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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April 6- ground-breaking ceremony was held in Doha, Qatar, on Sunday. The hotel, according to officials, will be located in the Bin Mahmoud area and will start operations from August 2012. The hotel is being constructed by Sheikh Ghanem bin Ali Al Thani and will be managed by Regent Hotels, part of the Rezidor Group KEO International. The hotel will be spread across 49,000 square metres with a seven-storey…
April 6- Kingdom Holding Co’s Prince Alwaleed bin Talal has said that the Qatari Diar has paid SAR3.2 billion ($847 million) to acquire a 40 per cent stake in Fairmont Raffles Holdings International, a subsidiary of the prince's company. The money will be used to finance most projects of Fairmont Raffles. “The investment underlines the strength of FRHI's [Fairmont Raffles] brands and management capabilities and…
April 6- Four kilogrammes of opium was discovered in a parcel at Dubai Cargo Village. The package was in transit from an Arab state en route to a Western country when an officer at a checkpoint became suspicious. The package was passed through a scanning machine after which sniffer dogs were called. The shipment, it turned out, contained drugs. Later, tests revealed that the bag had four kilos of opium. The…
April 6- Abu Dhabi’s tourism sector will greatly benefit from ‘Sex and the City 2’ even though not a single scene from the movie has been filmed in the UAE capital. The sequel sees Carrie Bradshaw and her friends leave their hometown, New York, to visit Abu Dhabi. Abu Dhabi and Dubai authorities banned producers from filming the two cities since the original show’s content was thought to be inappropriate for…
April 5- Dubai International Airport’s Concourse Three (C3) is on track to open its gates at the end of 2012, when it will become the world’s first Airbus A380 dedicated facility of its size. Construction of C3 began in early 2008. The new concourse, which aims to increase passenger capacity at Dubai International Airport from the current 60 million passengers a year to 75 million passengers a year, is an…
April 5-Empire Aviation Group (EAG), the Dubai based private aviation company has partnered with Booking.com to allow private jet charter clients to search and reserve online luxury hotels at preferential rates. EAG operates the region’s largest fleet of private jets. Clients can now search Booking.com’s database of 78,000 hotels in 76 countries by logging onto LifeStyle@Empire, a new operating division and…
April 5- Coral International Cape Town has partnered with XL Travel Group, an alliance that is expected to generate extensive returns for Coral International and position it as a preferred hotel throughout the Dubai based hospitality group’s network. XL Travel Group, which recently opened a five star hotel in Cape Town, South Africa, generates annual sales worth $170 million (Dh623.9m). XL Travel Group is spread…
April 5- Air France-KLM will add two new weekly flights departing from the UAE beginning in May, bringing the total number of flights per week to 30 for its 2010 summer program. Air France will begin a new non-stop service between Abu Dhabi and Paris on May 3. KLM currently flies five times a week from Abu Dhabi to Amsterdam, and Abu Dhabi and Muscat. KLM will increase its number of morning departures from…
April 5- Emirates Airline and Masafi are two of the top 10 brands of the country, according to a survey released by YouGov Siraj’s BrandIndex. Nokia stood first with a score of 65.5. Emirates was second at 63.5 and Masafi stood seventh at 53.7. This was the first UAE Top 10 for 2010 released by BrandIndex. The index also reveals that there are seven new sectors as of January 2010, including media, retail,…
April 5- The Jebel Ali Free Zone (JAFZA) is opening a new representative office in the Tasjeel Vehicle Registration Centre. The office will be located at the Enoc Petrol Station near Junction 13 inside the free zone. The new office will hope to reduce application time both with regard to renewals and cancellations. The service will also include vehicle transfer and export. JAFZA’s new move has brought the…
April 5- Madinah-Cairo flights have been suspended because of a dispute between the Saudi General Authority for Civil Aviation (GACA) and its Egyptian counterpart, when the latter refused to allow two Saudi-based private airlines to land at Cairo International Airport. Even though the Egyptian airport authority promised to remove all restrictions between both countries, NAS and SAMA planes were denied clearance…
April 5- Visitors to the , Jordan, rose by 50 per cent in the first quarter of 2010, according to official figures from Petra Development and Tourism Region Authority (PDTRA). Some 209,000 visited the city in the first three months of 2010 up from 139,000 in the same period 2009. The number of foreign visitors to the ancient city jumped by 53 per cent in the first quarter of this year compared to the same…
April 5- While the world suffered from the worst financial crisis in several years, Plant Travels & Tours LLC, has not been affected by this, said Ibrahim Nalkhande, Chief Operating Officer, Planet Group."The performance of the group's travel wing, Planet Travel & Tours LLC, is not that largely affected due to the spectrum of services and products offered to the travelers. We are lucky to have a very well…
April 5- The first meeting of new strategic committee appointed to study the development of tourism sector in Tunisia by 2016 was held on Thursday where Salim Tlati, Minister of Tourism, hailed the commitment of professionals in helping with this study. At the meeting a presentation on the progress of the study was presented to the members of the committee that outlined the first phases that had been completed.…
April 5- Burj Khalifa in Dubai, the world’s tallest building has reopened to visitors after being closed for two months because of maintenance work. The observation deck on the 124th floor opened on Saturday to visitors, said a staff member. Emaar Properties, the company behind the building, closed the observation deck in February just weeks after its opening. Burj Khalifa, previously known as Burj Dubai,…
April 5- Two Hyatt-branded luxury properties, Hyatt at Capital Centre and Park Hyatt Abu Dhabi, will open in Abu Dhabi within the next 12 months as part of Hyatt Hotels & Resorts’ commitment to provide guests with distinctive accommodation in key destinations, said Peter Fulton, Managing Director, Hyatt Hotels & Resorts for South-west Asia. "As a leader in authentic hospitality, Hyatt eagerly looks forward to the…
April 5- Several investors in the UAE who are involved in luxury hotel projects are planning to convert them into budget hotels, it was learnt on Sunday. In fact, many analysts expect that the mid-segment hotel market will grow in the coming months since it is a virtually untapped market. "Only about 20 per cent of the total hotels in the region are budget, so there is a huge growth opportunity," said Arnaud…
April 5- The world’s tallest building in Dubai, the Burj Khalifa, has installed solar panels to heat 140,000 litres of water for its residents. The panels will save 3,200KWs of energy per day and 690MWh of energy per annum. “The thermal energy initiative at Burj Khalifa highlights Emaar’s commitment to partner in the government’s sustainable development goals,” said Ahmad Al Matrooshi, Managing Director, Emaar…
April 4- About 60 foreign diplomats recently visited tourist attractions in the summer resort of Taif, including the historical Shabra Palace. The diplomats expressed appreciation for the tourist facilities. Muhammad bin Ahmed Tayeb, director general of the Foreign Ministry’s office, welcomed the delegation of consuls general. “We organized this visit in order to help our diplomat guests enjoy their stay in the…
April 4- , LLC has not been impacted by the worldwide economic downturn, according Planet Group’s chief operating officer, Ibrahim Nalkhande. He said “The performance of the group’s travel wing, Planet Travel & Tours LLC, is not that largely affected due to the spectrum of services and products offered to the travelers.” Nalkhande explained Planet Travel & Tours LLC has a balanced equation with different…
April 4- Al Nippon Airways (ANA), said it is returning to profitability because of an increase in travel, especially in the high-margin business class segment. ANA, which is Japan’s second biggest airline by revenue, will probably post a 693 million (Dh2.5 billion) loss for the financial year ended March 31st, 2010. The airline’s president, Schinichirio Ito, said it is considering launching a low cost…
April 4- Oman Air has increased its capital to $1.3 billion (about 67 per cent) and will add new destinations this year, said Peter Hill, the airline’s CEO. He added that this year is going to be difficult for the airline. "Looking forward to 2010, I am under no illusion that this again will be yet another tough year for the aviation industry worldwide, and for Oman Air in particular,” he added. The airline is…
April 4- Malaysia Airlines will start its service to Dammam from May 5. The flights will be twice a week – Wednesday and Thursday -- via Dubai, said Shahrun Nawi Mohammed Salleh, Sales Manager, Malaysia Airline in Jeddah. The airfare for this flight will start from RM2,291 for travel between May 5 to December 31, 2010. Bookings should be made by September 30, 2010 to avail the offer. "We are excited to…
April 4- Sheikh Abdullah bin Salim Al Qasimi, deputy ruler of Sharjah, and Sheikh Sultan bin Abdullah of Emco have signed an agreement to build a 343-room hotel along Al Khan beach in Sharjah at a cost of Dh650 million. The signing ceremony was held at Sharjah Shooting and Golf Club while the project itself will be completed within 30 months. The hotel will have eight floors with the top floor reserved for…
