The world travel and tourism dream team Taleb Rifai and David Scowsill are back together. Both men became good friends and worked together constantly for many years when Dr. Taleb Rifai was the UNWTO Secretary-General, and David Scowsill the CEO of WTTC. This time, both men joined the Tourism Advisory Board of AIRBNB. Also, today, the current UNWTO Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili and WTTC CEO Guevara Manzo pledged their support for each other at a press conference in Buenos Aires. Many of the major or not so major hotels and hotel operators think AIRBNB is operating in the shadow of legality…
Author: holidayweekly
ABU DHABI: Despite facing a setback of nearly $2 billion in 2016 and losing out on investment partners Airberlin and Alitalia in 2017, Etihad’s CEO said it was business as usual, with the airline constantly being driven by change to adapt to an ever-changing environment. “The core airline has always been operating in a very, very solid way even in most challenging times,” CEO Peter Baumgartner said in an interview. The 2016 oil price collapse had hit the Middle Eastern aviation market, including Etihad, which was moving forward on its big global ambitions. “In 2016, local regional markets contracted, accelerating…
BUENOS AIRES: The global travel and tourism world was at the Hilton Hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentina. [huge_it_slider id=”222″] The President of Argentina, H.E. Mauricio Marci personally attended the opening of the World Travel and Tourism Council Summit at the Hilton Hotel in Buenos Aires this morning. He explained the importance Argentina puts into tourism developments, he sees as a massive job creation tool for this South American Country. The President welcomed the UNWTO initiative announced by UNWTO Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvilia, to open a tourism innovation center in Argentina. Zurab said later during the opening it would be opened within…
DUBAI: The iconic cruise liner Queen Elizabeth 2 is making a comeback on April 18 when it opens as a floating hotel in Dubai. The “soft opening” will see visitors welcomed on board to experience a selection of beautifully restored rooms and suites, to discover five of the planned 13 restaurants and bars and explore her rich history in the adjacent QE2 Heritage Exhibition. More than 2.7 million man-hours were dedicated to transforming this legendary ocean liner into the multi-faceted tourist destination that she is today. The 13-deck hotel has been thoughtfully restored to her former glory – maintaining her…
SAN FRANCISCO: Apple has claimed that it had achieved a goal of “100 per cent clean energy” for its facilities around the world. The California tech giant said its retail stores, offices, data centers and co-located facilities in 43 countries were operating with nonpolluting or renewable energy. Nine additional manufacturing partners have committed to power all of their Apple production with clean energy, bringing the total number of supplier commitments to 23. “We’re committed to leaving the world better than we found it,” Apple Chief Executive Tim Cook said in a statement. “After years of hard work, we’re…
LUXEMBOURG: The European Court of Justice in Luxembourg today, 18 April ruled that airlines must compensate their passengers for flight delays and cancellations, even though the reason for this was a strike by airline staff. The airlines are now facing a wave claims, because this ruling applies to all previous airline strikes and new ones. Why this is such an important judgment is explained by Christian Nielsen, head of the legal department of the world’s leading passenger helper portal, AirHelp. “Until now, airlines strikes of all kind have been considered extraordinary circumstances that exempt airlines from their duty to pay…
RAWALPINDI: Located 20 kilometres from Zero Point Islamabad and over 25 kilometres from Saddar, Rawalpindi, the Y shaped, Pakistan’s largest and most modern first greenfield airport will be operational for international and domestic flights from April 20. The airport will as the primary base of the national flag carrier, Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), which recently got its own rebranding with the depiction of the Markhor on its fleet. On Thursday 12 April, adviser to The Prime Minister on Aviation Division Sardar Mehtab Ahmed Khan inaugurated Pakistan’s largest and most advanced fuel farm facility at the New Islamabad International Airport, which…
ANTALYA: Two separately held meetings in Turkey focused on exploring the possibilities of Turkish tourists visiting Gilgit-Baltistan (GB). The Association of Turkish Travel Agencies (TURSAB) President Firuz Baglikaya and Antalya Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ATSO) Vice President Ercan Mutlu said that they would visit GB soon along with a delegation of tour operators in order to explore new avenues of cooperation between Pakistan and Turkey. A high level delegation from GB comprising of Gilgit-Baltistan Legislative Assembly (GBLA) Deputy Speaker Mr. Jafarullah Khan, GB Chief Secretary Kazim Niaz and GB Secretary Tourism Waqar Ali Khan visited Antalya and attended World…
RAWALPINDI: Pakistan Railways has announced it is reducing the fare for its express passenger train Green Line that runs between Karachi and Rawalpindi by 10%. The Divisional Commercial Officer (DCO) of Pakistan Railways Rawalpindi, Raza Ali Habib, told that “Pakistan Railways have reduced over Rs600 from the old fare Rs5990 to the new fare of Rs5340 for the passengers travelling from Rawalpindi to Karachi.” From Rawalpindi to Lahore the train fare for Green Line has been fixed at Rs1,200 while from Rawalpindi to Khanewal the passengers will be charged Rs2410. Similarly, Rs3180 is the new fare for travelling from Rawalpindi…
DUBAI: A new fee has been introduced at Dubai International Airport for extra-size baggage that will require manual handling, said a report. The new fee will apply to baggage that does not conform to standard size and weight regulations, said a report in Khaleej Times citing a statement by dnata – the ground-handling service provider for airlines operating at Dubai International Airport. Dnata said it is up to carriers to pass the fee on to passengers or absorb it themselves. Passengers have been advised to check their carrier’s website for further details.