flying from Delhi to Hong Kong for two weeks, from November 20th to December 3rd. The airline has struggled with bans in other countries as well, as cases remain high in India. Air India received a two-week ban this week after two subsequent flights on November 10th and 17th violated the city’s COVID-19 rules. Both flights had three positive passengers, triggering the automatic ban (more passengers on the 17th flight had…