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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Kuwait’s government is moving forward with plans to privatize its national airline, Kuwait Airways Corporation (KAC). KAC flies to 44 destinations in 28 countries throughout Asia, Africa, Europe, and North America. After the governments decision a marathon review session took place. Specialized international consultancy agencies reviewed results of KAC condition and assessment based on the studies. Dr.…
Travelers are probably familiar with signs in many hotel bathrooms requesting that towels be re-used for the benefit of the environment, but less aware of the many steps some hotel chains are taking to improve their green credentials. Re-using towels can have a big impact because it cuts energy needed to power washers and dryers and reduces the quantity of detergents needed. Marriot International, which has…
Government statistics show that the number of tourists visiting Syria last year increased 12 percent compared to 2008. Syria received about six million tourists in 2009, including 1.1 million Syrian expatriates and 3.5 million Arabs. There are a number of important sites of antiquities in Syria, including the ancient city of Palymra. Industry specialists say Syria’s practice of deeming nearly every foreigner…
Layia Hospitality and CAPM Investment initiated a joint venture agreement to develop five, three-star budget hotel properties under a new brand titled Day & Night Hotels. CAPM Chairman of Abu Dhabi based CAPM, Khaled Al Mass, said the first hotel under the Layia Abu Dhabi brand is expected to open within two years time in Abu Dhabi. The project will cost Dh500 million. There may be further expansion in the…
Australian Federal Police (AFP) confirmed on Monday that a suspicious bag on an Emirates Airline flight from Dubai was the cause of an alert at the Perth domestic airport in Australia. An AFP spokesman said a suspect bag was identified within checked luggage at the Quantas terminal. The spokesman said “It wasn’t a complete evacuation but some areas did have to be cordoned off when the bag was first located,”…
Victoria Beckham, formerly known as Posh Spice, was offered a deal to design a luxury hotel in Dubai. She would be paid £25 million or $40.5 million under the agreement, which would have her put her name to the hotel, and help with everything from room design to the make of the wardrobe and furnishings. An unnamed source told the UK’s Daily Mirror that “Even in these credit-crunched times, the fee offered to…
Dubai’s Al Habtoor Group is looking for opportunities to buy at least two five star hotels in Paris and London, and plans to build two new hotels in Dubai. Khalaf Al Habtoor, the company’s chairman, said the new hotels in Dubai will be located on Palm Island and Shaikh Zayed Road. Al Habtoor said “Our target is for the time being two properties. Maybe one in London and one in Paris, or two in the same country,…
Capacity of the existing facilities at the Abu Dhabi International Airport will be given a boost by Abu Dhabi Airports Company (ADAC) from 12 million a year to 15 million a year over the next five years in order to deal with the three year delay of the Dh25 billion (US$6.8bn) Midfield Terminal. The new terminal will be able to handle 20 million passengers a year and is scheduled to open in 2015. ADAC…
Sultan Qaboos University (SQU) will carry out a one year research project on Al Jabal al Akhdar (The Green Mountain). Vice Chairman of SQU, Amer al Rawas signed the research project agreements with Under-Secretary of the Ministry of Tourism, Mohammed al Toobi in Oman yesterday. The research project aims to find ways of integrating the local community in the tourist business around Al Jabal al Akhdar, which…
Minister of Municipalities in Kurdistan, Iraq met with representatives of a Swiss-Russian company to talk about several projects in the region. According to an official statement received by Aswat al-Iraq news agency, “The projects include the establishment of a 220km highway between Zakho and Arbil, and a 75 km green belt around Arbil…” The company said it is prepared to disburse $4 million US dollars on…
Abu Dhabi Airports Company announced that they were successful in their bid to bring the air transport industry’s largest international event to Abu Dhabi. The 18th ‘Routes- The World Development Forum’ will be held in the UAE capital from September 30th to October 3rd, 2012, and is expected to be the biggest ever planned ‘Routes- The World Development Forum’ is an event held each year for the air service…
Bahrain’s struggling state owned carrier Gulf Air has sold two Airbus A340 aircraft to US based Apollo Aviation Group. The move is part of efforts by the airline to realign its fleet in order to focus on regional routes. The two aircraft were 16 years old and no longer in service. Gulf Air said it would have cost $25 million to return the aircraft to service. Gulf Air plans to shift its fleet of aircraft to…
Wataniya Airways, Kuwait’s newest airline, carried over 250,000 passengers in its first year of operations, and held a special ceremony at its headquarters at Sheikh Saad Terminal to celebrate its first anniversary. Wataniya operates flights to eight destinations in the Gulf and Middle East: Cairo, Beirut, Dubai, Damascus, Oman, Bahrain, Sharm El Sheikh, and Jeddah. Chairman Abdulsalam Al-Bahar, said the…
Naeem Darkazally, area director of Sales and Marketing for Rotana Dubai and Northern Emirates, said he expects all eleven of its hotels in Dubai, representing 3,300 rooms, to be full during the Dubai Shopping Festival (DSF) which begins at the end of January. The DSF starts on January 28th and runs until February 28th. Naeem said Rotana will open two more hotels in the first quarter of 2010, adding 547 more…
A flight carrying 157 passengers and 13 crew members crash landed in north-eastern Iran on Sunday, injuring at least 46 people. Iran’s civil aviation spokesman, Reza Jafarzadeh, said no one was killed in the accident, but he gave no indication of its cause. Taban Air is a Russian made Iranian passenger plane. The Tupelev plane departed from Abadan airport in Southwestern Iran, despite bad weather and minimum…
Hotel chiefs said Saturday that the Ritz-Carlton, Dubai will begin an expansion project in April that will add 160 more rooms. The new project includes several new restaurant concepts and is expected to be complete in 2012. There are currently 138 sea view guestrooms spread over seven floors at the beachfront resort. The new plans will add a new wing, housing an additional 163 guestrooms, bringing the total…
Hilton Worldwide, the global hotel chain, announced plans to open its first branded hotel in the Saudi Arabian capital of Riyadh in three years. The company said in a statement on Wednesday it plans to open the 830 room, new build hotel in the Saudi capital in the fourth quarter of 2013. Ian Carter, President of Global Operations, Hilton Worldwide, said “Our goal has always been to have a Hilton branded property…
Brilliance of the Seas, Royal Caribbean International’s new cruise ship, has finished the first leg of a five stop, seven day winter cruise of the Arabian Gulf. The cruise ship made her maiden docking in the new Khalifa Bin Salman port in Bahrain. Dr. Heba Aziz, Director and advisor for the Culture and Information Ministry, Tourism Sector, said Bahrain aims to become a major player in the Gulf’s cruise ship…
Low cost carrier Bahrain Air plans to increase its passenger numbers to one million in 2010 by adding new destinations, and aims to break even in 2011. Bahrain Air’s managing director said the airline carried about 750,000 passengers during 2009, about 200,000 less than its initial forecast. Ibrahim Alhamer explained that although there is passenger growth in the Middle East, “there is a lot of capacity…
Iraq’s government run National Investment Commission (NIC) is seeking to attract $145 billion investment in the country’s hospitality sector over the next five years, with 22 percent of this investment coming from the UAE. Manager of the NIC’s Economic Department, Dr. Aifar Fahd, said “NIC plans to draw $500 billion into Iraq over the next five years, with 29 per cent of that attributed to the hospitality…
The Address Dubai Mall has launched a new fashion advisory service for its in-house guests – just in time for the Dubai Shopping Festival. General Manager for the hotel said because of its proximity to many fashion outlets at The Dubai Mall, “the personal fashion advisor for our guests will be a great value addition and fits with our philosophy of offering tangible guest benefits.” Olivier Heuchenne said the…
Afghanistan’s international carrier, Safi Airways, has finalized interline agreements with Lufthansa, Qatar Airways, Emirates, and United Airlines effective from February 1st. The agreements mean that passenger will require only one ticket to there destinations. Passengers travelling to and from Kabul to other international destinations will enjoy single fare tickets and less lead time. US citizens will be…
The Abu Dhabi investment company and UK hospitality developer, Range Hospitality, have partnered to develop a US $100 million (Dh367mm) five star hotel apartment project in Iraq. The development, which will be called The Range, will be located in the Iraqi pilgrimage city of Karbala and is expected to be complete in 2013. Range Hospitality will donate 20 percent of its profits from the project to Iraqi…
