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.
Read full storyShowing 4,897–4,920 of 5,397
A press release stated that Terminal 2 at Dubai’s International Airport is set to welcome flydubai passengers on 1 June when the budget carrier begins operations. Flydubai will have a dedicated entrance and center counters, and a separate entrance for pre check in screening. The Head of Terminal 2 said “”Flydubai’s entrance will be clearly branded with the flydubai colorful branding and is the first entrance to…
Revenue per available room for Dubai Hotels (RevPar) fell a record 34.5% in April 2009 compared to April 2008. According to Deloitte analysis of the STR Global report, occupancy levels also fell 16% during the same period. The London based STR Global released their report for the Middle East for April 2009. RevPar for Dubai Hotels in April was slightly more than $200, a huge drop from last year’s peak of…
Alshamel International announced yesterday they plan to expand in Saudi Arabia and Oman, bringing their total number of regional countries in which they operate to seven. The Kuwaiti based travel management company will also consider strategic mergers and acquisitions in order to its market reach and customer service capacity. Alshamel Chief Executive said while the difficult global economic conditions have…
The International Air Transport Association said reported that Revenue Passenger Kilometers (RPK) increased 11.1% last month. RPK is a measure of passenger traffic. IATA data also showed a 3.1% fall in passenger demand and an average passenger load factor of 74.4%. The report concluded that while the 3.1% decline in passenger was an improvement in the compared to March’s 11.1% fall in March “this…
Bahrain authorities said they are closely watching the countries entry and exit points in order to prevent a case of swine flu from entering. A Health Ministry Spokesman said they “stepped up their vigil at all of the islands entry and exit points.” Officials at King Fahd Causeway Bridge are taking all precautionary measures. Many Saudi families cancelled or postponed their weekend trips to Bahrain following…
General Manager for Sahara Tours praised the Qatar Tourism Authority effusively speaking to the Peninsula. Emad A. Nasr said they serve a very important in the country’s tourism industry, are supportive to all tourist companies and are “very helpful to us in every service and activities we provide to clients” Nasr said they are a professional organization doing a fantastic job promoting the country so it can be…
A senior Samsung Electronics executive recently increased its 2009 sales target for the Middle East to $20 million. Peter (Ju Sun) Lee said their original sales target for the Middle East Hospitality TV business was $10 million and they have recently raised that to $20 million. Mr. Lee said for the first half of this year they expect to sell Hospitality TV’s worth $5 million to the hotels in the…
Royal Jets executive chef and catering manager last year won three gold medals, one silver, and one bronze at the International Culinary Olympics in Erfurt, Germany. Mr. Ulherr won one of his gold medals for two green iguanas made of salt dough, each weighing more than 15 kilograms. He has made many memorable creations during his career as an executive chef, but is probably most famous for the two iguanas. Mr.…
Bahrain health authorities are searching for up to ten passengers who may have been infected with the swine flu virus. The passengers sat near a 21 year old Bahraini student who was infected after flying home from New York on Friday. He is Bahrain’s first swine flu victim. Around 80 students who attended the same university as patient are also being tested because they all attended the same graduation ceremony…
Flydubai has partnered with Emirates Post to sell tickets through post offices across the UAE. Emirates will act as selling agent for Dubai’s budget airline, via the phone, internet or in person at 121 post offices. They will take reservations, accept payment and change booking information. Flydubai CEO Al Gaith said “Our aim is to change the way people travel by making the process simple, convenient, and…
The Middle East’s travel industry is supporting Thailand’s travel package from the region this month. This will boost the already strong tourist traffic to Thailand. Last year Middle East tourists to Thailand increased 11.34% to 464,486 in 2008, compared to 426,721 in 2007. The largest Thai delegation to date visited the UAE this month and received a commitment form the Middle East travel industry to back…
Last month Australia’s tourism ministry launched a Middle East road show that began in Kuwait, and targets travelers in Doha, Abu Dhabi, and Dubai. Queensland, Australia is making every effort to attract tourists from the Gulf. More than 30,000 tourists from the region visited Queensland in 2008, and while they were not the biggest demographic group of foreign visitors, they spent the most at A$125 million…
His Highness General Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan welcomed French President Nicolas Sarkozy to a commemorative ceremony celebrating the launch of the Louvre Abu Dhabi construction project. This is the first universal museum to be built in the Middle East. A presentation before dignitaries took place at the Emirates Palace. His Highness Sheikh Mohammed and President Sarkozy also inaugurated a new…
Blue City Company 1 (BCC1) signed three agreements with the Minor Hotel Group following last years Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). Blue City Company 1 is responsible for completing phase one of Al Madina A’Zarqa. Antara Hotels, Resorts and Spas is part of the Minor Hotel Group. The new agreements strengthen BCC1’s relationship with the Antara group. Under the agreement Antara will operate and manage…
The Ras Al Akhdar Beach in Abu, also known as Malibu Beach because of the many beautiful giant palm trees dotting the sands are being removed. Ras Al Akhdar means “Green Head” in Arabic, but the beach looks more like a “bare head” without the hundreds of palm trees. A palm jungle across the road has been removed to make way for new development. People still congregate at the beach but in a few more months…
Hainan Airlines will begin its direct flight services connection Beijing with Dubai on Monday, according to Dubai based Sharaf Travel, LLC. The new service will operate twice a week and Hainan Airlines has appointed Sharaf Travel as the general sales agent (GSA) for the UAE and Gulf region. Hainan Airlines was established and launched operations on May 2, 1993 in Hainan Province, China’s biggest economic zone.…
The General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) issued flydubai its Air Operators Certificate after meeting strict GCCA requirements. GCCA is the regulatory body responsible for ensuring safety and standards within the airline industry. Flydubai is now ready to launch its first flight to Beirut on Monday. GCCA Director General said there are many rigid checks and balances to make sure that there is strict…
An extensive road-show was launched to promote Dubai’s Summer Surprises, one of the biggest shopping and entertainment events. The road show will cover Kuwait, Bahrain, Oman, Saudi Arabia and Qatar. The 12th edition of Dubai Summer Surprises will run for sixty five days from 11 June to 15 August 2009. A press release said that the Dubai Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing have cooperated to…
A new Master of Science degree in International Hospitality Management will be offered at Emirates Academy of Hospitality Management. This degree is the first of its kind in the UAE. The new program begins in October 2009 and is focused on hospitality leaders of the future. It will emphasize managerial competence, building on the foundations of undergraduate studies. Students of the academy wishing to…
Inter regional and domestic travel continues to grow in the Middle East while international tourism is expected to fall between 2% and 3% this year. The World Tourism Organization projects that the slow in international tourism will continue for another six to twelve months. Experts forecast there will be significant demand for tourists for the UAE, Egypt, Lebanon, Jordan, Tunisia, and Oman this summer…
Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority (ADTA) said they have lowered the forecast for tourism growth due to the current economic climate. Sheikh Sultan Bin Taboon said the new target by 2012 is 2.3 million visitors compared to the previous target of 2.7 million visitors by that date. Sheikh Sultan said the ADTA expects 1.5 million visitors this year, the same number as last year. He talked about the…
TravelPort GDS announced they have strengthened their Africa team by recruiting both internally and externally. The new and highly experienced team will focus on increasing market presence throughout Africa. Mark Meehan will head up the newly formed team from Middle East and Africa headquarters in Dubai. Meehan will be responsiblie for strengthening TravelPort GDS’s leading position in many African markets…
Fujairah Airport and Europe Aviation have signed an agreement for a new aircraft maintenance facility. Officials said construction of the new facility will begin in a few weeks and is expected to be complete within 18 months. It is estimated the cost of the new facility will be about Dh 50 million and create 300 new jobs, most of which will be filled through the UAE job market. Fujairah Airport Director Dr.…
Reel Cinemas, the UAE’s largest Cineplex with more than 22 screens, will soon open at the Dubai Mall. The Cineplex will have a seating capacity of 2,800 and a notable feature is the incorporation of The Hollywood Chic design concept, ensuring a modern movie going experience. Contemporary interiors and modern construction are combined with ergonomically designed seats designed for optimum comfort. The overall…
