RIYADH: Saudi Arabia has reopened the holy places for the year-round Umrah pilgrimage on Sunday, October 4, scaled back and with extensive health precautions, seven months after coronavirus prompted its suspension. Umrah usually attracts millions of Muslims from across the globe each year. It has been revived in three stages, with the initial phase seeing just 6,000 citizens and residents already within the kingdom allowed to take part each day. `In the first stage, the Umra will be performed meticulously and within a specified period of time, Haj Minister Mohammad Benten told. He said pilgrims will be divided into groups…
Author: holidayweekly
KARACHI: Germany has celebrated the 30th anniversary of German reunification, a major event in German history. As a precautionary measure in the pandemic, the German missions in Pakistan sadly refrained from the usual German national day festivities this year due to Covid-19. [huge_it_slider id=”578″] Instead, the German Embassy Islamabad and the German Consulate General in Karachi decided to go online and hosted a virtual concert with famous Pakistani singer Zoe Viccaji on Saturday, 3rd October 2020. Everyone was cordially invited to join the virtual celebrations. In order to share our joy about German reunification and as a signal of German-Pakistani…
KARACHI: The 38th Annual General Body Meeting (AGM) of the Travel Agents Association of Pakistan (TAAP) was held on 26th September, 2020 at Muhammad Siddiq Memon Auditorium, Sindh Boys Scout Association, Karachi. Following Honorable Members were declared as elected to the Central Executive Committee for the term 2020-2021: Chairman-Mr. Muhammad Tariq Siraj (M/S. Travel Lead, Lahore), Senior Vice Chairman Mr. Muhammad Khalil Raja (M/S. Panair (Private) Limited, Karachi), Vice Chairman– South Zone- Mr. Muhammad Yahya Polani, M/S. Polani’s (Pvt) Ltd. Karachi, Vice Chairman (North Zone)-Mr. Nadeem Iqbal, M/S. Zaka Travels & Tours (Pvt) Ltd. Faisalabad Members Central Executive Committee (South…
ISLAMABAD: A detailed informational session on Breast Cancer Awareness was held on Friday, October 2 for the employees of Islamabad Serena Hotel and Serena Business Complex by Dr. Ayesha Isani Majeed, Head of the Radiology Department at Pakistan Institute for Medical Sciences (PIMS) and spokesperson for Breast Cancer for the Ministry of National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination. “Pakistan has 34,000 new breast cancer patients every year, and this number is expected to double by 2040. In Islamabad alone, one out of eight women screened have been found to have breast cancer,” said Dr. Ayesha Isani who has established the…
MUSCAT: National carrier Oman Air has announced that it has entered into a codeshare partnership with low-cost airline Salam Air to offer customers enhanced connectivity between the sultanate and five other international destinations, starting from today (October 1). Under the agreement, Oman Air is putting its “WY” code on Salam Air flights between Muscat and Chittagong, Dhaka, Sialkot, Multan and Khartoum. Tickets are now on sale at the Oman Air’s website and also travel agencies. Oman Air CEO Abdulaziz Al Raisi said: “We are proud and delighted with our new partnership with Salam Air. This codeshare agreement will make it…
KARACHI: Last week SereneAir senior management visited Polani’s group head office. Seen here in the picture, Muhammad Yahya Polani, Vice Chairman TAAP, Convener FPCCI Standing Committee on Aviation & Chairman Polani’s Group presenting Ajrak to Mr. Raza Channa, Consultant & CEO SereneAir. Muhammad Khizer Polani, Saad Polani Directors of Polani’s Group, and Syed Adil Sohail, Manager Sales and Marketing SereneAir, Aftab Moin, Hasan-ur-Rehman are also seen in the picture.
BEIJING: As China’s busiest holiday season approaches, Beijing has warned that it will punish those who climb the “wild Great Wall”. The term is often used to describe parts of the famous landmark that are not restored and closed to tourists. Fines will be enforced more strictly over Golden Week, with thousands of domestic tourists expected to visit. China is banking on the holiday to boost its badly hit tourism industry. “This year’s National Day holiday lasts eight days and the number of visitors to explore the ‘wild Great Wall’ is bound to increase,” Yu Hankuan, Director of the Yanqing…
DUBAI: Emirates airline has introduced self-check-in and bag drop kiosks for a more seamless airport experience at Terminal 3, Dubai International Airport. The service is now available to customers travelling to all destinations except to the US, Canada, China, India and Hong Kong due to additional requirements from these destinations. The 16 new self-service bags drop machines and 8 self-service kiosks complement the desks manned by Emirates check-in agents to reduce waiting time for customers during peak periods and improve the customer experience in Dubai. More self-services facilities are planned to be added in the coming months. The kiosks allow…
LONDON: A government plan to end VAT-free shopping for international visitors at the end of the year could cost the UK billions of pounds in lost income, travel and retail bosses have warned. In a letter to the chancellor, the heads of firms such as Marks & Spencer, Heathrow and Selfridges said the move also put 70,000 jobs at risk. About £3.5bn in tax-free sales are made to non-EU tourists each year. The Treasury says the tax relief is costly and vulnerable to fraud. Under the VAT Retail Export Scheme (VAT RES), international visitors to the UK can reclaim the…
ISLAMABAD: Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has issued new SOPs for international flights and charter flights. The new rules and regulations will be applicable from October 5 to December 31. According to details, there are 2 categories of countries around the world for COVID-19 risk assessment. PCR test will not be required for passengers coming from Category ‘A’ countries. Category A includes 38 countries, including Australia, Canada, China, Singapore, Germany and Japan, while Category ‘B’ passengers will be required to show the COVID-19 PCR test. Passengers coming to Pakistan will be required to download the Pass Track mobile application. Passengers will…