Airline, airport, hotel, destination, visa, and Muslim travel updates from Irhal.
The airline marks Philadelphia as its 14th destination in North America NEW YORK, NY, USA – Qatar Airways has reconnected Doha and Philadelphia with the launch of a daily non-stop flight between Hamad International Airport (DOH) and Philadelphia International Airport (PHL), its 14th destination in North America, which resumed on 1 August 2026.
Read full storyThis summer, Central Shopping Centers invites international visitors to experience the best of shopping, dining, and leisure with Summer Holiday 2026, running from 20 July – 30 September 2026. Created exclusively for international tourists, the campaign offers shopping privileges across Thailand’s five world-class shopping malls: centralwOrld, Central Park…
Read full storyThe Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities and the Jordan Tourism Board, in cooperation with tourism associations, have launched the integrated digital platform "Ahlan Jordan" as part of measures to support the tourism sector and address the impact of regional circumstances on travel activity.
Read full storyflydubai, the Dubai-based carrier, has increased its daily operations between Dubai and Naples and is set to boost its flights to Milan-Bergamo to a double-daily operation from 31 July, enhancing passenger connectivity to Italy.
Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates – July 28, 2026: The Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi has announced that Guggenheim Abu Dhabi, a museum of modern and contemporary art, will open its doors on 11 December 2026 at Saadiyat Island, Abu Dhabi.
Warner Bros. World™ Yas Island, Abu Dhabi, the region's largest indoor theme park, is inviting guests to place themselves in the hands of one of DC's most iconic Super-Villains, as Kryptonite Collider officially opens.
Malaysia Retains No. 1 Position in Global Muslim Travel Index 2025, Offering GCC Travellers a Summer of Festivals, Culture and Discovery.
The Dubai-based carrier announces the start of daily flights to Aleppo from 20 July, reaffirming its connectivity to opening underserved markets Aleppo becomes the carrier’s second destination in Syria alongside Damascus
What if the most valuable thing you brought home from a trip wasn’t an object, but a story? Northern Thailand is home to dozens of ethnic communities who have carried their identities across mountains and borders for centuries – and many of them welcome curious, respectful visitors.
The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) today launched the search for the 7 Contemporary Wonders of the World, a global initiative designed to identify and celebrate the landmarks and buildings created since 1801 that have had the greatest impact on Travel & Tourism, local communities and economic development, and continue to redefine the future of destin…
Luxury travel today is no longer measured by how much you can see in a few days, but by how deeply you can experience a destination. At Le Méridien Phuket Mai Khao Beach Resort, guests are invited to embrace this philosophy through Long Stay Beach Escape, an exclusive package designed for travelers who wish to enjoy more of Phuket's culture, wellness, and f…
Read full storyTwo hotels, three ways to stay, and one summer campaign inviting guests to choose their own scene across Paramount Hotel Midtown and Paramount Hotel Dubai
Read full storySharjah Museums Offer an Integrated Summer Experience Blending Culture, Science, and Discovery for All Community Members
Read full storyNew five-day programme empowers young people to build confidence, resilience and lifelong skills while embracing active lifestyles
Read full storyAcross Five Museums with Interactive Museum Programmes Enriching Children’s Knowledge
Read full storyOceans of Lights Festival returns to SeaWorld Yas Island, Abu Dhabi in its third edition to offer a summer program full of activities and new experiences
Read full storyJuly 2026, Yerevan, Armenia: Armenia has extended its temporary visa-free entry arrangement, keeping the country within easy reach for eligible travellers from across the Gulf for a further year. The arrangement now runs until 1 July 2027.
Read full storyJuly 2026, Yerevan, Armenia: The competent Armenian authorities announced the extension of the temporary decision exempting eligible travelers from GCC countries from prior visa entry for an additional year, making the decision effective until July 1, 2027. This decision aims to facilitate travel procedures and tourism movement and exchange between Armenia and the Arab Gulf region, allowing travelers…
Read full storySet within Khalid Lagoon, the island shows how Sharjah brings art, nature and design into everyday public life.
Read full storyBlending cultural discovery with elevated wellness and leisure experiences, World of Hyatt summer destinations offer GCC travelers seasonal getaways across the GCC, Africa and Europe.
Read full storyAbu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates – June 30, 2026: Yas Waterworld Yas Island, Abu Dhabi has officially been awarded the Guinness World Records™ title for the most waterslides in a waterpark, featuring a record-breaking collection of 55 slides.
Read full storyExperience the Colours of Malaysia at Citrawarna 2026 This Summer
Read full storyGermany is an ideal destination for friends traveling together, thanks to its creative neighborhoods, vibrant markets, street food culture, and stunning natural retreats
Read full storyFollowing the launch of its first collaboration in 2025, the Jacquemus brand returns this summer to the Monte Carlo Beach Club with a new design that reimagines the coastal atmosphere with a contemporary spirit. The design evokes the spirit of 1950s beach clubs, where elegance meets the calm Mediterranean lifestyle.
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Riyadh Travel Fair, the largest travel fair in Saudi Arabia, is set to welcome 20,000 visitors over four days starting from April 12 2016, at the Al Faisaliah Tower Hotel in Riyadh. More than 250 exhbitors including tourism authorities, airlines, hotels and travel agents will be showcasing their services at the event. Riyadh Travel Fair 2016 will be the eighth year for this annual travel exhibition which is open…
The world's largest hotel group has been created with the merger of Starwood and Marriott. Although Marriott had offered to buy out Starwood earlier, the Chinese Anbang consortium, owners of the Waldorf Astoria in New York, offered a better deal to Starwood prompting Marriott to make a counter offer that has now been accepted by Starwood shareholders. Starwood's 1,300 properties and Marriott's 4,400 hotels…
Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive, HE Mr. Akbar Al Baker spoke about the importance of art and its influence throughout the development phases of Doha’s Hamad International Airport at the annual New York Times ‘Art for Tomorrow’ conference at the W Hotel in Doha. H.E. Mr. Al Baker shared the creative vision and importance of the iconic art pieces purposefully selected and positioned across the various nodes…
Jeddah Tower which was earlier named Kingdom Tower is now 20% complete and is slated for completion in 2018 according to developers Jeddah Economic Company. When complete, the tower will be 1 km tall and will be the tallest man-made structure on earth. A livecam screengrab shows that construction is in full swing. The tower is one-third owned by Prince Alwaleed bin Talal's Kingdom Holding. Although the number…
Always feel queasy before venturing into an airline toilet? Boeing engineers know how you feel. They have developed a self-cleaning lavatory prototype that uses ultraviolet (UV) light to kill 99.99 percent of germs. The cleaning system can disinfect all surfaces after every use in just three seconds. Boeing believes this self-cleaning technology, combined with touch free features, will enhance the passenger…
Vienna is becoming a major tourist destination for visitors from the Middle East. To cope with the additional demand, Emirates is replacing one of its twice daily Boeing 777 service with an A380 that can accommodate 44% more people - 519 passengers: 14 in First Class, 76 in Business Class and 429 in Economy. Emirates lunched its service to Vienna in 2004 and has since carried almost 3 million passengers on the…
HE Ms. Aicha Tagabou, the Minister Delegate for Planning, Tourism and Handicraft of Algeria visited the Global Village in Dubai accompanied by the Algerian Ambassador to the UAE HE Salah Attia. In a meeting with Ahmad Hussain Bin Essa CEO of Global Village, the Algerian Minister expressed her desire to showcase an Algerian Pavilion at the next Global Village in 2017. This year's Global Village which is…
The iconic Batmobile that roars through Warner Bros. Pictures’ upcoming action adventure Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice was on display at the Turkish Airlines booth at the world’s largest travel fair ITB Berlin which concluded on March 13. Mr. Ahmet Olmuştur, Turkish Airlines’ CMO said: “Being a leading airline flying to more countries and international destinations than any other airline in the world, we…
Qatar Airways’ Group Chief Executive, His Excellency Mr. Akbar Al Baker announced a significant network expansion of 14 new destinations at a press conference on the opening day of ITB Berlin – the world’s largest international travel fair. Spread across four continents, the new routes will further expand the reach of the airline’s network, and will include the world’s longest flight, between Doha and Auckland,…
Living up to its reputation as one of the world's leading airlines, Emirates Airline has set up a massive triple decker 528 square meter stand at ITB Berlin - the world's largest travel industry exhibition where 10,000 exhibitors from 180 countries are showcasing their travel products and services. Sir Tim Clark, President, Emirates Airlines, spoke about the futuristic stand - “with our Infinite Possibilities…
Effective 27 March 2016, Emirates will be replacing its Airbus 330-200 with a Boeing 777-300 service to Istanbul’s Sabiha Gokcen Airport. With 364 seats, the 777-300 will take Emirates’ capacity on the route to 5,096 seats per week, an increase of more than 50 percent. Emirates also operates 11 weekly flights between Istanbul’s Ataturk Airport and Dubai. The Emirates 777-300 will have 310 people in Economy…
InterContinental Hotels Group has signed its first InterContinental hotel in Venice - InterContinental Venice – Palazzo Nani. The hotel will operate under a franchise agreement with Cordifin Group and H.n.h. Hotels & Resorts Management and open at the beginning of 2018. The building, converted from a stunning 16th century palace into an intimate 51-room InterContinental hotel, will feature a wellness…
With a simple scan of the boarding pass and opt-in for location detection, the app provides real-time information about flight status, baggage claim, time and direction to boarding gates and food, beverage and retail offers from Qatar Duty Free. To ensure that customers benefit from the best deals, the app alerts the user when walking past outlets with ongoing promotions.
The United States and Cuba have signed an arrangement to restore commercial air service between the two countries for the first time in more than a half century. United Airlines® has proposed service to Havana from four of the country’s largest Cuban-American communities - Newark/New York, Houston, Washington DC and Chicago. United service to Havana will facilitate customers traveling between the U.S. and…
British Airways has unveiled its prestigious new lounge at the newly built Concourse D in Dubai International Airport. The lounge has been designed to maximise space using architectural elements such as illuminated glass screens giving customers separate spaces to work, relax or dine, creating a calm and relaxing environment. The new premium lounge has a large framed wall mirror that reflects the stunning…
Radisson is opening the Radisson Hotel Cheyenne. Located at 204 W. Fox Farm Road, the hotel offers 249 guestrooms and more than 18,000 square feet of flexible meeting and event space. “As one of our first openings for the brand in 2016, the Radisson Hotel Cheyenne represents our continued dedication to further expand throughout the Americas,” said Javier Rosenberg, chief operating officer, Americas, Carlson…
Emirates will launch a daily service from Dubai to Yangon (RGN) in Myanmar and Hanoi (HAN) in Vietnam, starting August 3, 2016. A Boeing 777-300ER will depart daily from Dubai as EK388 at 02:50hrs arriving at Yangon International Airport at 11:05hrs. The service will then depart from Yangon at 12:35hrs and arrive at Hanoi’s Noi Bai International Airport at 14:50hrs. The return flight, EK389 will depart Hanoi at…
Bahrain has introduced eVisas to visitors from eleven African countries, marking the third phase of the Kingdom’s new visa policy. The new phase allows nationals from Egypt, Morocco, Kenya, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Mozambique, Cameroon, Gabon, Senegal, Mauritius and Seychelles to obtain their visas online ahead of travel, via the government’s eVisa website. The new visa policy was introduced in October…
A record 47,431 rooms and 124 hotel projects are currently under development in Saudi Arabia, according to a new report. The majority of projects are in the final construction and pre-opening stages with 52 projects and almost 20,000 rooms set to open to the public throughout the Kingdom this year. Hotels with a 2016 opening date include: The Ritz-Carlton, Jeddah (March); Kempinski Al Othman Hotel in Al…
Virgin Galactic, the privately-funded space company owned by Virgin Group and Abu Dhabi’s Aabar Investments PJS, unveiled its newly completed SpaceShipTwo at the Mojave, California, based manufacturing facility on February 19, 2016. The rollout ceremony was attended by Sir Richard Branson and his family, Virgin Galactic’s Future Astronauts, and partners. Professor Stephen Hawking named the new vehicle Virgin…
Dhofar’s newest luxury hotel, Anantara Salalah - Al Baleed Resort, developed by a joint venture between Omran Hotels & Resorts & Musstir, is set to open this summer. The opening will be just in time for the upcoming season known locally as ‘Khareef’, which brings cooler temperatures and lush greenery. Welcoming guests with traditional Omani style, the resort, located between a natural lagoon and the beach,…
Star Alliance and Heathrow Express have teamed up to offer Star Alliance Gold Card holders a special benefit when travelling on Heathrow Express trains – a free upgrade. The on-going offer is valid for travel from February 15, and is open to Gold cardholders in any of the 21 frequent flyer programmes offered by Star Alliance member airlines. No registration or code is necessary – Gold members just…
Make bunting, mad hats, even pin the smile on the Cheshire cat. Follow us down the rabbit hole and experience the delights and whimsy of The Mad Hatter’s Tea Party at the outside terrace of the Lotus Lounge at Anantara The Palm Dubai Resort. Inspired by the ramblings of the eccentric Mad Hatter of Lewis Carroll’s ‘Alice in Wonderland’, evokes the ambiance of a fairy tale with a vintage afternoon tea buffet…
Qatar Airways will upgrade to non-stop B787 Dreamliner service three times weekly between Doha and Maputo, Mozambique, effective March 27th, 2016. The airline currently serves the Doha–Maputo route three times a week via South Africa’s largest city Johannesburg. With the start of the new non-stop service to Maputo International Airport, passengers from the UK can now take advantage of a seamless one-stop…
