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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Emirates is launching three new weekly flights between Dubai and Cairo, commencing on 1st January 2016. The new service will supplement the current twice daily Boeing 777-300ER flights, taking the total number of flights serving Cairo to 17 each week. “We are delighted to be able to grow our business in Cairo, on the back of commercial demand and great customer support. In the past eight years, the route…
Turkish Airlines, Europe’s best airline has launched daily flights from Abu Dhabi to Istanbul’s Ataturk airport, adding frequencies on the route, which previously shared four flights a week. Turkish Airlines will now be able to carry approximately 2500 passengers between the two cities on a weekly basis. Adem Ceylan, Vice President, Sales, Middle East and Cyprus, Turkish Airlines, said: “Our new daily…
Qatar’s capital city has just welcomed the newest edition to the Harrods Village pop-up series. This exclusive concept is the fourth edition of this project, which is designed to replicate the iconic London store coupled with a unique local shopping experience. The iconic store, which is owned by Qatar Investment Authority (QIA), opened a 6,500 square metre branch at Katara Cultural Village recently. The…
Turkish Airlines, Europe’s best airline has signed a global sponsorship deal with UEFA EURO 2016, to become “The first airline partner” in 55-year history of the European Football Championship. As part of the campaign, Turkish Airlines will be developing exclusive offers such as special charter rates for competing teams to travel to and from the tournament and social media campaigns for the fans. In fact,…
If you want to be one of the first to travel on the world's longest non-stop flight from Dubai to Panama City on February 1 2016, you will have to shell out Dh6,655 for a roundtrip for an Economy seat on an Emirates Boeing 777-200LR aircraft. The Business Class seats for the inaugural flight are not available for booking - perhaps blocked for the dignitaries who will be traveling on the flight. If you do want…
Qatar Airways today becomes the first airline to fly the Airbus A350 to the United States. The ferry flight left Hamad International Airport yesterday morning at 07:40 local time and just landed in at JFK International at 14:00 local time. Qatar Airways was the global launch carrier of the A350 and is the first to fly the aircraft to three continents; the airline’s fleet of seven A350s currently flies…
Luxury hotel brand Fairmont Hotels & Resorts and Abu Dhabi-based private real estate investment company Eagle Hills, have announced the development of a new luxury hotel in Morocco, Fairmont La Marina Rabat-Salé. The 200-room hotel, set to open in 2019, will be located in La Marina Morocco, a coastal mixed-use development located between Rabat and the ancient city of Salé. “We are extremely excited to be…
In a uniquely secluded beachfront location along Sri Lanka’s southern coast, Anantara Peace Haven Tangalle Resort will blend the private exclusivity of a secret paradise beach with easy access to an abundance of natural wonders and cultural gems when it opens in later this month. The allure of the resort is matched by convenient travel; Cinnamon Air offers a daily 30-minute sea-plane flight from Colombo’s…
Etihad Airways was named Airline of the Year 2016 by the prestigious US-based aviation industry publication Air Transport World (ATW). Etihad Airways was chosen for the top honour by ATW’s editorial board in a highly contested competition, with entries from more than 100 airlines around the world. The award recognises Etihad Airways’ clear vision; its successful organic growth supplemented by a unique…
The St. Regis Mumbai has opened its doors, marking the entry of the St. Regis brand in India and south-Asia. With this debut, the ultra-luxury brand has tripled its global footprint over the past decade, reaching 34 hotels in the most coveted destinations around the world. “The introduction of St. Regis to India marks a significant milestone for the brand’s expansion in south-Asia, and Mumbai displays a…
The feature is the result of a purpose built Software Development Kit that was specially created for easyJet by Flightradar24 and uses GPS information that is sent from easyJet’s 240+ aircraft. The flight tracking software, which went live on the app this morning, will show the aircraft’s route, speed, type of aircraft, altitude, distance travelled and total distance to destination.
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide announced the debut of the Westin brand in Egypt, with the opening of The Westin Soma Bay Golf Resort & Spa. Owned by Cascades Hotel Company Soma Bay, the year-round resort is situated at the highest point of the Soma Bay peninsula in Egypt’s Red Sea Riviera and sits at the center of the 18-hole championship golf course designed by Gary Player. “As a coveted resort…
Dubai developer Nakheel signed a management agreement with the Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. to operate a new St. Regis in Dubai. Set to open in 2018, The St. Regis Dubai - The Palm will be a part of Palm Tower, Nakheel’s 52-storey luxury mixed-use development and the centrepiece of Dubai’s world-famous, award-winning Palm Jumeirah Island. St Regis Dubai - The Palm will offer 289 guest rooms,…
Starwood Hotels & Resorts and Majid Al Futtaim have unveiled the new Le Méridien Bahrain City Centre following an extensive transformation of all its guest rooms and public areas and the introduction of new concepts and outlets. In April 2014, Starwood Hotels signed an agreement with Majid Al Futtaim to launch its Westin and Le Méridien brands in Bahrain. The debut of the two hotel brands in July 2014 added…
The Anantara Hotels and Resorts at Sir Bani Yas Island in Abu Dhabi have now created three special beach sites exclusively for ladies where up to eight women can enjoy a private beach party complete wth a female beach butler who can arrange a picnic style lunch and soft beverages as well as provide snorkeling equipment, cold towels and cold sliced fruits. “Our decision to create the private ladies’ beach club…
Celebrate the occasion of the 44th UAE National Day with a colourful spectacle that underlines the values of solidarity and brotherhood, and defines the UAE as ‘Home to the World.’ One of the most-awaited community events, The Parade – Downtown Dubai will be held on Saturday, November 28, 2015, and will be a compelling tribute to the nation, its leadership and the thriving city of Dubai, which is home to…
Etihad Airways, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates, celebrated the highly-anticipated arrival of its award-winning Airbus A380 service at New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK), welcoming and thanking guests travelling on the first flights between two of the world’s top travel destinations. The arrival marked the US debut of the airline’s exclusive A380 service, including The…
Madame Tussauds London revealed wax figures of all six James Bonds, with five completely new wax 007s joining the existing figure of Daniel Craig. To coincide with the release of SPECTRE, the line-up of Sean Connery, George Lazenby, Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton, Pierce Brosnan and Daniel Craig will only appear at the legendary London attraction up until (and including) the 30th of November. The figures will then…
Sharjah is set to get a shopping festival. To be held at the Expo Centre Sharjah, the 17-day-long Sharjah Shopping Festival will be the first ever consumer event of its kind in the Emirate. “The Sharjah Shopping Festival will be another accolade to the Emirate of Sharjah which is the Capital of Arab Tourism for 2015. I am sure the event will go a long way in making Sharjah a key shopping and tourism…
Emirates has announced its plans for a second gateway in Istanbul with the launch of a daily service to Sabiha Gokcen Airport, beginning December 15th, 2015. The new service complements Emirates’ existing 11 weekly flights to Ataturk Airport, offering even more convenience for both inbound and outbound travellers. Located on the rapidly-developing Asian side of Istanbul, Sabiha Gokcen doesn’t only offer a…
British Airways has added two new destinations in Greece to its 2016 summer schedule: Chania and Kalamata. Both sunshine routes are now available for bookings, and the first flights will take to the skies from April 30th, 2016. Neil Cottrell, British Airways’ head of network planning, said: “We’re delighted to be offering our customers more choices to popular holiday hot-spots. With so many new routes…
Marriott International and Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide have announced that the boards of directors of both companies have unanimously approved a definitive merger agreement under which the companies will create the world’s largest hotel company. The transaction combines Starwood’s leading lifestyle brands and international footprint with Marriott’s strong presence in the luxury and select-service…
Four Seasons Hotel Casablanca, a new oceanside hotel in Morocco’s largest city, is now celebrating its grand opening with its first guests. The 186-room Hotel cascades down toward the Atlantic, providing a luxurious retreat inspired by ocean waves and kissed by cool breezes. Most guest rooms and suites have balconies to take in the fresh sea air, and the hotel’s signature restaurant and lobby lounge face…
