MADRID: The number of people travelling abroad hit record levels in 2017 with a total of 1,323 million international tourist arrivals recorded in destinations around the world, with India leading the growth in the South Asian region, according to data from the UN’s tourism organisation. The latest edition of its Tourism Highlights shows international arrivals reached 1.323 million last year. The figure represents an 84 million increase over 2016, and a new record, with the sector also recording “uninterrupted growth” in arrivals for eight consecutive years. The UN World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO, a specialized agency of the United Nations, added…
Author: holidayweekly
SYDNEY: The goal of a non-stop flight from Sydney to London, half the way around the planet, took a leap forward as the world’s top plane makers convinced Qantas Airways they can make the 20-hour route a reality. A year after Qantas Chief Executive Officer Alan Joyce publicly challenged Boeing and Airbus to design a plane capable of making a viable direct flight from Sydney to London or New York; he says the manufacturers have succeeded. “We’re now comfortable that we think we have vehicles that could do it,” Joyce said in an interview in Qantas’s central Sydney offices. Project…
OSLO: By 2040, Norway has promised all of its short-haul flights will be on electric aircraft. It could revolutionize the airline industry. In July 2018, Norway’s transport minister Ketil Solvik-Olsen and Dag Falk-Petersen, the head of the country’s airport company Avinor, took a very special flight together. In front of the press they squeezed into the cockpit of a two-seat plane made by the Slovenian company Pipistrel. With Falk-Petersen at the controls, the pair took a short flight lasting a few minutes around Oslo in an Alpha Electro G2. The flight’s novelty is partly explained by the aircraft’s name; it’s…
UNWTO Tourism Highlights 2018 Edition shows international tourist arrivals reached a total of 1,323 million in 2017, some 84 million more than the previous year and made a yet another new record. The sector has now seen uninterrupted growth in arrivals for eight straight years. 2017’s growth was the highest since 2010, led by the regions of Europe and Africa, which received increases in arrivals of eight and nine per cent, respectively. International tourism receipts increased by five per cent in 2017. In addition to the US$1.3 trillion in receipts that destinations earned, international tourism generated another US$240 billion from…
TOKOYO: The first Airbus A380 for All Nippon Airways (ANA) has rolled out of the final assembly line (FAL) in Toulouse. The aircraft has now been moved to an outside station where various ground tests will be undertaken in preparation for first flight in the coming weeks. The aircraft will then be transferred to the Airbus facilities in Hamburg for cabin installation and painting. ANA placed a firm order of three A380s in 2016, becoming the first customer for the superjumbo in Japan. The first delivery is scheduled early in 2019, and the A380 will initially be operated on the…
BOSTON: The Airline Passenger Experience Association (APEX) is committed to further improving passenger experience and comfort on board. The upcoming APEX EXPO, the world’s largest event on the passenger experience in the aviation industry, will be held from 24 to 27 September in Boston. This year, for the first time in the history of the event, the kick-off will take place above the clouds. On 22 September, Lufthansa will treat guests to the Lufthansa FlyingLab APEX EXPO on an Airbus A350, an exclusive pre-conference on board Flight LH424 from Munich to Boston. A special gate event in Munich will set…
PARIS/LONDON: Air France and British Airways (BA) will be suspending flights to Tehran next month, carriers citing low profitability as the US reimposed sanctions on Iran, a report said. According to a report, Air France, which had run connections to the Iranian capital via its low-cost operator Joon, will be axing the route on September 18 and BA would be scrapping the route on September 22. The last outbound flight to Tehran will be on September 22, and the last inbound flight from Tehran will be on September 23, the British flag carrier added. British Airways said its decision was…
MADID: Promoting innovation, job creation and sustainability are key considerations for the 15thWorld Tourism Organization (UNWTO) Awards. UNWTO invites submissions until 31 October 2018. The UNWTO Awards recognize the contribution of public and private institutions and NGOs to development of a more competitive, responsible and sustainable tourism sector that works towards achieving the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda of the United Nations. Initiatives at local, national, regional and international levels are all considered. Applications are now open for the UNWTO Awards in Public Policy and Governance, in Enterprises, and in Non-Governmental Organizations. Interested parties are encouraged to apply before 31 October…
CAIRO: Egypt’s tourism revenue jumped 77 percent in the first half of 2018 to around $4.8 billion compared with the same period last year, a government official told. Egyptian tourism has been gradually recovering from a 2011 downturn triggered by the uprising that ousted president Hosni Mubarak, helped by a currency float in late 2016 that halved the pound’s value and made the country a relatively cheap bet for foreign visitors. The tourism sector is a pillar of the country’s economy and a key earner of foreign currency. The official, who declined the be named, said visitor numbers during the…
ISLAMABAD:Pakistan Tourism and Development Cooperation (PTDC) Wednesday said Gandhara Art is losing its charisma and attraction due to the stone crushing plants located in the vicinity of the site. The PDDC Spokesperson said that another reason for the descending beauty of the site is that Gandhara’s land is being illegally occupied by the local residents. “Rawalpindi has numerous of heritage buildings, however, not a single one of them is being protected by the authorities,” he claimed. Giving a solution to the problem, he said the government must purchase all land of Gandhara and must deploy full time security guards to…