RIYADH: Saudi Arabia may start accepting tourist visa applications by the end of this month, media reports said.The visas will be available to visitors from around 50 countries. The plans were first reported by Saudi newspaper Okaz, which said the visas would be issued online or on arrival for a fee of SR440 ($117) starting from September 27, citing people it didn’t identify. However, the Okaz report was later deleted and the government said its plans hadn’t been finalised. A spokesperson for the Saudi Commission for Tourism and Heritage said the report wasn’t accurate, adding that while discussions were “underway,”…
Author: holidayweekly
A new study has revealed that the French capital received the highest number of tourists of any European city in 2018, attracting 19.1 million foreign visitors. It knocked the UK capital, which had 19.09 million tourists, off the top spot in Europe. Both cities were beaten by Bangkokwhich, with 22.78 million visitors, was number one overall. The findings were published in Mastercard’s annual Global Cities Index, which ranks 200 international cities. London’s visitor numbers dropped 3.7 per cent year-on-year, from 19.83 million in 2017. Paris, meanwhile, increased by 9.7 per cent from 17.41 million in 2017. Despite Paris’s tourism growth,…
KARACHI: Travel Agents Association of Pakistan (TAAP) hereby would like to state that it is the only National Association that representing a majority of the Pakistan Travel Trade community. Any other individual using the name of Association is misusing our discretion. “We hereby would like to mention that Mr. Ayub Nasim is not representing in any Executive capacity in the Association in any manner.” TAAP press release says. We would also like to state that we support foreign carriers in Pakistan and appreciate their presence to boost business for the country. We are not party to any boycott as mentioned…
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan announced that his government would issue multiple entry and on-arrival visas to Sikh pilgrims coming from India and abroad and provide them maximum possible facilities during their visit to the holy sites. “I assure that you will be issued multiple visas. This is our responsibility. We will facilitate you rather will give you visas at airport,” PM Khan said on Monday, September 2 while addressing the International Sikh Convention at the Governor House. “(We) will give you multiple visa to facilitate your journey,” he added. The convention was attended by Punjab Governor Chaudhry Sarwar,…
AMMAN-Jordan: Qatar Airways celebrated the opening of its new office in Amman which was initiated with its inauguration on Monday, 2 September and was followed by an elegant VIP gala dinner on the same day. The successful office opening ceremony was graced by the presence of the Transport Minister of Jordan, His Excellency Eng. Anmar Khasawneh and Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive, His Excellency Mr. Akbar Al Baker, along with other dignitaries, senior officials and VIPs. The property has been established to create a cohesive and distinctive working space for Qatar Airways employees in Jordan’s Shmeisani area, widely considered the…
JAKARTA: Indonesia President Joko Widodo has revealed East Kalimantan, a sparsely populated area of Borneo, will replace Jakarta as the country’s capital city after the government determined it to be the most suitable choice, according to ABC News. Officials reportedly say they want the new capital to be a “smart city in the forest”, with 180,000 hectares of public land set aside for an expected $44 billion build, mostly funded by private investment, and land acquisition beginning next year. “It is a strategic location at the centre of Indonesia, close to growing urban areas,” Widodo said, adding the risk of…
KARACHI: COTHM Karachi celebrates its 5th Convocation Ceremony – Batch 2019 with the theme “Sail Away”, 150 graduates pulled their anchors and set sail towards the deep sea of hospitality industry. College of Tourism & Hotel Management (COTHM) Karachi Campus held its 5th Convocation on Sunday, 25th August 2019 at FTC Auditorium, Karachi. Like every year, the ceremony was theme based to enlighten the morals of the graduates. This year’s theme was “Sail Away” that reflects the deep dreams and endless success of their professional careers. Honorable Governor Sindh Mr. Imran Ismail graced the ceremony as the Chief Guest along…
MOSCOW: Russian aircraft leasing firm has filed a lawsuit against Boeing in Chicago court. The company wants to cancel its purchase of the grounded 737 MAX planes in the first court case of its kind after two deadly air crashes involving the planes. Avia Capital Services is seeking to terminate a contract for the purchase of 35 Boeing 737 MAX aircraft over safety concerns, according to a report by Financial Times. The company, a subsidiary of Russian state conglomerate Rostec, claims the two deadly crashes of 737 MAX that resulted in the deaths of 346 people earlier this year were…
PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has opened four of its Nathiagali-located rest houses, including the Governor House and Chief Minister House, to the local and International tourists. “These colonial symbols which cost crores annually to the taxpayer in maintenance are now going to make money for the government,” Prime Minister Imran Khan tweeted along with a video of the palatial Governor House at Nathiagali. The magnificent mansion, located in the idyllic resort town of Nathiagali about 7,922 feet above sea level, will be available to visitors through an online booking facility managed by KP Tourism. Prime Minister Imran Khan, who…
KARACHI: There are more commonalities than differences between the people of Thailand and Pakistan and we must make this factor the cornerstone of our relationship to take it to the next level. This was said by H.E. Thatree Chauvachata, Consul General of the Royal Thai Consulate in Karachi, during an informal interaction with the media at his residence. The Thai Consul General said there is room for greatly increasing trade relations and his country was keen to increase imports from Pakistan. He said two-way trade between Pakistan and Thailand during 2018 was approximately $1.674 billion and overwhelmingly in Bangkok’s favour.…