KATMANDU: Nepal said Tuesday it has banned popular Chinese digital wallets Alipay and WeChat to prevent the loss of foreign currency earnings from tens of thousands of Chinese tourists. Over 150,000 Chinese holidaymakers visited Nepal last year, many using digital wallets to pay in hotels, restaurants and shops in tourist areas — especially in Chinese-run businesses. Laxmi Prapanna Niroula, a spokesman for the country’s central bank which announced the ban and said that Nepal was losing out since the actual transactions took place in China. “We have enforced a ban on Alipay and WeChat Pay because the country is losing…
Author: holidayweekly
ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Post has announced that it had opened 41 rest houses at different destinations across the country to cater to domestic and foreign tourists. “The move was in line with the vision of Prime Minister Imran Khan, who had been a strong proponent of promoting tourism in the country by offering cost-effective accommodations to travellers at scenic locations,” a senior official of the Pakistan Post said. The initiative would not only the tourism industry but also generate more revenue for the department, he added. The rest houses from Karachi to Murree, he said, were upgraded on the instructions…
PESHAWAR: The three-day annual Shandur Polo Festival will kick off at the world highest polo ground at Shandur Pass in Chitral from July 7. The decision to give final touches to the arrangements for the festival was taken on Thursday at a meeting held with Secretary Sports, Tourism, Archaeology, Museums, Culture and Youth Affairs Kamran Rehman in the chair. Additional Secretary Babar Khan, Tourism Corporation Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (TCKP) Managing Director Junaid Khan, Senior General Manager Syed Hayat Ali Shah, General Manager (Admin & Properties) Sajjad Hameed, Tourism Department Chief Planning officer Asif Shahab, Tourism Officer (Marketing & Media) Haseena Shaukat,…
PESHAWAR: The celebrations of spring festival Chilimjusht concluded in Kalash valleys as this year a record number of foreign and local tourists enjoyed the three-day festivities. The Tourism Corporation Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (TCKP) has sponsored the event. The concluding ceremony of Chilimjusht or Joshi festival was also attended by the Members Provincial Assembly from Kalash, Wazirzada, Ravi Kumar and Ranjit Singh. Earlier in the day, the Kalash people sprinkled milk on their deities and prayed for the good fortune. Before marching towards the Charsu (the open dancing hall) in Bartrik village in Bamburet, the Kalash men and women held a mixed…
GILGIT-BALTISTAN: The GB government has decided to lift a time-specific ban on vehicles’ movement on Silk Road, allowing passenger buses to travel any time on the route from GB to Rawalpindi or vice-versa. The GB home department issued a notification in this regard, saying it would be effective when foolproof security was provided to passenger vehicles on the route during night. The security plan would be worked out by Commissioner Diamer Astore division. The KP home department has also been contacted for support with regard to provision of security to passenger vehicles. It is pertinent to mention here that there…
DALLAS: Dallas Fort Worth International Airport and American Airlines have announced plans to develop a sixth terminal at the airport. The plans call for the airport to invest up to $3 to $3.5 billion in terminal improvements, including the construction of Terminal F and enhancements to Terminal C. The identified site south of Terminal D provides significant flexibility for phasing in the number of gates for Terminal F, with a long-term projection of up to 24 gates, as demand for additional facilities is warranted. “Today’s announcement sets the stage for Dallas Fort Worth Airport’s next 50 years,” said Sean Donohue,…
ISTANBUL: Uzakrota Travel Summit, an important international tourism sector event, will be organized for the 6th time in Istanbul. The Summit will take place at the Hilton Istanbul Bosphorus in Istanbul on the 13th of December and will include professionals from tourism and media sectors, business representatives and IT professionals. The main sponsors of the event which will be held on 13 December 2019 at Hilton Bosphorus Convention Centre are SKYhub, Emirates Airline, Atlasglobal and IRC International Residency and Citizenship and this year, the event evolved further in the meaning of both concept and content with the participation of more…
KARACHI: The Consul-General of Japan in Karachi, Mr. Toshikazu Isomura,hosted a grand reception at his residence to celebrate the enthronement of His Imperial Majesty Emperor Naruhito. After three decades, Heisei era came to an end and Japan entered a new era, Reiwa,from May 1. The name of the new era, Reiwa, means “beautiful harmony.” This name was taken from the oldest existing poetry anthology “Manyoshu” and it represents a culture being born and nurtured by people’s hearts brought together in a beautiful manner. On the occasion, Consul-General of Japan in Karachi, Mr. Isomura, hoped that the new era continues to…
WRITTEN BY CH FAISAL MAHMOOD There are reasons why we have such enduring and in-depth faith in our country and in its future as the world’s major tourist destination; one such reason is that positive developments do somehow emerge, sooner or later, sometime unexpectedly, sometimes awaitedly, to re-set our path to real progress. Suddenly, when the nation is pressed under several macro and micro issues, both internal and external, affecting all and sundry, we have this Prime Ministerial decision to appoint a Chairman PTDC and Chairman National Tourism board and under the Chairman, ten working groups, renovation of Swat, Chitral…
WASHINGTON: Pakistani ambassador to the United States Asad Majeed Khan has said that the new visa policy is aimed at promoting religious tourism in Pakistan. Addressing an Iftar dinner at the Pakistani embassy in Washington, the ambassador said Pakistan has demonstrated religious harmony by opening Kartarpur corridor. Khan said the purpose of arranging an Iftar dinner at the embassy was to share the blessings of Ramazan and promote interfaith harmony and mutual understanding. Earlier in the week, US President Donald Trump hosted an Iftar dinner for the Muslim members of his administration and top diplomats from various countries at the…