Author: holidayweekly

CANCUN: Airports Council International (ACI) World and travel technology company Amadeus have announced the winners of the Amadeus and ACI World Technology Innovation Awards, showcasing industry-leading technology initiatives and leadership by airports. The announcement was held during the ACI LAC/World Annual General Assembly, Conference, and Exhibition yesterday (November 23) in Cancun. With this first edition of the awards Amadeus and ACI World seek to recognize the many innovative solutions deployed by member airports as they keep up with a fast-changing environment and prioritize the changing needs of passengers—particularly as the sector rebuilds. A panel of external industry experts evaluated submissions…

Captain Carlos Mirpuri and his crew flew the widebody aircraft, from Cape Town to the White Continent and back; the journey is 2,500 nautical miles, flying for just over five hours each way. Never before has an A340 landed on an Antarctic blue glacial ice runway. The aircraft will be used this season to fly a small number of tourists, alongside scientists and essential cargo to the White Continent. It is an aircraft that delivers, every time. Highly reliable, comfortable, with an excellent safety record, the aircraft was carefully chosen to perform well in this extreme environment. Its exceptional range…

MADRID: International travel to Spain will likely recover some two thirds of its pre-pandemic levels in the fourth quarter of this year, Tourism Minister Reyes Maroto said on Monday, suggesting a post-summer revival in visits will be sustained. “Our forecast for the last quarter of the year is to recover 66% of all international tourist flows that we had in 2019, which as you know was a record year,” the minister said at an event in Madrid. Foreign travel to Spain has been gathering steam in recent months, with visitor numbers increasing more than four-fold in September from the previous…

KARACHI: Karachi Marriott Hotel has appointed Mr. Maurizio Romani as its new General Manager. The official announcement for the new General Manager was made by Mr. Haseeb Gardezi – Chief Operating Officer, Hospitality and Education Division, Hashoo Group, during the dinner reception held at Islamabad Marriott Hotel. Prior to joining Karachi Marriott Hotel, Mr. Romani was the General Manager at Islamabad Marriott Hotel since 2018.

RAWALPINDI: For the first time in Pakistan, the Aircraft Owners and Operators Association (AOOA) has been established with the goal of improving and reforming the aviation industry to encourage tourism in the country. The AOOA founder, Imran Aslam Khan, told that the association would work with the relevant authorities for developing the aviation sector and promoting tourism through the aviation industry. Since 1932, he said, such organisations had worked with regulatory authorities in numerous countries to develop the aviation industry. In the United States, general aviation is strong as there are 208,000 general aviation aircraft, compared to only 80 in…

ISLAMABAD: The federal government has approved the leasing out of properties of Pakistan Tourism Development Corporation (PTDC) which are located in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) and Gilgit-Baltistan (G-B). AJK and G.B governments have given their consent in this regard. Revenue proceeds from the property lease will be utilised to clear liabilities of PTDC and for the promotion of tourism in AJK, G-B and the entire Pakistan. In a recent meeting, the cabinet was informed that it had been decided that the Cabinet Division should establish a mechanism in consultation with provinces/ regions for the handing over of PTDC assets…

DOHA: Qatar Airways has showcased its role as a global launch customer for the latest generation Boeing 777-9 aircraft after welcoming the jet to Doha International Airport. A host of VIP guests joined Qatar Airways Group chief executive, Akbar Al Baker, to share in the arrival of the aircraft, which will remain in Qatar before returning to Boeing Field in Seattle to continue its test program. The plane was in the Middle East as part of the Dubai Airshow. The aircraft will be the world’s largest and most efficient twin-engine jet, delivering 20 per cent lower fuel consumption and emissions…

DUBAI: Airbus has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Jazeera Airways, the Kuwait-based carrier, for 20 A320neos and eight A321neos. The MoU was signed by Rohit Ramachandran, Jazeera Airways Chief Executive Officer and Christian Scherer, Airbus Chief Commercial Officer and Head of Airbus International. Marwan Boodai, Chairman Jazeera Airways said, “Jazeera Airways is pleased to extend its long-term relationship with Airbus further with this significant new order. We will effectively double our current fleet size to 35 aircraft by 2026. The airline has pulled out of the pandemic strongly in Q3 with a return to profitability. We have exciting…

DUBAI: At the Dubai Airshow 2021, Emirates announced that they will be retrofiting 105 of their modern wide-body aircraft with their Premium Economy product; as well as considering a new 1-2-1 configured Business Class on their B777 fleet. The 18-month retrofit programme, scheduled to begin at the end of 2022, will be entirely conducted at Emirates’ state-of-the-art Engineering Centre in Dubai. It will see 52 Emirates A380s and 53 Boeing 777s fitted with a new cabin class – the airline’s highly lauded Premium Economy. The airline is also considering installing a brand new Business Class product on their Boeing 777…

KUALA LUMPUR: The UNWTO Regional Conference on the Empowerment of Women in Tourism in Asia and the Pacific, the first event on the topic organized by UNWTO jointly with Malaysia’s Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture – brought together more than 500 key virtual participants in addition to around 100 local in-person stakeholders. Alongside UNWTO experts, government policymakers, UN Women representatives, high-level representatives of women’s associations and NGOs, joined leading academics to address some of the key challenges and opportunities for women in tourism in the region. In Asia and the Pacific, women make up 53% of the tourism workforce.…