Wellness tourism grew from a $563 billion market in 2015 to $639 billion in 2017, or 6.5% annually, more than twice as fast as 3.2% tourism overall , and it’s forecast to grow even faster through 2022 (7.5% yearly) to reach $919 billion. North America drives the most wellness tourism revenues, $242 billion annually and Europe the most wellness trips 292 million, but Asia-Pacific is the eye-opening growth leader, with wellness trips growing a whopping 33% in the last two years. China and India rank #1 and #2 for growth: adding roughly 22 million and 17 million wellness trips respectively…
Author: holidayweekly
NEW DELHI: Cruise ships operator Carnival UK has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and senior members of his cabinet, cautioning against a high tax regime that it said may destroy the cruise industry in India. India imposes 18% GST on cruise passengers with an additional 5% tax for reservation of cruise holidays, according to officials in the tourism ministry. The new customs duty has come on top of the GST rate, making India one of the highest taxed ports of call for cruise ships Mr. David Dingle, Chairman of Carnival UK, pointed to the customs duty imposed last month…
ATHENS: Greek tourism revenues could rise by up to 2 billion euros in 2018 due to a surge in visitor numbers, the country’s tourism minister said on Wednesday, projecting a fourth consecutive year of growth for the industry. Tourism is a big contributor to the Greek economy, accounting for about a quarter of economic output in the country, which is emerging from a long-running debt crisis. The government is expecting strong economic growth following Greece’s exit from an international bailout in August. Tourism receipts came in at 14.6 billion euros ($16.74 billion) last year, according to central bank data. Arrivals,…
LAHORE: TDCP has been acknowledged as trend setter and catalyst and has taken several initiatives to promote tourism, culture and heritage of different tourist destinations of Punjab. Cholistan Desert Rally at Derawar has introduced Cholistan as winter resort and has also highlighted rich heritage of Cholistan. The main objectives of the rally are: To promote Thal culture and historical heritage. To highlight the Southern Punjab and its desert for the promotion of tourism as well as International Tourism in the area. To provide economic opportunities for the locals. To create forum for inter-provincial harmony among the peoples of Pakistan. To…
ASTANA: Kazakhstan-based Air Astana is to launch a low cost airline in the first half of next year to operate mostly domestic flights at fares which will be roughly half of those charged by the parent airline. Operating a fleet of all-economy Airbus A320 aircraft, it will also expand onto regional international routes in the future, said the airline. FlyArystan will initially operate with four aircraft, growing to a fleet of at least 15 by 2022, said the company. It will operate from multiple bases in Kazakhstan, with routes and aircraft bases to be announced over the coming months. The…
KARACHI: One more time Shaheen Air International (SAI) on Thursday, 8 November claimed that it has finalised an acquisition deal with a Saudi prince and the takeover is likely to happen in the next two months. Acting Chief Executive Officer Javed Sehbai said “We have finalised the deal with a Saudi prince. We will be conducting a press conference very soon to announce about our Investor and share the details of the acquisition. This deal will be a breakthrough for the airline as well as for Pakistani aviation industry itself.” He added that “it’s a matter of few weeks that…
WRITTEN BY CH. FAISAL MAHMOOD We have previously drawn attention to the pressing need for a federal posture for Pakistan Tourism’s internal co-ordination and external unity. The need for a federal Ministry of Tourism is acquiring greater urgency but previously our politicians have shown no interest which proved their intellectual bankruptcy to understand neither the need nor the urgency. But now the issue is being discussed in the lobbies of Senate and National assembly. Tourism’s is not the only voice calling for even a limited restoration of the Concurrent List of yore. Stakeholders in other sectors like education, culture, health…
A Boeing Co. warning to 737 Max operators around the globe provides the first clues about how bad data from an airflow sensor might have contributed to the deadly crash of an Indonesian airliner last week. [huge_it_slider id=”306″] The statements by Indonesian investigators suggest that the pilots on the Lion Air 737 Max 8 were battling the plane as its computers commanded a steep dive during its final moments of flight. Boeing cautioned that the so-called angle-of-attack sensor can provide false readings in limited circumstances, such as when a plane’s autopilot is switched off – that cause the 737 Max…
KARACHI: Mr. Murtaza Hashwani, Honorary Consul of the Kingdom of Belgium and Deputy Chairman & CEO of Hashoo Group, welcomed a 24-member trade delegation from Belgium at Karachi Marriott Hotel on Tuesday, 6th November at a festive dinner held on the dual occasion to celebrate Belgium’s King’s Day and announce their five-day visit to Pakistan. Ambassador to Belgium in Pakistan, His Excellency Frédéric Verheyden also welcomed the delegation and prominent members of the Pakistan business community who attended the event. The evening provided an opportunity to further strengthen the trade relationship between Pakistan and Belgium, now the fifth largest trading…
LONDON: Internationally-acclaimed Pakistani mountaineer Nazir Sabir has called for using the full potentials of the tourism sector, including adventure tourism in Pakistan, by providing visa-on-arrival to the visitors in a bid to attract a good number of tourists for the benefit of the country. “By facilitating the foreign tourists, Pakistan can fetch much needed precious foreign exchange, as the country offers tremendous opportunities and potentials in the field of tourism, especially in the trekking and adventure tourism sector,” he said. Mr. Sabir was the first Pakistani mountaineer who had surmounted the world highest peak, the Mount Everest on May 17,…