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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May 31 - The Ramee Group of Hotels and Resorts announced that it plans to open six new hotels in the Middle East over the next three years, starting with its first property, the 103 room Ramee Rose Hotel, which is set to open in Tecom, Dubai in October. The other four and five star Ramee hotels are planned for Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Bahrain. Raj Shetty, Chairman and managing worker of Ramee Group, said he will…
May 31 - A vast tomb that belonged to a pharaonic army commander was discovered by Egyptian archaeologists on Sunday, said the Supreme Council of Antiquities. According to details, the commander also oversaw the kingdom’s treasures. Known as the tomb of Betah Mes, a royal scribe and in charge of the state granaries, the find goes as far back as the 19th dynasty. Mes ruled Egypt between 1320 and 1200 BC. The…
May 31 - Gulf passengers will once again be bracing themselves for the next round of strikes by the British Airways (BA) cabin crew that kicked off yesterday. Talks between Unite – BA cabin crew union – and the management failed once again on Friday. This round of strikes will last five days, coinciding with the June British bank holiday while the third round will begin on June 5, right before the FIFA world…
May 31 - Kuwait Airways Corporation (KAC) said on Sunday that it is being targeted by the media in a bid to cause harm to its reputation and commercial interests. Talking about the slander campaign, the head of the Public relations Department, KAC, Adel Bourisly said that the company is always striving to improve its services for the benefit of its customers and that several reports that have appeared in the…
May 31 - Kuwaiti-based Jazeera Airways announced the launch a new sales channel in Kuwait via the Galileo Global Distribution System (GDS). This makes Jazeera the first low-cost airline in the country to have signed up for Galileo. Speaking on the occasion, Stefan Pichler, CEO, Jazeera Airways said: "We remain firmly committed to providing guests with as many channels as possible to book their travel with us,…
Tunisia’s national airline, Tunisair, launched a direct Djerba-London route on Friday with the first plane landing at the Djerba airport. The flight had 90 passengers onboard, including journalists, diplomats and tour operators' representatives. Flights to London will operate twice a week, Monday and Thursday and a plan has been formed to ensure that British guests have a pleasant stay in the Djerba Island.…
May 31 - The Supervision Committee for the Expansion of the Abu Dhabi International Airport (Scadia) has called for expressions of interest (EoI) from various firms to take on the redoing of design services for the technology centre facility at the Abu Dhabi International Airport. This is the third tender of its kind and the last date to respond is June 17. The EoI is to choose companies for designing,…
May 31- Hakkasan, an upscale Chinese restaurant company owned by Abu Dhabi Government’s Tasameem, is all set to open its first restaurant at the Emirates Palace today, even though the company suffered huge losses last year. Hakkasan is also considering other Middle Eastern countries as part of its expansion plans. “Next year we want to open in Shanghai, Paris, New York and other sites in the Middle East,” said…
May 30 - During 2009 126.6 million tourists visited China, a 3 percent drop from 2008 figures of 130 million visitors. The China Tourism Authority (CTA) forecasts that 130 million visitors will come to China this year. Outbound tourism has been growing rapidly in China, and 2009 is the first year the country has had a tourism deficit since 1984. Chinese tourists spent about $43.7 billion oveseas last year,…
May 30 - CEO of Boeing, the world’s second largest plane maker, said China is its largest export market, “Not by a little, but by a lot”. James McNerney explained “A growing middle class in China is dramatically reshaping the country’s domestic economy and having a major global economic impact as well.” China’s economy expanded by almost 12 percent in the first three months of 2010 and Boeing expects new Chinese…
May 30 - Yemen's tourism industry, estimated to be worth Dh3.3 billion ($900 million) in 2009, is suffering as tourists are reluctant to visit after the recent bombing and tourist kidnappings that have been reported in the country. "That's it – 99 per cent of tourism has stopped as a result of the kidnappings," said Sanna-based tour guide Mohammad Al Hubaishi. Around 40 per cent of the 23 million Yemenis make…
May 30 - DP World’s Dubai Cruise Terminal has won the World Travel Award for “Middle East’s Leading Cruise Port 2010”. This is the third consecutive year that the terminal has won this award. Talking about the award, Tariq bin Khalifa, Account Director, Account Management, General Cargo, DP World, UAE Region said: “Receiving this award for three successive years proves that Dubai Cruise Terminal remains…
May 30 - British Airways (BA) announced on Saturday that several of its flights to and from Heathrow Airport are operating normally as the entire cabin crew have returned to work before starting the next round of strikes over staffing and pay. "The knock-on impact at Heathrow is far less than anticipated due to the numbers of cabin crew who came to work over the past week," British Airways said in an emailed…
March 29 - German Airline Lufthansa announced on Friday that it will start its Baghdad-Munich flights from September 30, the first in 20 years. Lufthansa said that the flights will be operated four times a week by Swiss affiliate PrivatAir using Boeing 737 aircraft between Arbil in northern Iraq and Frankfurt. The group's Austrian Air subsidiary also serves Arbil from Vienna.
May 27 - The overall hotel revenues in the Middle East have gone down with the biggest loser being the hotel industry in Abu Dhabi, said global research provider STR Global. According to a recent report released by the company, the revenue per available room (revPAR) went down by 48.5 per cent in Abu Dhabi to $126 in April over the same time the year before. This is the fourth consecutive month that the…
May 28 - The President of the Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities (SCTA), Prince Sultan Bin Salman, referred to buildings with an architectural heritage as "dormant oil wells" that need to be exploited as "historical hotels and museums". Prince Salman was speaking at the opening of the International Conference on Architectural Heritage in Islamic Countries in Riyadh earlier this week. "Buildings of…
May 28 - Beirut-based Middle East Airline’s (MEA) pilots went on strike for a few hours on Wednesday but air traffic at the Rafik Hariri International Airport remained normal and no flights disruptions took place. The strike was the result of the breakdown of talks between MEA and its pilots over packages and work conditions. Pilots accuse the airline of temporarily hiring pilots from other airlines thus forcing…
Sharjah, UAE; May 27, 2010: Cozmo Travel, a UAE-based travel agency providing a wide range of innovative individual and corporate travel solutions, announced today the official launch of its operations. The company, which offers business, leisure, health and religious travel services across the Gulf Cooperation Council states (GCC) and wider Middle East and North Africa region, was launched today under the…
May 27 -The Iraq government dissolved Iraqi Airways because of a decade long financial dispute which dates back to Saddam Hussein’s invasion of oil-rich neighbor Kuwait, the Transportation Ministry said on Wednesday. Kuwait alleges that Iraqi Airways stole ten airplanes and millions of dollars worth of spare parts during the 1990 invasion and has long been demanding $1.2 billion in reparations. Kuwait has been…
May 27 - Dubai’s first low cost carrier flydubai announced it will launch flight service to Colombo, Sri Lanka further expanding its fast growing network. Flydubai began operations nearly one year ago, in June 2010. Ticket prices to Flydubai’s 21st destination start at Dh 450 and will begin on Wednesday, June 23rd. Ghaith Al Ghaith, CEO of flydubai, said the new service to Sri Lanka should be very popular…
British Airways has cancelled two flights in the Middle East this week, the result of its cabin crew strike, said an airline official on Wednesday. "There are two daily flights from Dubai to London. The one on the Boeing 747 has been cancelled. The other flight on the Boeing 777 is operating as normal," said British Airways Regional Commercial Manager-Middle East Paolo De Renzis. Meanwhile, the British…
May 27 - Air India, the country’ national airline, cancelled several flights to the Middle East because of a strike by the ground staff. The strike is in protest of a gag order issued by the airline’s management in the aftermath of the Mangalore air crash. Around 76 domestic and international flights which include those to Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Muscat were cancelled on Wednesday. Although the airline…
May 27 - Saudi citizens may be issued multiple-entry temporary resident visas for Canada soon with a validity of five years, it was learnt on Wednesday. The new ruling will also include people going to Canada to work or study. "The new visa regulations will greatly facilitate movement between our countries, promote better understanding and bolster our strong relationship. It will be easier for Saudis studying in…
May 27 - The Ministry of Interior on Wednesday advised Saudi citizens travelling to Egypt not carry more than 5000 Egyptian pounds. According to a statement issued by the ministry, Egyptian exchange law allows for the confiscation of any sums of money in cash over 5000 Egyptian pounds in local currency carried by visitors during entry or exit of Egypt. Travellers can transfer money through their bank accounts,…
