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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Dubai, UAE, October 19, 2010 - HP and InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) today announced a broad technology agreement that will see IHG upgrade and streamline its existing technology infrastructure to address new business and growth opportunities. The annual framework agreement with IHG, the world's largest hotel group by number of rooms, covers IHG’s 77 hotels and resorts across the Middle East region.…
Dubai, UAE; October 18, 2010: The second annual wedding fair, organised and hosted by The Address Hotels + Resorts recently showcased all wedding requirements – from décor, to design and venues. The fair hosted wedding planners, photographers, hair and make-up artists and fitness companies in addition to airline partners who provided information on the most-sought after honeymoon destinations. Guests were also…
Recent reports from the International Air Transport Association (IATA) indicate that the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) is the fastest growing region for air traffic in the world, with capacity increasing by 13.2% in the first 7 months of 2010. With demand in the sector up 19.4% over the same period, travel operators are looking to profit from the opportunities generated through market growth. They are…
Park Hyatt Dubai took top honours at the prestigious 23rd annual Conde Nast Traveler 2010 Readers’ Choice Awards held in New York last week. The uber-luxury property, which celebrated its fifth anniversary in August this year, was named “Top Hotel in the Middle East” ahead of The Four Seasons, Doha and David Citadel Hotel, Jerusalem. The Readers’ Choice Awards survey is unique for both its size and the…
As the XIX Commonwealth Games drew to a close, India also stole the show at this year’s World Travel Awards Asia&Australasia Ceremony held in Delhi on Thursday, October 14. The industry’s elite – including CEOs and directors of leading travel companies, government ministers, and tourist board chiefs – all gathered to see who would be crowned the “best of the best" during the most important evening of the year…
JAKARTA, Indonesia - A recent survey by the Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation (CAPA) has ranked the national airline of Indonesia, Garuda, the best carrier in Southeast Asia for service quality. The Southeast Asia survey measured several criteria including passenger comfort, food, on-board and ground services, and passengers’ perceived value in flying with the airline. The results put Garuda ahead of fierce…
AMMAN – To help prepare Jordan’s tourism sector to do business online and tap into the multi-billion-dollar global online tourism market, an e-business conference took place today, organized by the USAID/Jordan Tourism Development Project II in coordination with the Ministry of Tourism&Antiquities (MoTA). The conference hosted international and local tourism e-business experts to share their knowledge and…
Minister Jean Paul Adam, the Seychelles minister of foreign affairs joined Alain St.Ange, the CEO of the Seychelles Tourism Board and eTurboNews ambassador, to sell the 2011 Seychelles “Carnaval International de Victoria" to Dubai. Victoria, the capital of the Seychelles is planning an international carnival scheduled to take place in March 2011, echoing the time when Seychelles first became a melting pot of…
Dubai Airports CEO Paul Griffiths today issued a statement in response to the recent comments and media coverage emanating from France and Canada that inaccurately imply government subsidisation and preferential treatment of local carrier Emirates Airline. "The only thing Dubai is guilty of is providing an environment that actually supports aviation. Most governments around the world treat aviation as a…
SEATTLE - Chiapas, the southern-most state in Mexico, has won the bid to serve as Destination Host to the Adventure Travel Trade Association's eighth annual Adventure Travel World Summit, an assembly of 600 adventure tourism professionals, which will be held October 17-20, 2011 in San Cristóbal de las Casas. Announced by the ATTA and Mexican tourism officials October 7 during the closing ceremonies of the…
In an initiative to support the development of the Seychelles tourism sector, Emirates will increase services between Dubai and the archipelago to seven flights per week, starting 4th November 2010. In this context, a Memorandum of Understanding highlighting joint promotional activities in the Middle East was signed today between the Dubai-based airline and the Seychelles Tourism Board in Dubai, in the…
flydubai has announced a duo of new routes taking Dubai's first low cost airline's network to 26 destinations. Sulaimaniyah in Iraq and Yerevan in Armenia are the two new routes, giving travellers even more diverse destinations to visit when they begin their inaugural services in November, 2010. flydubai CEO, Ghaith Al Ghaith said: "Our two new destinations are both to incredibly important markets for…
The process of applying for a visa to visit Europe is so unpleasant that over 450,000 tourists are deterred from coming. This is a core finding of the latest European Tour Operators Association (ETOA) report on visa applications. Indian and Chinese tourists applying for Visas are most likely encounter bad communication and red tape. Visa processing by the UK is identified as that most likely to cause…
The World Travel Market (WTM) Global Trends Report, in association with Euromonitor International, has a history of being on the money when it comes to the latest trends to impact the travel and tourism industry. The launch of the 2010 WTM Global Trends Report, taking place on Monday, November 8 at World Travel Market, will be no exception when the key trends to hit the sector will be shared with the…
Dubai, U.A.E., 11th October 2010 - The European Tour and Emirates airline have teamed up for the golf season's grand finale - the Dubai World Championship, which will see every member of Europe's triumphant Ryder Cup team line up to contest the $7.5 million (Dhs 42m) prize fund. The Dubai-based international carrier will be the Official Airline of the climax to The Race to Dubai from 25th to 28th November,…
A total number of 48,300 nominations were received this year from TTG readers across the Asia-Pacific who participated in the print and online voting exercise for the Travel Awards. Based on these results, 25 new awardees emerged across various categories, acknowledged for their contributions and excellent products and services. New winners include Hong Kong Disneyland for Best Theme Attraction, City of Dreams…
Wings Travels, a global corporate travel management firm, have launched their Middle East operations today. Harvey Lines, the director of Middle East operations at Wings Travel, stated the office will provision specialized support to oil, gas and marine sector companies in the region. Wings is a global organisation with offices in London, Manchester and Aberdeen (UK), Johannesburg, Cape Town, Pretoria and…
Dnata, the Dubai-based airport and travel services firm, will acquire a 100% shares of Milan based in-flight catering firm, Alpha Flight Group. The Italian firm has a turnover of Dhs2.3bn and employs over 5,800 staff in 11 countries. It produces over 120,000 meals per day at 58 airports globally. The final transaction is scheduled to take place on December 31, 2010.
JAKARTA, Indonesia - Garuda Indonesia has announced the addition of new state-of-the-art Airbus A330-200 aircraft on direct non-stop routes between Jakarta and Shanghai, Beijing, Seoul, Hong Kong, Sydney, and Melbourne. The planes will also be added on select flights between Jakarta and Denpasar/Bali, Makassar, and Singapore. The aircraft are equipped with Rolls Royce Trent 772 engines designed to lower…
British luxury brand Alfred Dunhill is set to launch a series of vacations, it announced October 4. Dunhill has teamed up with luxury travel firm Black Tomato to produce a series of “classic journeys” based around the concepts of exploration and adventure. The tours are inspired by the 1930 overland journey of Clement Court, a manager of Dunhill’s Paris rue de la Paix store, which took him overland from…
As evidence mounts about the failure of the European Union (EU) Package Travel Directive, World Travel Market's (WTM) World Responsible Tourism Day’s Thursday program is to try to unravel the problems causing what is described as “a nightmare of non-stop confusion, a complete muddle.” A pile of evidence has been collated by the EU on the issue with countless submissions by industry associations. World…
EVENDALE, Ohio — 4 October 2010 — In a special ceremony held in London, England, September 28, Air Arabia formalized its order for CFM56-5B engines to power its fleet of 44 Airbus A320 family aircraft. This new engine selection, originally announced in July 2010, will more than double the airlines’ CFM56-5B powered A320 fleet. Air Arabia, the first and largest low-cost carrier in the Middle East and North…
The Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities (SCTA) received the Award of Excellence in e-government services as one of the most successful government agencies to apply the concept of e-government transactions in a number of e-services supported through the National Portal of electronic transactions. During the opening ceremony of the National Conference of E-government Transactions, organized by the…
Bangkok, THAILAND – Qatar Airways today announced a huge expansion in Thailand with the introduction of a third daily flight to Bangkok, effective November 1st. The increase in capacity comes just three weeks after the airline launches scheduled flights to the popular Thai resort of Phuket. The Bangkok service will facilitate increasing demand from many parts of the world, particularly European and North…
