MANAMA: Gulf Air, the national carrier of the Kingdom of Bahrain, celebrated its resumption services to Erbil in Iraq as its flight GF233 landed in Erbil International Airport at 1630 on 02 February 2020. Upon arrival, a celebratory event was held at the airport which saw the attendance of Gulf Air’s Chief Operations Officer Capt. Suhail Ismaeel and the airline’s Country Manager in Iraq Mr. Isa Shah along with various dignitaries, a number of local media, travel industry representatives and airport officials. At the inaugural event in Erbil International Airport, Capt. Suhail Ismaeel said: “We’re happy to return to Erbil…
Author: holidayweekly
TOKYO: Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic organizers again tried on Thursday to allay fears that the 2020 Games could be postponed or canceled by the fast-spreading virus from China. Tokyo Olympic CEO Toshiro Muto has said that he was “seriously worried” the virus could disrupt the Olympic and Paralympics, backtracked a day later and was more cautious in a news conference with officials from the International Paralympic Committee. “In order to avoid any misunderstanding, I would like to say that the Olympic and Paralympic Games will be held as scheduled,” Muto said, adding people need to remain “cool-headed.” Stay up-to-date on…
MADRID: The 11th edition of the World Congress on Snow and Mountain Tourism will take place on 11-13 March 2020 in Andorra, under the theme “Tourism, Innovation, and Sustainability”. The Congress is organized by the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), the Government of Andorra and the Parish of Canillo. Within the framework of the Year of Tourism and Rural Development that the UNWTO is celebrating in 2020, Congress will focus on the role of mountain tourism in rural development, mainly addressing the issues of innovation, sustainability and digital transformation. UNWTO Executive Director Manuel Butler highlighted the timeliness of the theme of…
Air Italy investors Qatar Airways and the Aga Khan decided to put the struggling carrier into liquidation, citing “persistent and structural conditions” in the market. Shareholders of the two-year-old airline acted unanimously and the Italian carrier will guarantee flights scheduled through Feb. 25 by other operators, Air Italy said Tuesday in a statement. Qatair Airways said separately it was prepared “to do its part to support the turnaround and the growth of the airline,” but that would have been possible only with the commitment of all shareholders. Air Italy had losses of about 200 million euros ($218 million) in 2019…
PESHAWAR: Hashooo Foundation organized the graduation ceremony for Hospitality Management Training Skills Development Project at Pearl-Continental Hotel Peshawar under the “Livelihood Programme”, funded by United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). The skills development programme was implemented for 50 male youth (40 Afghan Refugees & 10 Pakistanis) and the training were held in the training centre of Hashoo Foundation, Peshawar. The content of the courses was carefully planned, with a mix of informative theory/classroom-style sessions, site visits, face-to-face conversations with industry professionals and hands-on training. The Hospitality Management Training Programme offered training in hospitality management in the area of Culinary…
ISLAMABAD: President Karachi Chamber of Commerce & Industry (KCCI) Agha Shahab Ahmed Khan was of the opinion that this was right time that the decision-makers and authorities in Islamabad must devise effective strategies on top priority to highlight the trade and investment potential of Pakistan, besides taking steps to promote the massive number of tourism opportunities all over the country. “We have some of the most scenic tourism sites in northern areas, beautiful coastal belt in Sindh and Balochistan, highly impressive and unique culture and civilization in all the provinces which have to be effectively promoted to capture the attention…
Delta Air Lines, Air France-KLM, and Virgin Atlantic have launched their combined joint venture, the carriers announced this week. The JV, first announced in 2017, enables flights across all four carriers to be booked through their respective channels and via agents. The carriers will begin “enhanced customer benefits” via their loyalty programs on Feb. 13, with reciprocal mileage earning and redemption and elite benefits across all programs. The four carriers combined represent about 23 percent of transatlantic passenger and cargo capacity, and the combined annual revenues of JV will be about $13 billion, according to Delta.
ISTANBUL: The noteworthy rises in the number of passengers they served in the last month of 2019 enabled Istanbul Airport and Turkish Airlines to rank first in Europe among their peers. Having displayed its potential in its first year, Istanbul’s new state-of-the-art airport was listed among the top two most developing airports worldwide enjoying the highest rate of increase in the number of passengers in December, the International Civil Aviation Organization’s (ICAO) December data showed. Turkish Airlines (THY) was also named the carrier that increased the number of its passengers most among its European peers. The city’s new mega airport,…
KUALA LUMPUR: AirAsia owner Tony Fernandes has stepped aside as Chief Executive after UK authorities pulled the Malaysia-based airline into a bribery investigation targeting Airbus. In a statement to the Malaysian stock exchange on Monday, the company said Mr. Fernandes and Kamarudin Meranun, his longtime business partner and executive chairman, would “relinquish their executive positions within the group, effective immediately, for a period of two months or such other period that the company may deem fit”. AirAsia shares slid more than 5 percent in opening trading on Tuesday. They fell more than 10 percent in Kuala Lumpur on Monday, their…
BANGKOK: Destination and tourism marketers will need to play a critical role in correcting the vast amount of misinformation surrounding the ongoing Novel Coronavirus outbreak that is hurting travel and tourism businesses across Asia, urged Mario Hardy, CEO of the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA). While speaking to a leading travel trade magazine, Hardy said the spread of falsehoods about the virus was his “biggest concern”, more than the outbreak itself as the former has the ability to trigger panic and cause more people than necessary to halt travel. Hardy: Tourism marketers ought to work to stem the spread of…