DUBAI: Air Arabia, the region’s first and largest low-cost carrier, has announced a record year of profitability and continued growth in 2019 with a net profit of$272.2 million for the full year ending December 31. The Sharjah-based airline said this was an increase of 80 percent compared to the net profit registered in 2018 (excluding the impairment accounting treatment that Air Arabia took in 2018). The airline’s turnover for the full year hit Dh4.75 billion, thus registering an increase of 15 percent compared to the 2018 turnover. Announcing the results following a board of directors meeting, Air Arabia said the…
Author: holidayweekly
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. Qatar 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…
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…
After being turned away from five countries, the MS Westerdamis to be allowed to dock in Cambodia. The Holland America Line ship has been on a virtual ‘cruise to nowhere’ for days as it was turned away from Thailand, Japan, Taiwan, Guam, and the Philippines. HAL says there are no sick passengers aboard and no evidence of coronavirus. Westerdam, which is carrying 1,455 passengers, will dock at Sihanoukville today and stay in port for several days. “Guests will disembark in Sihanoukville over the next few days and transfer via charter flights to Phnom Penh for forwarding travel home,” HAL said.…
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 Dr. Arif Alvi has said organizing international games in scenic areas of the country will promote tourism in Pakistan and will also highlight the soft image of the country in the world. Addressing an event regarding the conclusion of the National Karakoram Alpine Ski Cup in Islamabad on Tuesday, February 11, he said tourism is increasing tremendously in Pakistan especially in Gilgit-Baltistan due to its beauty and hospitality of the people. He said Pakistan is rich in beautiful places. Congratulating Pakistan Air Force in organizing the winter sports festival in Pakistan, he said such games are very imperative…
ISLAMABAD: President Dr. Arif Alvi Tuesday invited the American Business Council (ABC) of Pakistan to take advantage of Pakistan’s virgin territory particularly the huge hotel and tourism industries of its scenic northern parts. Speaking at American Business Council dinner reception here, the president said after improvement in the security situation and ease of doing business by the government, Pakistan was good for all kinds of businesses and its tourism industry had great potential. The president said huge influx of tourists was witnessed last year in Northern parts of the country, adding that in 2014 15,000 to 20,000 tourists visited northern…
SINGAPORE: The ongoing Covid-19 crisis has brought Asia’s cruise schedules to a standstill, as major cruise lines are axing their sailings or diverting their vessels away from the region for the remaining season. Celebrity Cruises has cancelled the rest of Celebrity Millennium’s season in Asia. The ship will be repositioned to the US three months earlier than originally planned. Major cruise lines are cancelling their sailings from Singapore amid coronavirus fears “Up until today, we did not intend to cancel the remaining season, however, due to continuous and unpredictable changes in travel restrictions and port closures, we feel this is…
KARACHI: Crane Agent Portal Plus (Crane.APP) is Hitit’s new platform developed for accelerating the understanding between travel agencies and PIA. The platform has been upgraded with new features, and the new version improves all the reservation and ticketing processes for PIA, making it even easier to use. Hitit, one of the leading airline and travel IT providers in the world, aims to embrace all travel agents in Pakistan via the platform which provides seamless and cost-efficient sales opportunities. The second round of Crane.APP training was successfully completed by all the participants. After completion of the five-day Training Program, the participants…
BEIJING: Wyndham Hotels and Resorts has closed about 1,000 of its hotels in China because of coronavirus. Those that remain are welcoming fewer guests. The outbreak continues to wreak havoc on the travel industry. The coronavirus outbreak continues to dampen the hotel industry’s financial outlook for the year. Wyndham Hotels and Resorts has closed about 70 percent of its hotels in China, and those that remain open are seeing fewer guests, Chief Financial Officer Michele Allen told investors on Thursday during a call detailing the company’s earnings for 2019. “We expect this to continue through at least the end of…