Author: holidayweekly

MANSEHRA: Prime Minister Imran Khan has said tourism offers excellent potential for boosting the country’s revenue and employment opportunities and it is his vision to keep Pakistan clean and green to attract tourists from across the world to this heavenly land. “Switzerland is half the size of our northern areas and has no match with the natural beauty of our landscape, yet it earns $80 billion from tourism whereas our total export is of $25 billion,” the prime minister said while addressing a gathering of Tiger Force volunteers in Naran, the commercial hub of Kaghan valley. During the trip to…

GENEVA: The crash in international tourism due to the coronavirus pandemic could cause a loss of more than $4 trillion to the global GDP for the years 2020 and 2021, according to a UNCTAD report published on June 30. The estimated loss has been caused by the pandemic’s direct impact on tourism and its ripple effect on other sectors closely linked to it. The report, jointly presented with the UN World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), says international tourism and its closely linked sectors suffered an estimated loss of $2.4 trillion in 2020 due to direct and indirect impacts of a steep…

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia is planning to target international transit passenger traffic with its new national airline, going head-to-head with other regional carriers Dubai’s Emirates and Qatar Airways and revving up the regional competition, said a report. The new airline would boost international routes and echo existing Gulf carriers by carrying people from one country to another via connections in the kingdom, known in the industry as sixth-freedom traffic. Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman had on Tuesday announced plans to launch a second national airline as part of a broader strategy to turn the kingdom into a global logistics hub…

P&O Cruises Australia has extended its pause in cruise operations by a further three months until December 17th. The Carnival-owned line said the decision followed ongoing uncertainty around a pathway to resume Australia-only cruising. The cruise industry has been discussing a framework for the re-start of domestic-only cruising with government and public health authorities since last October. “These discussions have been underway for some time, and we look forward to the opportunity to agree to a pathway for starting cruises that carry Australian residents on Australian itineraries,” P&O Cruises Australia President, Sture Myrmell, said. “This is about the livelihoods of…

DUBAI: Expo 2020 Dubai tickets will go on sale worldwide from July 18, opening up a spectacular world of innovation and entertainment for every visitor across 182 visually striking and emotionally inspiring days from October 1, 2021 to March 31, 2022. With three months to go, Expo 2020 has announced three ticket tiers to ensure every visitor will be able to enjoy the spectacular event, regardless of the duration of their visit to Dubai. One-day tickets are priced at AED95 ($26); multi-day tickets, offering unrestricted entry for 30 consecutive days, are priced at AED195 ($53), and season passes, with unlimited…

BANGKOK: Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha welcomes foreign tourists from a Singapore Airlines flight at Phuket airport on Thursday, July 1. Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha told the public that Thailand needs to accept the risk of reopening the country, kicking off with the so-called Phuket Sandbox scheme to welcome foreign tourists on Thursday. Gen Prayut was confident the country’s tourism will be resuscitated if all parties involved succeed in pushing ahead with the scheme. According to the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA), if more than 15 new infections are detected per 100,000 people in Phuket in one week, the sandbox…

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) has announced to operate flights to Skardu from Faisalabad just to boost tourism industry of Gilgit-Baltistan. According to details, the national airline’s flights on the newest route will begin from July 7. Earlier, the airline had announced to operate flights to Skardu from Sialkot. PIA has already been operating flights to Skardu from Karachi, Islamabad and Lahore. Furthermore, the airline also launched its Air Safari flights on Saturday, June 19, to promote domestic and international tourism in the country. The airline’s first scenic Air Safari flight took off from the Islamabad International Airport with 91…

NEW YORK: In a big day for the carrier, United Airlines has confirmed orders for 270 new planes. Boeing and United announced the carrier will expand its 737 order book by purchasing an additional 200 737 Max jets, including 150 for the largest member of the family, the 737-10. The remaining order is for 50 of the 737-8 variant. At the same time, United has placed an order for 70 Airbus A321neo aircraft, positioning the airline to grow its presence in the single-aisle market. “Our United Next vision will revolutionise the experience of flying United as we accelerate our business…

TOKYO: Japan is considering an extension of two weeks to a month for coronavirus prevention measures in Tokyo and other areas, Japanese media said on Wednesday, June 30, with less than a month left until the opening of the summer Olympics. Japan’s capital and other areas are under a ‘quasi’ state of emergency set to be lifted on July 12, but a recent uptick in infections has officials concerned and could affect the number of spectators allowed into Olympics venues. As Tokyo’s infections rose to 714, their highest since May 26, the Mainichi Shimbun daily said the government was considering…

CANBERRA: Passengers on flights within Australia may soon be allowed to travel with their pets next to them rather than in the cargo hold below. The country’s aviation regulator plans to relax the rules which currently ban any animal other than designated service dogs from flying in the cabin. However, it will be up to each airline to decide its own policy for flying with fido, kitty or any other furry, feathered or scaled friend once the new rules come into effect on December 2. Qantas, Virgin Australia, Jetstar and Regional Express allow service dogs to travel free with their…