BEIJING: China has more than 30,000 scenic spots and tourist attractions, among which 259 have 5A-level ratings, the highest rating for Chinese tourist sites, according to the Ministry of Culture and Tourism. However, the ministry also noted that during the first 10 months of 2018, over 200 tourist sites had been delisted, demoted, or warned for poor management, poor service or a worsening environment. China has a tourism-rating classification system which rates a tourist attraction from A to 5A for its overall tourism quality. Top-level sites include the Palace Museum, the Summer Palace, the West Lake in Hangzhou and the…
Author: holidayweekly
ROME: Venice is set to start charging tourists up to €10 for visiting the city, including those who have come just for a day trip. The new move is being brought in under a wider budget in Italy in a bid to help boost the local economy. The problem stems from day trippers and cruise ship holidaymakers who come to the city for less than 24 hours, and therefore often don’t tend to spend in the hotels and restaurants, meaning they don’t contribute as much to the tourism industry as expected. However, they do contribute to other factors including overtourism…
DOHA: Entering service for the first time in early 2019, the G500 jet is the most technologically advanced aircraft in Qatar Executive’s fleet. The state-of-the-art jet sets a new industry benchmark by offering one of the quietest cabins, as well as having the best cabin altitude pressure, allowing for unparalleled passenger comfort. Qatar Airways Group chief executive, Akbar Al Baker, said: “Welcoming the ultra-modern Gulfstream G500 executive jet into our fleet is a commitment to our Qatar Executive clients’ expectations. “The truly advanced jet enables us to offer an unparalleled flying experience to our global clientele, who I am sure…
MADRID: The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) has granted UNWTO.QUEST Certification to the Punta del Este Convention Bureau, which became the first destination management organization in the world to receive this certification. The Punta del Este Convention Bureau, a UNWTO Affiliate Member, participated in the UNWTO.QUEST Certification pilot project that was created to advance excellence and quality in strategic leadership, management and governance in destination management organizations. Throughout the process, the UNWTO—through the UNWTO Academy—accompanied the DMO in a process of constant improvement with a tailor-made training plan, which enabled the institution to reinforce its internal capacities and governance, and successfully…
ISLAMABAD: The Ministry of Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony has asked the aspirants of Umrah to make deal of performing sacred religious ceremony with only registered Companies to avoid any fraud. An official of Ministry of Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony told that the list of authorised Umrah companies is available at www.hajjinfo.org and intending aspirants should check the registered companies before inking agreement with any company to perform Umrah. Pinpointing the reasons of fraud, he said the aspirants, who want cheap packages, special residences, travel through airline of own choice that too in special dates, travel to Saudia in…
SRINAGAR: Despite a sizable traffic of tourists coming to Kashmir from South-East Asian nations off late, the total number of foreign tourist arrivals to the Valley continues to be abysmal. As per official data, Kashmir received only 50,000 foreign tourists, which makes half a percent of total all-India arrivals of about 94 lakh people, who visited India from across the globe in 2018. Tour trade players say this is largely due to the travel advisories in place and the fragile situation here. Even the domestic tourist arrivals to Kashmir do not show any improvement this year as well. Kerala received…
DUBAI: Emirates operated over 192,000 flights, with its fleet of274 aircraft travelling 908 million km around the globe and carried over 59 million passengers, a media report said. “We had our challenges in 2018, however we continued to maximise opportunities by deploying our capacity to best serve customer demand, keeping a close watch on our costs, utilising technology to improve business performance, as well as developing more customer-centric products and services to provide our passengers with greater choice,” Sir Tim Clark, President of Emirates Airline was quoted as saying. “Our customers remain at the heart of everything we do, and…
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan on Tuesday directed the authorities concerned to develop a comprehensive business plan to revive Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) as a profitable institution, Radio Pakistan reported. The premier said this while chairing a meeting in Islamabad to review the ongoing reforms of the national carrier. Khan said PIA had become a liability due to the mismanagement and corruption for which taxpayers had to share the burden, the report added. Expressing satisfaction on the current PIA administration, the prime minister asked PIA Chairman Arshad Malik to develop a comprehensive strategy to overcome the losses the airline was…
MUZAFFARABAD: 30 December 2018. Hashoo Group owners of the Pearl-Continental and Marriott Hotels in collaboration with Media Sniffers hosted an enthralling Qawali performance at Pearl-Continental Hotel Muzaffarabad yesterday. Qawal Shahzad Santoo, a disciple of Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan along with his troupe paid tribute to Khan Sahab by performing his evergreen Qawalis. The hotel located in the capital of Azad Kashmir is known for its majestic architecture and panoramic view which overlooks the valleys of Neelum and Jehlum. The hotel setting under a starry sky along with the impeccable arrangements and décor of the event was nothing short of a…
DOHA: Qatar Airways Group has completed the acquisition of a five per cent stake in China Southern Airlines. Qatar Airways Chairman, Ali Shareef Al Emadi, said: “Qatar Airways regards our shareholding in China Southern Airlines as an important part of our strategic investment in the largest airline in one of the world’s fastest growing aviation markets.” This investment further supports Qatar Airways’ investment strategy which already includes its 20 per cent investment in International Airlines Group, its ten per cent investment in LATAM Airlines Group, its 49 per cent investment in Air Italy and its 9.99 per cent investment in…