LONDON: Ineffective travel restrictions imposed by the UK government to combat Omicron caused an estimated £7 billion loss to the UK economy last year. This was due to a drop in contributions from the embattled tourism sector, according to the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC). The “attack on tourism” at the end of last year until January proved ineffective at halting Omicron and “devastating for the sector,” the body said. The new figures come from research carried out by the WTTC, which represents the global tourism private sector. WTTC also revealed that the global tourism sector’s contribution to the…
Author: holidayweekly
MADRID: The Secretary-General of the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) Zurab Pololikashvili has joined the Minister of Tourism of Italy Massimo Garavaglia to officially launch the first Global Youth Tourism Summit. Set to take place in Sorrento, Italy from 27 June to 3 July, the Summit will bring children and youth from every global region together, giving them a platform to share their vision and hopes for the sector. In line with UNWTO’s commitment to youth empowerment, the initiative will also allow participants to network with leaders from the worlds of politics and business, making them a part of the decision-making…
NEW DELHI: A Parliamentary panel called on the Indian government to change the ‘GAY’ airport code for Gaya International Airport. It asked government officials to take it up with the International Air Transport Association (IATA). As Gaya is a holy city, they deemed it ‘inappropriate.’ They want it replaced and suggested an alternative code such as ‘YAG’. Under IATA rules, there needs to be a ‘justifiable reason related to air safety to authorize a change. “The GAY code for Gaya has been in use since the operationalization of this airport, therefore, without any justifiable reason primarily concerning air safety, IATA…
LONDON: The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) believes the global travel and tourism sector could contribute $8.6 trillion in global GDP this year. In 2019, before the pandemic struck, the sector generated nearly $9.2 trillion for the global economy. However, in 2020, the pandemic brought the sector to an almost complete halt, causing a massive 49.1% drop. The latest research from WTTC shows that as the world finally begins to recover, the sector’s contribution to the global economy and jobs could reach almost pre-pandemic levels if the recovery continues to pick up the pace. This is dependent on the…
DOHA: Qatar Airways has been locked for months in a legal dispute with Europe’s Airbus manufacturer over “serious and legitimate safety concerns” after delivery of A350 jets. Qatar’s state-owned airline is seeking compensation, saying the flawed planes forced it to ground 21 of its fleet of 53 Airbus A350s in both its 1000 and 900 series. Qatar’s national carrier raised concerns over the state of its A350s in November 2020 when an attempt to repaint a five-year-old jet in World Cup livery exposed about 980 defects. According to a Reuters news agency investigation, at least five other airlines, including Finnair,…
KARACHI: The world’s largest international aviation firm, IATA Consultancy has presented a business plan for Pakistan International Airline (PIA), which if implemented would see the loss-making state-owned enterprise making its operations break even by 2025 and record 3.4 percent profits the next year-2026. The comprehensive business plan covering the period 2022 to 2026 was presented to Minister of Finance and Revenue Shaukat Tarin and Minister of Aviation Ghulam Sarwar Khan last week. The meeting was also attended by the Secretary of aviation, the secretary of finance, the Secretary of EAD, the PIA board of directors and members, the PIA CEO,…
AUCKLAND: New Zealand will be reopening its borders to New Zealanders and key visa holders over the coming three months, with a full border reopening targeted for October 2022. Starting from 23.59 on February 27, vaccinated New Zealanders and other eligible travelers from Australia will be allowed to enter without having to go through managed isolation and quarantine (MIQ). New Zealand will begin easing border restrictions from February 28, towards a full reopening by October. Two weeks later from 23.59 on March 13, New Zealanders and other eligible travelers under the current border settings from the rest of the world…
Accessibility to resorts in the Maldives will be significantly improved with the opening of Madivaru Airport this month, as the archipelago celebrates its Golden Jubilee. Flights to and from Male’s Velana International Airport to Madivaru Airport in Lhaviyani Atoll will take just 25 minutes and operate throughout the night. Until now Lhaviyani has been serviced only by seaplanes, where operation is limited to daylight as well as flying from a different terminal at Velana. The flight schedule will commence with three flights per day, scheduled according to arrivals and departures of international flights to ensure minimal wait times for travellers.…
KARACHI: The national carrier Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) has decided to operate direct flights to three countries, Australia, Maldives and Hong Kong. PIA Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Arshad Malik said that the national carrier expedited work of the planned direct flights to three countries. He added that PIA has also planned to resume flights to Istanbul and Bangkok. The PIA CEO said that the concerned aviation authorities were being contacted to resume flights to the United Kingdom (UK), United States (US) and European countries. Arshad Malik said that European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) informed Pakistani authorities to conduct an…
ISLAMABAD: Sustainable Tourism Foundation Pakistan (STFP) joined hands with ICOMOS Pakistan, Pakistan Tourism Development Corporation (PTDC) and C2D to organize a Round Table Conference on the theme of Heritage Legislation of Pakistan: Issues, constraints and challenges on 20th January in the conference room of PTDC Head Office at Islamabad. International and national experts including Dr. Dowon Kim, Dr. Gamini Wijesuriya, Dr. Vishakha Kawathekar, Dr. Rohit Jigyasu, Ms. Poonam Verma Mascarenahs, Prof Dr. Rafique Mughal, Dr. Malik Maqsood, Prof. Fauzia Qureshi, Prof Sajida Haider Vandal, Mr. Kamran Lashari, Mr. Salman Baig, Dr. Nadeem Omar Tarar, Mr. Aftab ur Rehman Rana, Mr.…