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 Airlines enhanced the online booking and payment process on its website www.emirates.com. An Emirates statement said payment options have increased because recent research provided information about which payment method customers prefer. Payment may now be made in one of 14 currencies. Emirates partnered with GlobalCollect to enhance the online payment and bookings system. GlobalCollect is the…
Middle East carriers face more turbulence according to the International Air Transport Association’s (IATA) revised annual forecast. IATA said airline industry losses will reach $1.5 billion (Dh5.5 billion) by the end of the year. Previously IATA forecast losses of $200 million (Dh734 million). IATA explains that the region’s geographic location is the centerpoint for several international hubs which means it…
A senior executive of the Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority said they are now prioritizing tourism investment as part of its strategy of diversification. Faisal Abdullah Al-Sheikh spoke about investment plans at a press conference at the Jeddah Marriot yesterday. He said Abu Dhabi is a wealthy country and has for many years depended on oil for revenue, “but now we are giving a tremendous boost to the potentially…
Airline executives gathering at an industry event in Kuala Lumpur dismissed talk of “green shoots” and signs of recovery in the slumping airline industry. Executives maintain it will be at least two years before resurgence will take place. Replying to a question about evidence of a recovery, President of Emirates Airline Tim Clark said “Green shoots? That’s something which has been trotted out for the last…
Global Hyatt is planning to increase its four star limited service in the Middle East. Managing Director for Hyatt in South East Asia said “this is an area we will further expand in the Middle East.” Peter Fulton explained Hyatt Summerfield Suites is an upscale all suite brand while Hyatt Place are full service mid-scale hotels. He said “We also have 8 properties under construction of which four to six could…
Luxury hotel brand Essque Hotels, based in Dubai, signed a contract Saturday to manage the Zalu Resort & Spa in Zanzibar. The five start resort is scheduled to open in 2010, and Essque Hotels will manage it for Maisha, an Italian hotel development company. Essque Hotels agreement to manage the Zanzibar retreat is consistent with its plans to develop a global footprint. Zalu Resort & Spa has 9 private villas…
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) revised its financial forecast for airlines in 2009 downward – to a global loss of $9 billion. This almost twice the $4.7 billion loss estimate in March, demonstrating that the revenue environment is quickly worsening. IATA also increased its last 2008 loss estimate from $8.5 billion to $10.4 billion
Low cost carrier flydubai, which began operations just one week ago, will add two new flight services this week. Service to Damascus, Syria will begin today when flydubai’s flight FZ229 departs from Dubai International Airport’s Terminal 2 at 7:10 pm. The flight will arrive in Damascus three hours and twenty minutes later at about 9:30pm local time. The new service to Alexandria, Egypt will begin with the…
The Food and Hotel Oman 2009 exhibitions will be held in October 2009 and will boost the hotel industry in the region. Promoters for the exhibition said the continued growth in demand for food products in the Omani market will be reinforced. Organizers of the Oman expo said hotel equipment and supplies, a wide variety of food and beverages, food processing technologies, packaging products, and catering…
A Lodging Econometrics reports shows the number of planned hotel projects in the Middle East has decreased because of the global financial crisis. Lodging Econometrics is a US based hotel property research company. There were 124 hotel projects being developed in Dubai for a total of 48,855 rooms and accounting for 34% of all hotel projects in the region. The number of hotel projects in the Middle East…
More than half of Sarah’s restaurants fail basic food hygiene inspections because of out of date food and moldy kitchens. The head of internal inspection department for Sharjah Municipality said that out of 1,588 restaurants, only 223 met minimum requirements. The remaining 891 restaurants were issued written warnings and 474 were closed temporarily until required improvements are made. Restaurants that…
Hilton Hotels from Madinah, Makkah, Riyadh, and Jeddah have assembled at the Conrad Cairo in order to showcase their fashionable and luxurious hotels to the Egyptian travel market. Within the Middle East, Saudi Arabia captures the most market volume (trips) and value (expenditure) and Egypt is the leading market. Hilton Hotels would like to attract Egyptian clientele. Saudi Hilton hotels are providing a…
Makkah Gov. Prince Khaled Al-Faisal presided over the opening of the final phase of the road expansion between Al-Kur and Hada. The Prince said the road is important to the regions overall development because it cuts by half the distance between the cities of Taif and Makkah. Prince Khaled said “The expanded double lane road is a vital developmental project serving not only the people of Taif but the…
Following the discovery of the country’s first case of swine flu last week, the Health Ministry has escalated swine flu screening at all of the Kingdom’s entry points. Orderly screening procedures were observed at the South Terminal of Jeddah’s King Abdulaziz International Airport on Saturday. A Saudi official said “Things are under control” and they are focusing their screening procedures on countries on the…
The UAE and Columbia signed a memorandum of understanding that will increase the number of flights between the two countries. The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) in the UAE and its counterpart in Columbia reached an agreement to add as many as 28 passenger flights between the two countries. The CAA said there are plans to begin an equal number of cargo services each week. This is the first such agreement…
A senior official with the Dubai Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing said they will announce the new classification system for hotels in Dubai next quarter. Director of Hotel Classification at DTCM said they expect to finalize the classification system soon and hope the new classification will be out in the third quarter of this year. Currently, criteria established in 1998 are the basis for one to…
Holiday travel out of Dubai is on the increase after three weeks of subdued activity due to concerns over the outbreak of swine flu in Mexico this April. Dubai tourist agencies report many destinations have been swapped and Middle Eastern countries are favored by most families. However, corporate travel in Europe and North America are generally the same. Deputy General Manager for Al Reis Travel said…
Dubai’s Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM) will direct hotels to reduce hotel rates by up to 50% in order to increase tourism numbers during the Dubai Summer Surprises (DSS) shopping festival. DTCM Director of Business said they expect Dubai hotels to cut rates between 40% and 50% during DSS, which runs for 65 days beginning on 11 June 2009. During the Dubai Shopping Festival earlier this…
Up to 691 families Al-Ais are staying in Yanbu hotels and furnished apartments at government expense. These are people who were evacuated from the earthquake prone region. Property owners have expressed concerned that their continued presence will negatively affect business and cause huge losses. The families from Al-Ais are provided furnished apartments discounted between SR100 and SR350 depending on the…
More than 200 Dubai hotels will compete for a carbon emissions reduction award which will be presented in December. The hotels will attempt to reduce their carbon emissions by more than 20% in order to make the hospitality industry more sustainable. Dubai hotels generate considerably more carbon emissions than their counterparts in Europe - about 6,500 tons of carbon emissions every year. Hotels in Europe…
Visitor numbers to the Al Ain Wildlife Park and Resort (AWPR) increased dramatically during the first five months of 2009. More than 350,000 people visited the park and AWPR projects this number will swell to 800,000 by the end of the year. Al Ain Wildlife Park and Resort is home to about 4,300 animals, and it is estimated nearly 30% of these are endangered. AWPR was established in 1968 by the late Shaikh…
Dubai Summer Surprises, which hosted 2.1 million visitors last year, will start on 11 June and run for 65 days, until 14 August 2009. The festival features mainly family entertainment with special promotions for children and young people. CEO of the Dubai Shopping Festival said the signs of an economic recovery are encouraging different stakeholders in DSF. She said the government is cooperating with various…
Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority issued a report showing that the hotel industry improved in quality during the first half of this year. The report was issued by SCTDA’s Licensing and Classifications Department. The report showed the service provided to guests improved significantly. Much of the improvement is attributed to Law No.16 of 2007 which specifies hotel classification in…
The Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority (ADTA) will stage a summer youth programme in order to introduce young emirates to the tourism industry and career offers. The programme will take place between 12 July and 6 August and there will be training every day between 9am and 3 pm. More than seventy students between the ages of fifteen and twenty, including those with special needs, will be offered complimentary spots in…
