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The Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities (SCTA) started the implementation of eight projects to develop tourist sites in Tabuk, in an effort to support other projects implemented by municipalities, investors, and businessmen in the province. Efforts also aim to benefit from the natural tourism potential and find appropriate tourist sites to achieve the aspirations of different social groups. Nasir bin…
The Executive Committee of the Eid Al Fitr Celebration at the Riyadh Mayoralty has announced the Eid al-Fitr programs in various parts of the city to celebrate the Eid Holidays. These include the 200 free events spread over more than 40 locations in various neighborhoods of the capital with the participation of a large number of folk shows, traditional and performing artists and poets, and the fireworks to…
To mark the beginning of a new phase in its Silk Road Program, UNWTO, in collaboration with the government of Uzbekistan, will hold the 5th International Meeting on the Silk Road on October 8-9, 2010 in Samarkand, Uzbekistan. The meeting will introduce new concepts for Silk Road branding and marketing, destination management, and travel facilitation, and will set out key strategies for the UNWTO’s “Silk Road…
CHICAGO and HOUSTON - In an agreement intended to address the United States Department of Justice's concerns related to Continental's proposed merger with United, both airlines have agreed to lease 18 pairs of take-off and landing slots (roundtrip flights) during peak and off-peak travel times and certain related facilities to Southwest Airlines at Newark Liberty International Airport. "We think this would be…
EGYPTAIR has received its first Airbus A330-300 aircraft from the Airbus facility in Toulouse, France. Powered by Rolls Royce Trent 700 engines, the aircraft seats 301 passengers with 265 in Economy Class, and 36 in Business Class. Joining EGYPTAIR’s existing Airbus fleet of 17 A320 family aircraft, seven A330-200s and three A340-200s, the new A330-300 will be the first EGYPTAIR aircraft to feature onboard…
Dubai: 29th August, 2010: Priority Pass, the world’s leading independent airport lounge program, has added over 50 new lounges to its program this year making it the largest selection of lounges ever offered to its members. Within the Middle East, new lounges are now available to members in Jeddah (Al-Fursan Golden Lounges), Riyadh (Al-Fursan Golden Lounges), Abu Dhabi (Dana Lounge) and in Muscat (Plaza…
Starting November of this year, passengers traveling to Chennai, India, will have the possibility of doing so in one non-stop flight, with Air Seychelles. Responding to the increased number of arrivals from the Indian subcontinent and the demand from the local Indian community, Air Seychelles, has decided to launch this service, which will provide a direct air-link to India. The national airline has recently…
The year 2010 represents a golden opportunity for South Africa as a nation to win not just on the football field as host nation of the 2010 FIFA WORLD CUP, but on the global tourism stage. The reality, however, is that the end of the 2010 Games do not mark the end of the work, they mark the beginning. And for Destination South Africa, the tourism industry is firmly in extra time. As stated by Mr. Jabu Mabuza,…
Co-operative Travel Group managing director Mike Greenacre will lead a stellar line up of private sector speakers at the annual World Tourism Organization’s (UNWTO) Ministers’ Summit at World Travel Market, the premier global event for the travel industry. This year’s summit is poised to be the largest ever with more than 150 ministers and senior aides attending. For the first time, the summit will conclude…
UAE hotels are relying on food and beverage revenues from iftars and suhoors because of the decline in occupancy rates during Ramadan. “The hospitality industry has always been accustomed to experiencing a drop in room occupancy during Ramadan, especially when it falls on summer season,” said Syed Zulfiqar Mehdi, the sales director at Samaya Hotel Deira in Dubai. But iftars and suhoors are helping to offset…
UNWTO Secretary-general, Mr. Taleb Rifai, met with the Croatian Prime Minister, Ms. Jadranka Kosor, and the Minister of Tourism, Mr. Damir Bajs, to discuss tourism development in the country during a visit to Croatia (August 20-21, 2010). The Prime Minister expressed her full support for the tourism sector, underlining its crucial role in economic growth and development. Meeting with the Prime Minister, Mr.…
NEW YORK, NY – Exceptional scuba diving can be found throughout the Caribbean, but for a truly one-of-a-kind undersea adventure, Martinique’s Diamond Rock is tough to match. This uninhabited, hardscrabble islet located off Martinique’s southern coast features a cavern that extends directly beneath it from one end to the next. This affords divers the unique opportunity to dive under an island, beginning on one…
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) announced international scheduled traffic statistics for July which showed continued strengthening of demand for both passenger and cargo traffic. Compared to July 2009, international passenger demand was up 9.2% while international scheduled freight traffic showed a 22.7% improvement. These year-on-year comparisons for July were less than the June growth data…
Passengers on Bmibaby flight were treated to live opera singing on their flight from Manchester to Prague. Vera Likerova, a member of the Prague State Opera, performed a Czech melody for all passengers, which is the first event in the airlines's "enterplanement" season. "As well as putting the fun back into flying, we thought we could do something more interactive and actually have representatives from the…
HANOI, Vietnam - Seychelles’ participation in the Second International Forum held in Hanoi from August 17 to 19 on the theme “Vietnam-Africa: Cooperation on Sustainable Development" has opened new avenues of concrete cooperation between the two countries and projected, in the region and beyond, a dynamic image of Seychelles’ “Look East" diplomacy. During the event that was attended by more than 600 delegates…
Dubai, UAE; August 23, 2010: A collection of artwork by Italian artist Pordenone Montanari, described as a genius rediscovered, will be on display in London, on loan from the private art collection of a Dubai-based entrepreneur, and promoter of DAR Capital Group, a boutique investment advisory and private equity firm with business interests in India, the Middle East and Africa. A core group of paintings by…
World Travel Market, the premier global event for the travel industry, is expanding its technology seminar program for 2010 with the introduction of a presentation theatre on the exhibition floor within the technology and online travel section. It’s the first time a conference venue has been positioned on the World Travel Market (WTM) exhibition floor in the event’s 31-year history. The new Technology and…
The Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities (SCTA), in collaboration with the Makkah Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MCCI), started classification of hotels, furnished flats, and residential units, in accordance with the directives of His Royal Highness Prince Sultan bin Salman bin Abdul Aziz, president of SCTA. The involvement of MCCI in this context is to enhance the partnership with relevant authorities…
