RIYADH: Saudi Arabia has announced that visitors with an entry visa to the US, the UK or a European (Schengen) visa can enter the Kingdom and obtain a visa on arrival at airports and other ports. A source in the General Authority for Tourism and National Heritage said that the announcement is a continuation of the tourist visa program launched by the Kingdom, a Saudi Press Agency report said. The source added that there is an existing committee chaired by the chairman of the General Authority for Tourism and National Heritage, Ahmed bin Aqeel Al-Khatib, working to define the goals…
Author: holidayweekly
KARACHI: To anutter surprise to the people of Pakistan, particularly the travel and tourism industry of Pakistan, the two-member bench of the honorable Sindh High Court (SHC) on Tuesday, December 31 issued a directive to stop the PIA CEO Air Marshal Arshad Malik from performing his functions. The court also stopped the airline from transferring, hiring or firing employees and from buying or selling assets. In a press release Travel Agent Association of Pakistan (TAAP) has shown their concern and reservation and believes that the directive will affect the Travel trade sector as without a Head of management in a…
Amadeus and Air India have signed a new distribution agreement that will give travel sellers in and outside of India access to the airline’s full content. The airline will benefit from “the world’s largest and most diverse travel seller community”, using professional sales technology, underpinned by the Amadeus Travel Platform, said the companies in a joint statement. Working with Amadeus will help accelerate Air India’s growth in 2020 and beyond, an important step in the airline’s vision and renewed relationship with Amadeus. Cyril Tetaz, Executive Vice President, Airlines, Asia Pacific, Amadeus, said: “Amadeus’ simple, open and agile system will allow…
TEHRAN: Iran has admitted that its military “unintentionally” shot down a Ukrainian passenger jet, killing all 176 people on board. [huge_it_slider id=”499″] The incident happened due to “human error” after the plane flew close to a sensitive site belonging to Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, said a state TV report. Mistaken for a “hostile target”, the jet was hit by a missile, it said. The Ukrainian flight, en route to Kyiv, came down near Imam Khomeini Airport shortly after take-off. Iran had previously rejected suggestions that one of its missiles brought down the plane near the capital, Tehran, on Wednesday. Iranian President…
AMSTERDAM: If you avoided ever referring to the Netherlands as “Holland” because you weren’t quite sure if that was correct, keep doing what you’re doing. The country kicked off 2020 by officially striking the name from use. Though Holland technically refers to only two of the Netherlands’ 12 provinces, North and South Holland, citizens have long accepted and even embraced it as another moniker for the entire country. But because those two provinces are home to popular destinations like Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Leiden, and The Hague, unmanageable masses of tourists are clogging the region and inching the Netherlands towards an over-tourism…
KARACHI: Pakistan International Airline (PIA) Boeing 777 planes will soon be installing new In-flight Entertainment Systems (IFE) for modest cost of Rs 700 million. According to the details, the IFE system will help PIA to compete on its long-haul flights to Europe & in time to United States. Absence of IFI systems had badly affected PIA’s revenues and IFE system will help to improve PIA’s image and increase its revenues. The installation of the system will also help PIA to compete with best carrier companies of the world, such as western and Middle Eastern airlines. The in-flight entertainment system will…
KARACHI: Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FPCC&I) is an apex body representing Country’s Trade, Industry & Service Sectors. Since its inception in 1950, the FPCCI has advocated and voiced the collective opinion, concern and aspiration of the private sector and offered helpful advice and solid assistance to the Government in its efforts to promote exports, encourage foreign investment and stimulate economic activities in the country. The FPCCI has its fingers on the pulse of the economy and serves as a bridge between the private sector and the Government. Therefore, the local business sectors give great importance to…
PESHAWAR: Senior Minister for Sports, Tourism, Archaeology, Culture, Museums and Youth Affairs Muhammad Atif Khan on Tuesday said that 2020 is the year of tourism in Pakistan. “We would be providing all international standard facilities to the tourist zones, including hotels, hospitals, filling stations, green belts, sports grounds, jeep tracks and others facilities related to tourist activities,” the senior minister told the stakeholders in a “Media aawareness programme for bidding firms” in Islamabad. He said that the world had admitted the fact that now Pakistan, particularly Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is a safe and best place for tourism owing to the persistent…
PUERTO RICO: A famous tourist landmark and one of Puerto Rico’s most cherished natural wonders collapsed on Monday after an earthquake shook the island, Nelson Torres Yordan, the mayor of Guaynilla, confirmed. Punta Ventana, which translates to “Window Point,” was a stone arch shaped like a round window located in Guayanilla along the southern coast. The rock formation was one of the island’s most iconic treasures and major tourist attractions. A 5.8 magnitude earthquake struck the island on Monday, wiping out the natural structure. The UPRM Meteorological Laboratory shared a photo on Twitter of Punta Ventana before and after the…
KARACHI: Dolmen Mall, Pakistan’s favourite chain of shopping malls marked the closing ceremony of Dolmen Shopping Festival (DSF) with a grand event with the gifting ceremony of the 27th shopping festival across its three malls in Clifton, Tariq Road and Hyderi. The festivities came to an end with a glimpse of the celebrations that will continue this year. [huge_it_slider id=”498″] Hosted by Anoushay Ashraf, the ceremony was held to conclude the annual DSF celebrations and honour the grand prize winners, the winners of the festival who won gifts and vouchers over the span of 17 days and to celebrate the…