ISLAMABAD: A consultative workshop on enhancing B2B Linkages to promote tourism between Pakistan and China was held on 06-09-2021 in the conference room of Pakistan Tourism Development Corporation (PTDC). The meeting was chaired by Mr. Aftab Ur Rehman Rana (Managing Director, PTDC) and attended by all the key stakeholders and representatives of different departments and organizations including Mr. Zhang Heqing, Cultural Counselor/Director, China Cultural Center in Pakistan, Mr. Zulfiqar Ali, Second Secretary, Pakistan Embassy at Begging China, Mr. Rizwan Gul, Director-China, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Salman Javed Former MD of PTDC and Chair of FPCCI Committee on Tourism, Mr.…
Author: holidayweekly
ISLAMABAD: The government on Wednesday, September 15, approved Rs44 billion bailout package for Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) in the shape of cash and sovereign guarantees after its failure to bring any improvement to the financial condition of the national flag carrier in three years. The Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) of the cabinet approved the bailout package, the fourth by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government. The airline has experienced a significant dip in revenues and cash flows due to the pandemic and unprecedented travel bans/lockdowns imposed by various countries, it added. The ECC approved $130.3 million (roughly Rs22 billion) in cash…
MADRID: The 33rd Joint meeting of the World Tourism Organization’s (UNWTO)Commission for East Asia and the Pacific and its Commission for South Asia was held on 14 September 2021. Mr. Aftab Ur Rehman Rana, Managing Director of PTDC participated in these meetings as a representative of Pakistan. The Member States taking part in these high-level virtual meetings focused on the coordination of policy measures and strategies to accelerate the recovery of tourism activities in the region. These include the phased lifting on travel restrictions and the introduction of travel corridors. Looking ahead, Members also agreed on the importance of upgrading the skills of the tourism labour…
DUBAI: Emirates has begun a worldwide campaign to recruit 3,000 cabin crew and 500 airport services employees to join its Dubai hub over the next six months. The move comes carrier plans a ramp-up in operations. These roles are Dubai-based positions and frontline customer-facing roles, and both jobs offer exciting opportunities for friendly, energetic, and service-oriented people to meet and interact with the world as Emirates’ brand ambassadors. Candidates interested in joining Emirates as cabin crew or as an airport services agent can find out more about the job requirements here. Emirates has gradually restored its network operations in line…
BELARUS: The Ambassador hosted a lunch for the winners of the Regional Choreography Festival-Competition-a dancing group “Detstvo”, students of the Borisov Creative Centre for Children and Youth. The team leader Ms. Susanna Koltsova, Ms. Irina Zuyonok (the Head of the Creative Arts department of the center), Ms. Marina Singayevskaya (Deputy Director for Economic activities), and Ms. Marina Laikova(a poet and artist, teacher of the Creative center) also attended the event. As a part of the cultural program, the students introduced the host with self-composed poems, performed traditional Belarusian songs, played the instruments. The Ambassador told young guests about Pakistan, its…
PESHAWAR: Under the “Discover the faces of Pakistan” project, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Culture and Tourism Authority (KPCTA) and OPPO have joined hands to explore and highlight the tourism potential, cultural heritage, and historic sites through different initiatives, including publicity via social media platform, in the province. The project is aimed at highlighting portrait photography and capture national sentiments and tell the unique story of people in Pakistan. Besides other activities, the KPCTA and OPPO arranged a weeklong tour for the famed content creators and journalists, including Anum Hakim, Khaula Jamil, Amjad, Irfan Junejo, Akram Ali, Danish Khan, Adeel Chisti, Art…
ROME: Italy’s new state-backed airline, Italia Trasporto Aereo, will seek to buy the Alitalia name in time for its start of service in mid-October. A market-price auction of the brand was outlined in a decision released Friday last by the European Commission. It’s one of the measures required in order to consider ITA a separate entity from the 74-year-old Alitalia, which is being wound down after losing money for decades. The sale of the iconic name could take place as soon as next week. Transferring control of the brand to ITA has been a key goal of the government in…
RIYADH: The Saudi General Directorate of Passports has begun automatically extending the validity of residence permits for expatriates outside the kingdom, in addition, to visit visas and exit and re-entry visas without any fees or extra charges for all expatriates until November 30, reported the Saudi Press Agency. This extension, which comes as per the directives of Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, falls within the continuing efforts of the Saudi government to deal with the repercussions of the Covid-19 pandemic and ensure the safety of Saudi citizens and residents, it stated. The directorate indicated that the extension will…
OTTAWA: The Government of Canada has announced that now all European tourists who have been fully vaccinated against the COVID-19 disease can travel to Canada for travel and tourism purposes. To be permitted to enter the country, EU travellers must prove that they have received one of the vaccine doses accepted as valid proof of immunity in Canada and are obliged to present a negative COVID-19 test result taken before arrival, SchengenVisaInfo.com reports. “Effective September 7, foreign nationals who qualify for the fully vaccinated traveller exemption can enter Canada for discretionary travel,” a statement of the Canadian Government reads. Consequently,…
VENICE: Now, a month after cruise ships were banned from the lagoon, city authorities are preparing to demand that tourists pre-book their visit on an app and charge day-trippers between $3.50 and $12 to enter, depending on the time of the year. Airport-like turnstiles are being tested to control the flow of people and, should the numbers become overwhelming, stop new visitors from getting in. Venice mayor Luigi Brugnaro says his aim is to make tourism more sustainable in a city visited by 25 million people a year. But he acknowledges the new rules are likely to be a hard…