New connections. Fresh perspectives. The travel developments to know.
2,506 reports
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is predicted to lead the tourism and hospitality industry with regard to job opportunities between 2010 and 2020, said a report published by the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC). According to details, UAE will generate 5.7 per cent annualised growth rate in travel and tourism economy employment, the fastest in the world. The contribution of the travel and tourism economy to…
Prince Sultan bin Salman, chairman of the Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities (SCTA), announced on Monday that the Ministry of Culture and Information has joined hands with his organisation. Talking to journalists after the signing ceremony, Prince Sultan highlighted the remarkable progress achieved by the Saudi media under the leadership of the Minister of Culture and Information, Abdul Aziz…
A new policy with regard to the service in the UAE is likely to increase the cost passport (renewal or procuring a new one) by Dh500. According to a statement released by the British Embassy in Abu Dhabi, applications for full validity passports for British nationals will no longer be processed in the UAE (Dubai and Abu Dhabi consular services). From August 1 this year, all passport applications from the UAE will…
Tourism activity in Lebanon will improve by 10 to 20 per cent in 2010 and there will be no Israeli war on Lebanon, said Tourism Minister Fadi Abboud. “During the past two months, the number of tourists increased by 22 per cent which is a very good indicator and we expect this number to exceed two million in 2010,” he said. Abboud was talking to journalists during a press conference held at the ministry of tourism…
Virgin Galati’s new space tourism rocket completed its first captive-carry test flight in which it was taken aloft over the California desert by a mother ship aircraft. For actual space tourism flights in the future, the spaceship will launch from the bigger aircraft, then fire its rockets and carry passengers on a suborbital thrill ride into space, for $200,000 a ticket. Virgin Galactic said in a statement…
March 22- Kuwait has denied a report published on Sunday that suggested that the country has banned Iranians from being issued visas to enter the country. The Kuwait Ministry of Interior termed the report as being "unfounded". The statement added that the National Directorate "has not issued any verbal or written instructions in this regard". The statement concluded by saying the ministry facilitated “the entry…
March 22- The development of the northern Egyptian town, Marsa Matrouh, is expected to hugely benefit the tourism industry of the country. Located near the seaside resort of Alexandria, it will accommodate1 6 per cent Egyptians and 30 million tourists. Marsa Matrouh has 500,000 residents at the moment and received over six million tourists between June and September 2009. Reports indicate that a similar number…
March 21- The Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) announced on Sunday that roads and bridges leading to the Meydan Racecourse, Nad Al Sheba, will be opened soon. These include bridges as long as 2025 metres with two lanes each, a private bridge for VIP use and two 710 metre-long bridges. Mattar Al Tayer, Chairman of the board and Executive Director, RTA, speaking to journalists on the occasion, said: “The…
March 21- The UAE showcased items with cultural significance at the second Arab Media Tourism Forum exhibited its cultural landmarks at the second Arab Media Tourism Forum that began in Porto Marina, Alexandria on Thursday. These landmarks include posters, brochures, pictures and information on the most important tourist destinations. Food specific to the UAE as well as Arab coffee was also featured there.…
March 21- Visitors to the UAE will go through a hassle-free visa process in the near future, said the Higher Permanent Committee for Finance and Assets of the Interior Ministry. This will be achieved by outsourcing to specialized companies in countries from where tourists are coming. The committee added that such external offices should be set up with the approval of UAE embassies. The recommendation is more…
March 19- Lebanon will rank first internationally in terms of growth in the travel and hospitality industry this year, said the annual research report released for 2010 by the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC). According to the report, Lebanon’s travel industry will register a growth of 11.3 per cent in 2010 thanks to stable political and security conditions in the region. Lebanon was ranked first…
March 19- Costa Cruise's Dubai arm has said the winter bookings for 2009-2010 have gone up by 40 per cent as compared to the same period last year."The booking trend for the summer time has slightly improved this year and we have already had quite a number of people booking, three to four months in advance," said Francesca Mugnari, sales and marketing manager at Costa Cruises UAE and Gulf. Cruises have been…
March 19- Wahooo! Water Park has launched Middle East’s first-ever surf school in Bahrain, it was learnt on Friday. The trainers at the academy have been coached by the world champion flow riding team that flew in from South Africa. The academy can train enthusiasts in all levels of surfing in the five-week, seven-and-a-half hour training programme. Once trained, participants will compete for the ‘Big Barrel…
March 19- Egyptian Tourism Minister, Zoheir Garranah, and Major General Adel Labib, the Governor of Alexandria, have selected Alexandria as the Capital of Arab Tourism for 2010 and have announced the initiation of festivals in this regard at a press conference held on March 17 in Alexandria. The selection was originally made in May 2009 by the Arab Ministerial Council of Tourism that chose Alexandria as the…
March 18- The number of people from the UAE visiting the United Kingdom has increased 22 percent in the first nine months of 2009 according to VisitBritain, the UK’s national tourism agency. The agency projected that tourism will be one of the UK’s best performing sectors over the next ten years, and will grow at 3.5 percent every year. A Deloitte and Oxford analysis said that tourism in the UK is worth £115…
March 18- Recent figures from the International Air Transport Association (IATA) show that the Middle East has had some of the fastest recoveries in business and first class air travel as global trade has increased. Local carriers sold 25 percent more premium tickets to Australasia and the Far East in January than for the same period last year. Services in all other regions also increased, including Middle East…
March 18- Kuwait Airways met with Iraqi Airways' officials on Tuesday, citing it a welcome move with regard to an on-going visit by an Iraqi delegation to Kuwait. Earlier, newspapers were reported to have said that Kuwait Airways officials had refused to meet with their Iraqi counterparts. However, sources denied this claim saying that "we learnt of the Iraqi delegation's visit to Kuwait only through the…
March 18- A Dh3 billion mall project, the Mirdif City Centre, was launched by Majid Al Futtaim Properties in Dubai on Tuesday. This has added nearly 200,000 square metres that is available for lease to the retail sector. Spanning over an area of 196,000-square metres and situated at the corner of Tripoli Street and Emirates Road, the mall has over 350 outlets. “Mirdif City Centre shows Al Futtaim’s…
