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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M ay 27 - The Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities (SCTA) announced on Wednesday that it would set up a historical hotel company. The decision came at a conference for the First International Urban Heritage for Islamic Countries that started yesterday in Riyadh and will continue through Friday. Salah Al-Bakheet, deputy director for investment at the SCTA, said that the project had been presented to the…
May 27 - The Emirates Palace Hotel will sell small souvenir gold bars engraved with the Emirates Palace logo through the world's first gold ATM machine, it was announced on Wednesday. The "Gold To Go" vending machine project was launched by Hans Olbertz, General Manager of Emirates Palace and Thomas Geissler, Chief Executive of Ex Oriente Lux AG, the inventor of the "Gold to Go" machine."We seized upon this…
Hill International’s claims division has announced that business has tripled in the last three year, said an official on Wednesday. "Over the last three years, the size of our claims business has tripled. In Dubai, we have gone down to 100 from 500 staff on projects," said Bill Kennedy, Senior Vice-President, Hill International (Middle East). "So the volumes on projects are decreasing but the volume of claims…
Tourists to the UK from UAE stand second in spending after visitors from Australia, it was learnt on Wednesday. UAE tourists spent Dh1.61 billion (£305 million) in 2009 compared to Australians who spent £846 million, according to figures released by the International Passenger Survey, Office for National Statistics. The survey also revealed that while Middle Eastern tourists comprise three per cent of visitors to…
May 26- Prime Minister HE Mr. Abhisit Vejjajiva, Prime Minister of Thailand, issued the following statement regarding the political developments in his country: Ladies and Gentleman, We have restored order in the capital of Bangkok and the provinces of Thailand. We have been able to do this with the cooperation of government officials, volunteers, and, of course, the people of Thailand. We will continue to…
May 26 - Dubai International Airport has reported an increase in passenger traffic and cargo volume in April despite the volcanic ash cloud flight cancellations. The ash cloud had grounded flights around the world for six days last month but did not have much of an impact on the airport’s passenger traffic that rose by 13.9 per cent to 3.7 million in April 2010 from 3.3 million during the same period last year.…
May 26 - Saudi airline Nasair celebrated the second year of its services between Beirut, Riyadh and Jeddah, in a ceremony in Beirut that was attended by top industry professionals and dignitaries from Lebanon. The ceremony was hosted by Dr Maria Hanne, Nasair Chief Commercial Officer. Nasair has been serving customers in Lebanon with 14 weekly flights to Beirut. The service was started in July 2008 with only…
May 26 -Budget airline Flydubai will celebrate its first anniversary next week after having sold almost one million tickets and a fleet of eight new aircraft. The airline flies to 16 destinations at the moment. According to experts, the airline’s rapid growth has been faster than any other budget airline in its first year. Flydubai will add four destinations next month which include Istanbul in Turkey; Latakia…
May 26 - Etihad Airways will add more flights from Abu Dhabi to Beijing and will launch new routes into China, it was learnt on Tuesday. In this regard, the airline’s officials are meeting Chinese civil aviation authority representatives today to discuss the expansion plans, which include upgrading the five-times-a-week Beijing service to a daily route. The airline also hopes to launch a service to Shanghai…
May 26 - Iraqi Airways has abandoned plans for launching services to Britain and Sweden given its legal woes with Kuwait, said the airline’s chief in a statement released on Tuesday. "We are sorry to announce to our fellow citizens, especially the communities living in Britain and Sweden, that Iraqi Airways will stop flying to these two countries because of difficult circumstances as a result of Kuwaiti…
May 26 - Emirates Airlines’ representatives will go to Abu Dhabi this week to recruit more cabin crew from the UAE in line with the carrier’s expansion plans. Emirates is looking to recruit around 3,000 cabin crew this year with special emphasis on the Arabic language crew count. The last time the airline went to Abu Dhabi for recruitments was in October 2008. The cabin crew open day will be held on May 29…
Ma 26 - The Grand Hyatt Muscat received two prestigious international awards – the Rubin Business Hotel Award 2010 and the Best Foreign Cuisine in Oman presented to the hotel’s Italian restaurant Tuscany. The awards were given by German publishing house, Berliner Tageszeitung. "Grand Hyatt Muscat’s portfolio of prominent awards is a true testament to the property's ongoing effort to offer guests authentic…
May 26 - A 176-room Holiday Inn Hotel is to open in Muscat's airport and business district, Seeb, next year, said Sheikh Mubarak Abdullah Al Mubarak Al Sabah, Chairman of Action Hotels. The project is the result of an agreement signed with Muscat-based company Al Rawahi International and Action Hotels. "Oman is committed to developing the hospitality sector and Action Hotels is equally committed to playing a…
May 26 - The British American Tobacco Company, Egypt (BAT), along with the Egyptian Hotel Association (EHA) in Cairo, have inked a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) that will provide hotel guests in Cairo with designated non-smoking and smoking areas. The idea comes from BAT's global ‘Respecting Choices’ initiative. This is the third agreement of its kind that has been taken up by BAT in Egypt, the first being…
May 26 - Kuwaiti based Al-Kandari Group launched the first stage of its Kenoz Resort project in Ibb governorate, Central Yemen, on Monday. According to details, the project comprises a five-star hotel, 320 villas, 120 chalets, shops, children’s playground and a zoo. Speaking on the occasion, Chairman of the group Jassim Ali Al-Kandari, said the resort will be built over an area of 500,000 square meters and…
May 26 - Jordan’s Dead Sea Touristic and Real Estate Investment Company (DSC) in collaboration with Abu Dhabi-based Aabar Investments have launched a joint venture to set up Jordan’s first Hilton hotel alongside the Dead Sea. The hotel will cost an estimated JD67 million to build and has been named the Dead Sea Resorts (DSR). A waterfront will be developed on the Dead Sea under the patronage of Hilton…
May 25 - The Aqaba Airports Company (AAC) will set up a factory to assemble planes at the King Hussein International Airport said AAC Director Munir Asad. The factory will be one of the many improvements at the airport, others include aircraft maintenance, air cargo and aviation training. Asad added that the AAC is also carrying out projects worth JD10 million to rehabilitate the 4,000-square-metre-passenger…
May 25 - The British Airways (BA) cabin crew began a five-day strike yesterday after no resolution to the issue of wages, job cuts and working conditions was found over the weekend. The airline spokesperson said it planned to operate more than 60 per cent of long-haul flights and more than 50 per cent of short-haul flights from London's main Heathrow Airport, allowing 70 per cent of passengers to reach their…
May 25 - The Royal Jordanian (RJ) received two new Airbus A330-200 aircraft this week. The new planes will operate on the Far East and London routes. According to President/CEO Hussein Dabbas, the new aircraft is part of RJ’s efforts to modernize its fleet. The Airbus A330s were acquired because of the delay in the delivery of the 11 Boeing 787 Dreamliners, which will be delivered by 2013. Originally, the…
May 25 - Budget carrier Air Arabia announced on Monday that it will increase the number of weekly flights from Sharjah to Goa, India, to five. This, said the airline, is to meet the growing demand on the route, particularly during the summer months. "The costal city of Goa continues to attract more and more visitors from the UAE," said AK Nizar, Head of Commercial Department, Air Arabia. "The airline has…
May 25 - Flydubai completed its flight to Assuit (Egypt) on Monday morning, marking the airline’s operations to its third Egyptian destination and 16th route. FZ181 took off from Dubai International Airport’s Terminal 2 at 0030hrs and landed in the ancient city of Assiut at 0315hrs local time this morning. Flydubai will go to Assuit thrice a week from the Dubai International Airport. The airline started its…
May 25 - Syrian Arab Airlines has announced it will start flights from Madrid to Damascus along with the local flights from Damascus to Aleppo from June 1. Passengers will travel to Damascus by the ATR72 airplanes and then to Madrid by another aircraft. The ATR72 planes were delivered recently to SAA after the Commercial Bank of Syria funded the purchase deal for $45 million.
May 25 - Travel agencies in Kuwait have said that this year’s bookings for summer travel will be much better than those of the last two years. In fact, the current turnout, they said, indicates that there is positive growth in the travel industry. Travel agents stated the financial crisis and the swine flu scare as the cause for last year’s travel season. Also, online bookings affected the travel agency…
May 25 - easyHotel, a European budget hotel brand, will open its first property in Dubai’s Jebel Ali Freezone Authority Zone (JAFZA) on August 1, it was learnt on Monday. One can make reservations for the hotel from now. According to details, rates for a double room start from AED99 per night. “As most people are aware, Dubai is well known for being a luxury destination, but clearly not everyone can afford the…
