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, Dubai’s flagship carrier, announced on Tuesday that it would employ around 2,000 crew members by the end of 2010 to facilitate its route expansion this year. The airline has already hired around 660 cabin crew members and over 60 pilots since March 2009. Currently, Emirates has 11,000 crew members working for the airline. The airline has also expanded its fleet from 131 to 145 since March 2009 and has…
Singapore Airlines will upgrade all its existing flights to Abu Dhabi from March 29, sources said on Tuesday. The Airbus A330-300 will replace Boeing 777 in all of Singapore Airline’s daily services. Passengers will be provided with personal iPod and iPhone connections as well as extra legroom. Meanwhile, the airline will also start its services to Jeddah and Kuwait via Abu Dhabi from March 28. “The…
Tunisia’s national airline, , has arranged for a 10-day trip for Tunisian travel agencies to attend a tourism promotion workshop in Damascus, Syria. The workshop that kicked off on March 6 was arranged with a view to boost tourism between both countries. Speaking on the occasion, Saadallah Agha El Kaala, the Syrian Tourism Minister, said his ministry is conducting surveys to broaden tourism on the whole along…
The Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities (SCTA) is offering a training programme titled “How to start your small business in the tourism field” for small business entrepreneurs that will enable them to open their own tourism business. The course is being offered in collaboration with the National Commercial Bank (NCB), the Riyadh Chamber of Commerce and Industry (RCCI) and Saudi Credit and Savings…
Dubai Mall received five million visitors last month during the Dubai Shopping Festival (DSF), setting a record in visitor footfall. There was a massive surge witnessed in tourism and trade during the festival sources said. “ Dubai Mall was the city's key shopping, entertainment and leisure destination during DSF, underscored by the record five million visitor footfall, thus setting a new precedent for…
Saudi Arabia is going to launch tenders over $4.5 billion to modernise airports in the kingdom, it was learnt on Monday. This, said Alaa Samman, Director of Business Development at the General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA), is because about 30 million passengers arrive at Saudi airports every year and this figure is expected to go up by 60 million this year. Thus, the airports must be expanded and modernised…
Work on the , said to be the world’s largest airport, in Dubai continues in order to finish it in time for its June 27 opening. Being constructed at a cost of $33 billion and located in Jebel Ali, Al Maktoum International is situated some 40kms away from Dubai International Airport. “The airport would be opening for freight operations initially and passenger operations will commence in the future. It is coming…
Emirates on Monday announced the launch of flights to Senegal, making it the airline’s 106th worldwide destination. Dakar, Senegal, is Emirates third African destination, the other two being Durban and Luanda that were launched in 2009. The service to Senegal will start from September 1 this year with five flights a week. Speaking on the occasion, Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al-Maktoum, Chairman and Chief Executive,…
Accor Hospitality continues with its expansion plans in the Middle East and has opened yet another hotel in the region – Ibis Al Rigga, Dubai. Located in the business district of Deira, a historic landmark in Dubai, the Ibis Al Rigga is close to the shopping area, metro station Dubai Creek, Gold Souk, Spice Souk and the Dubai Museum. Furthermore, it is also quite close to the airport. The hotel consists of…
The opening of the Giorgio Armani Hotel inside Burj Khalifa, Dubai, has been delayed, it was learnt on Monday. The hotel was scheduled to open on March 18 after the Burj Khalifa was opened in January this year and will now instead open on April 22. The reason cited for the delay is that pending work will not finish by March 18. Armani Hotel was originally scheduled to open last year but it was delayed since…
Gulf Air, Bahrain’s national airline, received two jets from Brazilian company Embraer as per the lease agreement signed by both sides at the Bahrain International Air Show last year. The two jets are configured in a dual-class layout, featuring seven seats in business class and 60 in economy.
A study by the Hotel Price Barometer reveals that Dubai hotels are ranked 12th on the world’s most expensive hotels list with average nightly rates squaring off at €121 in February 2010. Moscow, said the study, tops the list with average nightly rates hitting €164. While average room rates in Dubai went up by 22 per cent, they also recorded a 43 per cent decrease in the average hotel room rates in the world…
Hilton Worldwide signed a management agreement with High for Touristic Projects for Hilton Heliopolis in Cairo on Sunday. Scheduled to open in 2014, the Hilton Heliopolis will have 485 rooms and 150 apartments along with a shopping complex and is close to the airport. The hotel will also have five restaurants, a ballroom, nine meeting rooms, a board room, fitness centre, swimming pool, two tennis courts and a…
The signing of the first Staybridge Suites Hotel property in Saudi Arabia took place on Sunday. This is a joint venture between the InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) and Al Hokair Group. Slated to open in February 2011, Staybridge Suites will be located in Riyadh’s Olaya district that is close to various landmarks, shopping centres and restaurants. Some of the features of the Riyadh Olaya hotel include 106…
Scores of students in Saudi Arabia are expected to benefit from a tourism education programme organised by the Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities (SCTA) and the Ministry of Education. Titled, ‘Ibtisam’ (meaning smile) was inaugurated at Al-Hokair Fun Town in Mecca on Saturday and will help students understand the importance of tourism, and benefit to the economy. “In the current academic year, 120,000…
Shoe makers and enthusiasts are all set to come together at the Malaysia International Shoe Festival from April 2-4. The festival will take place at Putra World Trade Centre in Kuala Lumpur and is an effort to celebrate the best of the local shoe industry, including makers of traditional footwear, along with international designers. One of the most anticipated shoe makers at the event is Jimmy Choo, slated to…
March 6- Kuwait’s largely unprofitable airline, Kuwait Airways, is getting closer to being closed as the Kuwait Investment Authority has set up a company to hold its assets, said the airline Chairman Hamad Al Falah. The company has one done to complete the privatisation process and the new company will be named Kuwait Airways Co. Kuwait Airways has not made any profit since the Iraqi invasion in 1990. Thus, it…
March 6-The Jabal Al Qalaa’s -- also known as the Citadel – renovation and rehabilitation (in 2009) in Amman is expected to attract more visitors to the site, said Shan Tsay, the site’s manager. She said that while the Citadel is a significant landmark located in the heart of Amman, there were little or no local visitors coming to the site. “Visitors are usually schoolchildren. Families seldom visit the site,"…
Relations are tense between major Umrah and hotel groups in Mecca and Madina, and the Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities (SCTA) because the former refuse to comply with the new regulations issued by the SCTA. The trouble started when SCTA decided to supervise two hotels that were previously being looked after the Ministry of Haj and then the decision to implement new conditions. Under the revised…
After struggling to stay afloat during the global financial crunch last year, the leisure marine market in Dubai seems to be recovering slowly, it was learnt. Never before has the marine market had cancellations of orders for yachts, a key feature during the recession last year that affected the entire industry. However, interest in yachts has picked up since January this year. “The mid-segment, which was hit…
The National Committee for Haj and Umrah, Saudi Arabia, predicted that around four million Umrah pilgrims are expected in Mecca this year. This is a 15 per cent increase from last year when the figure stood at 3.1 million. The hotel industry in the region is particularly excited about this expected surge. “We have high hopes for 2010 and are well placed to welcome guests to the holy city of Mecca," said Omar…
A recent survey conducted by the Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority (ADTA) revealed that 60 per cent of the tourists that have come to Abu Dhabi 2009 came to the city for the first time, out of which 87 per cent would like to visit again. Most visitors stayed in Abu Dhabi for about a week while business visitors stayed anywhere between five to nine days. The study further showed that about 30 per cent came to Abu…
Japan continues to be focus for Etihad Airways this week as a codeshare with ANA is finally in place, sources said. Brought into working order before Etihad’s Tokyo service takes off, the ANA codeshare will enable Etihad customers all over the world to travel to two major cities in Japan. A third one will be introduced later this month. The codeshare allows ANA to put its two-letter 'NH' code on the four weekly…
The Afghan international airline, Safi Airways, will start its Kabul-Doha service from March 13, it was learnt. The route has been fixed with the support of Qatar Airways and will fly thrice a week from Kabul to Doha. Thomas J. Bommer, Director Sales & Marketing, Safi Airways states there are about 7,000 Afghan citizens currently living in Qatar that will benefit from the service. “We know that there is great…
