WRITTEN BY CH FAISAL MAHMOOD Undoubtedly tourism is a driver of job growth and economic prosperity, accounting for 1 in 10 jobs worldwide and delivering 1 in 5 of all new jobs created in 2018. According to latest report of UNWTO the majority of the tourism workforce worldwide is female. The report highlights that 54 per cent of people employed in tourism are women compared to 39 per cent in the broader economy. It’s not just employment opportunities and income that the sector can offer. Often better quality infrastructure has to be built to support the industry and the local…
Author: holidayweekly
PESHAWAR: The Istehkam-e-Pakistan (Pakistan Peace) Rally, which was started from Quaid-e-Azam mausoleum in the port city of Karachi on October 15 last, reached here on Saturday. General Manager Events and Tourist Information Centres (TICs), Muhammad Ali Syed, welcomed the motorcyclists at the historic Peshawar Museum. The rally comprising of five bikers, who are on a peace ride throughout the country, was meant to pay tributes to the martyrs of army, who laid their lives for the defence of the motherland. They visited the graves of martyrs, including Karnal Sher Shaheed in Swabi, offered fateha and placed the floral wreaths on…
PEHAWAR: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Senior Minister for Sports, Tourism, Archaeology, Culture, Museums and Youth Affairs Muhammad Atif Khan on Tuesday said that participation in the World Travel Mart 2019 in London would attract investors to invest in tourism-related projects in the province. “Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is blessed with abundant natural resources, which make the province a preferred destination for both the domestic and international tourists,” Atif Khan said while inaugurating the KP Tourism Desk at the Pakistan Pavilion in World Travel Mart 2019 in London. Secretary Tourism Kamran Rehman, Tourism Corporation Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (TCKP) Managing Director Junaid Khan, Tourism Chief Planning Officer…
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), the national flag-carrier, has launched an application to facilitate passengers in online reservation and confirmation of seats through mobile phones. “The application has recently been launched and now the air passengers will enjoy better services,” a PIA spokesman told. He said a number of initiatives had been taken to improve efficiency of the PIA, which has started yielding required results, especially after effective tackling of the seat-factor. “The airliner’s overall seat factor has improved and reached nearly 84 percent whereas on some sectors, the seat factor is at 90 percent,” he said. The PIA aircraft…
LONDON: UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson hailed the achievements of the country’s tourism industry in a welcome message to WTM London, the world’s largest travel trade event taking place since Monday, November 4 at ExCeL London. Johnson spoke of the UK’s success story in the 10 years since he first opened the event, when he was then Mayor of London. Since then, he said, tourism had boomed “from Skye to Skegness, from Brecon Beacons to Bognor”. Johnson added: “Our capital city London has become the number one tourist destination in the world. The British Museum attracts more visitors than one…
SINGAPORE: Sabre Corporatio, the leading technology provider to the global travel industry, today announced a new content distribution agreement with Pakistan International Airlines. As the country’s national flag carrier, the agreement will provide Sabre’s extensive network of travel agents with both domestic and international content via its rich global travel marketplace. Joining Sabre’s leading Global Distribution System will have a positive impact on both Pakistan International Airlines and the country’s travel economy. In addition to reinforcing a long-term partnership, the agreement with Sabre supports the carrier’s business strategy by driving its expansion and profitability, tapping into code-share and partnership sales,…
MUSCAT: Oman Air, the national carrier of the Sultanate of Oman, has received a Four Star rating in the Major Airline category from the Airline Passenger Experience Association (APEX). Oman Air was presented with an award at APEX’s Passenger Choice Awards ceremony in Los Angeles. This recognition reflects that everyone who works for Oman Air is focused on delivering world-class service to our guests, said Oman Air CEO Abdulaziz Al Raisi. “From our cabin crew to our pilots and everyone on the ground, there is a commitment to set industry-leading standards”, he said. “We’re proud to accept this award on…
KLM Royal Dutch Airlines and Gulf Air, the national airline of the Kingdom of Bahrain, have signed a codeshare partnership, for travel commencing from 27 October 2019. The announcement follows the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the two airlines and will further strengthen the strong ties between the Kingdom of Bahrain and the Netherlands. Gulf Air will place its ‘GF’ code on KLM flights from Bahrain to Amsterdam and flights from Amsterdam to Frankfurt. On the other hand, the agreement will see KLM place its ‘KL’ code on Gulf Air flights from Bahrain to Sialkot, Karachi, Lahore…
CHINA: The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) and the People’s Government of Guilin (China) held the 13th UNWTO/PATA Forum on Tourism Trends and Outlook in Guilin last week. Over 170 participants from 23 countries came together to share their knowledge and experience around the theme ‘Beyond Gateways: Dispersal policies, capacity management, and rural tourism’. UNWTO Executive Director Manuel Butler said at the Opening Ceremony, “today we gather in the Chinese city of Guilin to present our latest tourism research and to discuss dispersal policies, capacity management and the efforts to better understand and prevent the…
MANAMA: Gulf Air has celebrated its inaugural service to the Maldives, with its flight GF144 touching down at Velana International Airport earlier. The aircraft was welcomed with a water cannon salute and, upon arrival, a celebratory event was held. In attendance was of Gulf Air chief commercial officer, Vincent Coste, Managing Director of Maldives Marketing & Public Relations Corporation, Thoyyib Mohamed, and Chief Executive of Maldives Civil Aviation Authority, Hussain Jaleel. Coste said: “This is a remarkable event for us to fly, for the first time, to the Maldives. “This tourist destination is widely popular among premium leisure travellers being…