KARACHI: The Virtual Customer Focus Group is an initiative by Amadeus to understand from our customers how they see the future of the travel industry in Pakistan. The objective of the programme was to uncover new trends, raise awareness, and understand customer needs. The Virtual Customer Focus Group was participated by leading names of the industry like, Fazal Mehmood (Sana Travels), Iqbal Sakrani (Super Travels (Pvt.) Ltd., Moiz S Ahmad (Bonds Travels), Omair Omerson (FCM), Junaid Khan (The Professionals), Imtiaz Butt (Silkways Travel), Zafar Iqbal Mian (T S C), Muhammad Rafique (Matchless Tours), Aamir Zuberi (Matchless Travel), Muhammad Imran (Thabbah…
Author: holidayweekly
MONTREAL: Global passenger traffic declined by an unprecedented 94.4% year-over-year in April as a result of the unfolding Covid-19 pandemic, said the Airports Council International (ACI), the trade association of the world’s airports. This followed an already dramatic drop of 55.9% in March, representing the worst decline of global passenger numbers in the history of the aviation industry. Global passenger traffic experienced an overall drop of 41.8% for the first four months of 2020 with the 12-month rolling average for the global industry continuing to decline, it was recorded at -11.3% by the end of April, without signs of consistent…
ROME: The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) has appointed two new Special Ambassadors as it leads the restart of the sector across Europe. On the occasion of a visit of the Secretary-General to Italy, the first official delegation to travel since the closure of borders in response to COVID-19, UNWTO has named renowned fashion designer Giorgio Armani and celebrated chef Gino Sorbillo its latest Special Ambassadors for Tourism. [huge_it_slider id=”560″] In their new roles, both Special Ambassadors will draw on their status and influence promote the work of the United Nations specialized agency for responsible and sustainable tourism. As leaders in…
FLORIDA: A Florida company is planning to fly passengers to the edge of space in a high-tech version of a hot air balloon, with a pilot and up to eight travelers riding in a pressurized capsule suspended from an enormous blimp. [huge_it_slider id=”559″] Human space flight company Space Perspective has scheduled the test flight of its Spaceship Neptune for early 2021, from the auspicious surroundings of the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. “We’re committed to fundamentally changing the way people have access to space, both to perform much-needed research to benefit life on Earth and…
ABU DHABI: The UAE, represented by the National Emergency, Crisis and Disasters Management Authority, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation and the Federal Authority for Identity and Citizenship, has announced that all citizens and residents in the UAE are now free to travel in accordance with the health preventive and precautionary requirements enforced within the UAE’s airports and the destinations’ regulations. However, the authorites have advised people above 70 years or those with chronic diseases against travelling due to the increased risks associated. The UAE’s national carriers, as well as international carriers, will operate their flights according to…
ROME: Against the backdrop of the re-opening of borders across Europe, a high-level delegation from the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) has arrived in Italy to begin a first official visit to a Member State since the Covid-19 pandemic brought international travel to a standstill. The closure of tourism operations for several months has had a devastating effect for many businesses and millions of livelihoods across the world. To kickstart recovery, countries within the Schengen Zone (26 countries in Europe) are now reopening their borders to tourists. Following an official invitation by Italy, the UNWTO Secretary-General started an official visit (July…
Mediterranean cruise operator Celestyal has cancelled all cruises until next spring. The cruise line, which was one of the first to suspend cruise operations in mid-March, said it wouldn’t resume sailings until March 2021. Chief commercial officer Leslie Peden said: “Given the prevailing uncertainty regarding travel restrictions through the balance of our operating season from our largest international source markets, coupled with the continuing discussions at European Union level regarding the enhanced health protocols that will apply to cruise operations, we made the difficult but prudent decision to postpone resuming cruise operations until the scheduled start of our normal spring…
MANAMA: Gulf Air, the national carrier of the Kingdom of Bahrain, is proudly announcing that it will resume its direct Abu Dhabi and Dubai flights with scheduled operations starting from 5 July 2020. Gulf Air has been operating direct flights between the Kingdom of Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates since 1954 and both Abu Dhabi and Dubai have always been key successful routes within the Gulf Air’s network. The airline currently flies to and from London, Paris, Frankfurt, Manila, Athens, Cairo and several destinations in Pakistan and with the addition of Abu Dhabi and Dubai services, Gulf Air will…
NEW YORK: Norwegian Air Shuttle canceled orders for 97 Boeing jets, the largest cancellation by a single Boeing customer since the grounding of the 737 Max 15 months ago. But the canceled orders were due to Norwegian’s financial problems, not the problems with the jet. The Max had its first test flight by FAA pilots Monday, June 29, one of the final steps it will need before it is approved to carry passengers again. There was a time that Norwegian, one of the world’s largest discount carriers, was one of Boeing’s major customers. It was the first European airline to…
GENEVA: The world’s tourism sector could lose at least $1.2 trillion, or 1.5% of the global gross domestic product (GDP), having been placed at a standstill for nearly four months due to the coronavirus pandemic, UNCTAD said in a new report. [huge_it_slider id=”557″] The UN’s trade and development body warned that the loss could rise to $2.2 trillion or 2.8% of the world’s GDP if the break in international tourism lasts for eight months, in line with the expected decline in tourism as projected by the UN World Tourism Organization (UNWTO). UNCTAD estimates losses in the most pessimistic scenario, a…