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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The Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority is working hard to attract a certain leisurely type of visitor to Abu Dhabi, with new television advertizing campaigns focused on young couples, families, and empty nesters from higher socio-economic groups. Peter Willaton, who stopped over in Abu Dhabi for two days on his way to New York, fits into this category. Thirty-nine year old Mr. Willaton, the Australian owner of…
The opening of the 858 room Makkah Clock Royal Tower Hotel, expected in the third quarter of this year, presents unique challenges for its Canadian based developer, Fairmont Hotels and Resorts. Non-Muslims are not allowed to enter Makkah, which means that many Fairmont executives, including its president, can’t attend the grand opening of the hotel. The 477 meter tall hotel, which is being designed by the Saudi…
Emirates Airline will start flight service from Jeddah to Dubai on the Airbus A380 on February 1st. The introduction of the A380 on this route, which initially operates four days a week, means there will be 76 more business class seats available. Currently the airline only offers first and economy class on its Jeddah-Dubai, and Riyadh-Dubai route. Travel experts believe Emirates Airlines is filling a gap in…
will begin flights to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, after an absence of almost four years, partly due to pressure from the Filipino community. Direct flight service will begin on March 28th and operate four times a week between Manila and Riyadh. PAL last offered flight service to Riyadh in March 2006 but suspended them for commercial reasons. PAL’s service to Riyadh is preferred by Filipinos because it flies…
Market research company ProLeads Global revealed that the total value of hotel projects under construction across the GCC until 2013 is estimated to be $7 billion (Dh25.69 billion). UAE projects alone account for the biggest portion of this figure at $4.4 billion, followed by Saudi Arabia at $1.2 billion. Qatar hotel projects are valued at $620 million, Bahrain ($490 mm), Oman ($300mm), and Kuwait ($90…
Oman Air’s CEO, Peter Hill, said “We are delighted to be leading the field by bringing the digital age to in-flight passenger communications. From mid-February we will be unrolling full connectivity across our Airbus A330 fleet, completing the task in the summer.” The crew will control availability of the new services in order to minimize disturbance to passengers during overnight flights. Oman Air’s A330 fleet has the Airbus ALNA V2 system which uses Honeywell’s SwiftBroadband (SBB) solution.
Thomas Storey, President of Fairmont Hotels and Resorts, said the single biggest challenge facing Dubai’s hospitality industry is the collapse of its real estate industry. Mr. Storey said that when the property boom peaked it was the engine of Dubai’s economy, and hotels depended on customers to fill their rooms. Now that the real estate market has slumped they have few other alternatives. Mr. Storey…
Health tourism is gaining in prominence and becoming more popular in Saudi Arabia, according to a recent report by Saudi Arabia’s Supreme Commission for Tourism and Antiquities (SCTA). The report said that citizens and expatriates together spent more than 800 million Saudi Riyals (Dh783 million) on health and medical tourism in 2007, and foreign tourists spent more than 400 million riyals for treatment in the…
L ebanon’s Tourism Ministry released figures this week showing 1,851,081 tourists visited Lebanon in 2009, 39 percent higher than in 2008, and the highest ever recorded number of tourists to this mountainous Arab nation. The ministry said the 2009 number beat the 1974 record of 1.4 million tourists. Before Lebanon’s 1975-1990 civil war, Beirut was known as the “Paris of the Middle East” Tourism Minister…
Konstanze Auernheimer, Director of Marketing for STR Global, said the Gulf’s hospitality sector should improve in the second half of the year if the economy stays on its current path. He said there will probably be declines in all form factors in the region, because the spending power of tourists has been reduced due to the economic slowdown. STR Global data shows that there was a fall in all three key…
Bahrain’s national carrier, Gulf Air, has introduced an online check-in service as part of its efforts to improve customer service. Gulf Air passengers flying out of Bahrain can now use the gulfair.com online service to check in, 24 hours in advance and up to 90 minutes before scheduled departure of the Gulf Air flight. Passengers can also use the online interactive seat map to change their seat and print their…
International hotel and resort company Kingdom Hotel Investments (KHI), announced Tuesday that it’s revenue per available room (RevPar) declined 11 percent in 2009 compared to the previous year. KHI is owned by Prince Alaweed bin Talal al Saud. Performance improved 3 percent in the three months ending on December 31, 2009, but RevPar in the Middle East during this period fell 7 percent. KHI said that “the…
The United Nations World Tourism Organization forecasts that international tourist arrivals will increase between 3-4 percent in 2010, following a difficult year in 2009 when tourist arrivals fell about 4 percent. UNWTO said “prospects have also improved with arrivals forecast to grow between three and four percent in 2010. This outlook is confirmed by the remarkable rise of the UNWTO Panel of Experts…
Egyptian archeologists have discovered the remains of an ancient Greek temple dedicated to the Egyptian cat goddess Bastet. The remains were unearthed in the Mediterranean city of Alexandria, according to the antiquities department. The remains of a temple of Queen Berenike were discovered in the Kom al-Dikka area in Alexandria. Queen Berenike was the wife of King Ptolemy III, who ruled Egypt between 246 and…
Jebel Ali International Hotels will launch the exclusive 10 villa Round Island Resort on a small island in Seychelles in the third quarter of this year. This is the first foray overseas for the Dubai based company. The resort will be located on a 2 hectare resort in a national marine park on Mahe Island, 6.5 km east of the capital Victoria. Director of sales and marketing at Jebel Ali, Mariann Valero, said…
Royal Caribbean’s Brilliance of the Seas, one of the biggest ocean liners in the region, set sail from Dubai today. The cruise ship is expected to bring in 32,000 passengers to the region in its first four month season, tapping into the US$25 billion (Dh91.82bn) cruise market. Brilliance of the Seas can hold about 2,500 guests. research shows that cruise tourists spend an average of more than $300 per visit,…
Emirates Airline’s strategy of sponsoring global sports events has helped bring the Louis Vuitton Classic to Dubai this November. The Louis Vuitton Classic is one of the sailing world’s most prestigious races, and is one of four in the Louis Vuitton Trophy’s 2010-2011 calendar. It is part of an effort to keep the America-Cup style racing alive while internal disputes in the oldest trophy in sports are…
Kuwaiti telecom company Zain announced on Saturday it will begin offering international telephone services on Watinya flights, allowing customers to receive phone calls in mid-air. Passengers can currently send and receive SMS messages while mid-flight, but the new service means they can now also access the internet, email, and Blackberry services. Zain said “The international vocal roaming service on board…
A new 369 room, five star hotel at the Ibn Battuta Gate in Dubai is set to open this May. Construction work on the hotel is nearly complete, and the property will be handed over to its owner, Seven Tides, at the end of January for the final fitting out. The Swiss hotel group Movenpick Hotels and Resorts expects to open the hotel in May 2010. Managing Director for Seven Tides, Michael Scully said “Ibn…
Oman will launch its version of the Tour de France next month when it starts its first national cycling tour. There will be more than 128 riders on 16 teams taking part in the race, which will cover 687 km over a period of six days in Oman’s famed mountain ranges. The country’s highest peak, Jebel Akhdar, is nearly 3,000 meters high, and may be part of the race route. The tour will take place from February 14th…
A bu Dhabi’s Etihad Airways confirmed yesterday that a security threat on Tuesday delayed the departure of an Etihad flight from Abu Dhabi to Bangkok. Etihad Airways’ Chief Operational Officer Richard Hill said that while passengers were boarding flight EY403 to Bangkok on Tuesday, January 12th, a male passenger made comments threatening the security of the aircraft. Mr. Hill said “a thorough check of the…
European carrier Lufthansa Airlines is considering launching several new flights to Iraq because demand for flights into the country is increasing. Lufthansa plans to begin flight service to the capital Baghdad and the city of Erbil in northern Iraq from Frankfurt and Munich. The carrier plans to launch the new service next summer after it has obtained necessary traffic rights and reviewed infrastructure…
Egypt’s Tourism Minister said that figures show the country was not as affected by the global economic crisis as much as was feared, and 2010 also looks promising. Zoheir Garranah said that the number of incoming tourists is expected to rise significantly next year because of steps Egypt took to weather the financial storm, and the initial recovery from the global economic downturn. Garranah told the Oxford…
Abu Dhabi has emerged as the top contender in the emirate to host the UAE’s first Club Med, beating out neighboring Dubai. Ras al Khaimah is also being considered. The French resort operator favors Abu Dhabi because of the wide availability of beachfront land, its environmental policies, and a tourism policy that emphasizes culture and nature. Club Med was once renowned for its mass marketed campaigns…
