MADRID: A new report from the United Nations World Tourism Organisation and the European Travel Commission has revealed that outbound tourism from the Gulf Cooperation Council has grown strongly in recent years, with international tourism expenditure surpassing US$60 billion in 2017. The Gulf Cooperation Council Outbound Travel Market, a new report prepared by UNWTO and ETC with the support of Value Retail, examines the fast-growing outbound market of the GCC countries – Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates – with an additional focus on the image of Europe as a tourism destination. It finds that…
Author: holidayweekly
DOHA: Qatar Airways is threatening to pull out of the Oneworld airline alliance, which includes British Airways, due to a row with fellow partner Qantas. The Middle Eastern airline’s CEO Akbar Al Baker said he would abandon Oneworld if other members fail to act ‘in the spirit’ of the partnership. His comments at the International Air Transport Association conference in Madrid came after Qantas posted a newsletter on its website stating that it was ‘opposed to Australia granting additional flying rights to nations whose carriers operate in uncommercial and uncompetitive ways’. Qantas, which has a relationship with Qatar’s Middle Eastern…
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s first low-cost airline has begun taking delivery of its first of 80 A320neo Family aircraft. This follows an agreement signed in January 2017, with deliveries scheduled to take place from 2018 to 2026. Flynas is the first operator in Saudi Arabia to acquire the A320neo and currently operates a fleet of 30 A320ceos. The A320neo, powered by CFM LEAP-1A engines, will support Flynas’ expansion plans while providing greater operational efficiency and passenger comfort. Saudi Arabia is the largest domestic aviation market in the Middle East. Since its inception in 2007, Flynas has set ambitious growth plans that…
BANGKOK: Iconsiam, the $2.2 billion megacity project of future living, has opened last week as an iconic landmark of Thailand’s eternal prosperity on the Chao Phraya River. [huge_it_slider id=”307″] It comprises two of the most glamorous retail complexes ever seen in the region, two of the most luxurious residential towers and the Seven Wonders at Iconsiam. A new chapter of “destination development” history has been written with the opening of a project destined to be a great destination where the best of Thailand meets the best of the world. The opening of Iconsiam also marks the bringing to life of…
ISTANBOL: Turkey has hosted around 32 million foreign tourists in the first three quarters of this year with a 23 percent increase, Culture and Tourism Minister Mehmet Nuri Ersoy said. “It looks like we will pass 40 million [tourists] and break Turkey’s record,” Ersoy added. In the first nine months of this year, Turkey hosted a total of 37 million visitors, including Turkish expats, from abroad, according to Ersoy. The number of visitors from January to September rose 21.4 percent year-on-year. Noting that there was an increase in the number of tourists, Ersoy said the tourism sector has experienced a…
MUSCAT: Oman Air, the national carrier of the Sultanate of Oman, has taken delivery of its second 3-class Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner that it has on order. This comes at a time when the airline is continuing its trajectory of rapid growth and expansion. Oman Air expects to receive the third 787-9 Dreamliner in December this year. Meanwhile, the national carrier of the Sultanate of Oman is expected to receive a total of 9 more 737 MAX 8s within the next year. The three-class Dreamliner features 8 First Class Private Suite, 24 Business Class seats and 232 Economy seats. Guests traveling…
BRISBANE: The airline has partnered up with Brisbane Airport and technology provider SITA to trial facial recognition technology that allows customers to check in before they arrive at the airport and eliminates the need to provide their passport and boarding pass at the lounge or boarding gate. The trial began earlier this week and will run until early December, providing passenger feedback which the airline will use to prioritise future biometrics trials and investments. “Customers have told us that they want to move seamlessly through the airport without having to present travel documents at every stage of their airport experience,”…
To extend bake with love campaign POHTM organized Pastry and Baking Workshop. Workshop provided exclusive chance to participants to have insight view of how pastry and baking works in the five star hotels under the supervision of professional chef. Workshop turned into hands-on training when chef encouraged participants to prepare patties and gateau by themselves. Participants enjoyed the taste and flavor of scrummy patties and stylish pineapple gateau. Few glimpses shown in the pictures
KARACHI: Chief commercial officer of Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) Bilal Munir Sheikh has resigned from his post. “Appointed in the tenure of Musharraf Rasool, the former chief executive officer (CEO) of PIA, Bilal has tendered his resignation stating personal reason,” said spokesperson of the airlines. The incumbent government on October 12, appointed Vice Chief of Air Staff Air Marshal Arshad Mahmood Malik as the chairman of PIA. This was done after the Supreme Court (SC) declared the appointment of Musharraf Rasool Cyan as the CEO of PIA as null and void. A bench of the apex court, headed by Chief…
LONDON: Northern Ireland has been named the world’s Best Food Destination in 2018 at a major travel and tourism awards in London. The entry from Food NI, Northern Ireland’s food and drink promotion body, won gold on Tuesday night at the prestigious International Travel and Tourism Awards in for the province as The Best Food Destination in 2018. Food NI pipped other global food destinations, including San Sebastian/Donostia in Spain, to lift the prestigious award for Northern Ireland for its organisation of the highly successful Year of Food and Drink in 2016. The awards were held as the showpiece of…