BELARUS: Mr. Ghufran Memon, Secretary, National Food Security met with the Minister of Agriculture of Belarus. He was accompanied by Ambassador Sajjad Haider Khan and members of the business delegation from Pakistan representing fruits/vegetables, fertilizer, dairy products, and auto parts. While appreciating the warm hospitality of the Belarusian government, Mr. Memon shared his first hand experiences of the exhibition, several meetings with relevant partners in Minsk and assured to work for solidifying bilateral cooperation especially in the Agricultural Sector. The honorable Minister briefed the delegation members on the overall economic portfolio of the country, priority sectors for cooperation, and expressed readiness…
Author: holidayweekly
ISLAMABAD: The successful ascent of Mt. Everest by Pakistani Mountaineer Sirbaz Khan was feted at a high-profile reception by Serena Hotels on Wednesday evening. On 12th May 2021, Sirbaz had summited the world’s tallest peak as part of “Mission 14”, his quest to become the first Pakistani to scale all 14 peaks over 8000 m around the world. At the event, the phenomenal journey of Sirbaz Khan was highlighted and celebrated. Hailing from Hunza, he began climbing as a mountain guide and kitchen crew member with international climbing expeditions for over 11 years before becoming a professional mountaineer. He tends…
BELGIUM: The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), Basque Culinary Center (BCC), VISITFLANDERS and the city of Bruges have announced new dates for the 6th UNWTO World Forum on Gastronomy Tourism. Held under the theme ‘Gastronomy Tourism: Promoting Rural Tourism and Regional Development’, the forum will take place October 31 – November 2 in Bruges, Belgium. The event will focus on the contribution of gastronomy tourism to social and economic integration. It will also highlight its untapped potential for job creation, regional cohesion and sustainable growth. Building on UNWTO’s work on advancing innovation across the tourism sector, the forum also represents a…
LONDON: Queen Elizabeth II has hosted the Group of Seven leaders at an evening reception where Britain’s royals mingled with some of the world’s most powerful politicians. The event, which was closed to most media, saw royals, world leaders and their spouses enjoying drinks at Cornwall’s Eden Project, an attraction that features the world’s largest indoor rainforest within giant domes. Three generations of the monarchy attended the event, held on the first evening of a three-day summit in Cornwall, southwest England. Prince Charles and his wife Camilla were joined by Prince William and his wife Kate, who were taking part…
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia has restricted the annual Hajj pilgrimage to its own citizens and residents for the second year running in response to the coronavirus pandemic, while limiting the number of pilgrims is 60,000, Saudi Press Agency (SPA) has reported. Only people aged between 18 and 65 who have been vaccinated or immunised from the virus, and are free of chronic diseases, will be able to take part, said the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah that manages the Muslim pilgrimage to Makkah, said in a statement carried by SPA. “The Ministry affirms that the government of the Kingdom of Saudi…
The COVID-19 had a devastating impact on the global cruise industry, with cruise lines practically disappearing after the pandemic hit and all operators witnessing double-digit sales drop. However, it seems that 2021 might bring a new hit to the sector, which is already on its knees. According to data presented by StockApps.com, the entire cruise industry is expected to generate $6.6bn in revenue in 2021, almost five times less than in 2019. Confidence in the Cruise Lines Plummeted Amid Pandemic, the Number of Users Down by 76% in Two Years When the COVID-19 hit, cruise ships immediately suffered high infection…
PESHAWAR: The special training workshops on implementing the standard operating procedures (SOPs) and safety measures against the coronavirus and raising awareness about the viral disease among the stakeholders and revival of tourism in the province are going on at various districts of the province simultaneously. The Directorate of Tourist Services (DTS) – a wing of the Tourism Department – and the World Bank funded Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Integrated Tourism (KITE) project, have jointly arranged the training workshops. The training workshops are currently continuing at Peshawar, Naran, Kalam, Swat, Chitral and Bahrain. The crash course for the hotels’ staff members and officials…
TOULOUSE: World2fly, the new long-haul airline recently founded by the Spanish hotel company Iberostar, has taken delivery of the first of two A350-900s on lease from Air Lease Corporation, an American aircraft leasing company, becoming the latest operator of the world’s most efficient large widebody aircraft. World2fly’s A350-900s feature a modern and highly-comfortable single-class cabin layout with 432 seats. Passengers will enjoy more personal space, wide seats and absolute well-being on board and appreciate the latest-generation in-flight entertainment and connectivity. The A350 Airspace cabin is the quietest of any twin-aisle aircraft and offers passengers and crew the best flying experience.…
NEW YORK: United Airlines has announced a commercial agreement with Boom Supersonic to add supersonic aircraft to their global fleet. The carrier announced that they are buying 15 planes from Boom Supersonic, with the option to purchase 35 more. Boom’s first commercial supersonic jet, the Overture, has not been built or certified yet. It is targeting the start of passenger service in 2029, with a plane that could fly at Mach 1.7 and cut some flight times in half. This means that a flight from New York to London, typically lasting seven hours, would only take around 3½ hours. Once…
DUBAI: Emirates will resume flights from Dubai to Nice from July 2 and Lyon from July 9, initially offering four flights a week to each city. The move is in line with France has eased its entry requirements for visitors from June 9. The lifting of entry restrictions will enable travellers based in the UAE to visit France without the need for quarantine. From June 9, Emirates customers in the UAE are eligible for quarantine-free entry into France if they have completed the two week period after taking both doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech or AstraZeneca vaccine. In addition, fully vaccinated…