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 national airline of the UAE, Etihad Airways, has partnered with Tourism NSW in order strengthen ties with Australia. Etihad Airways chief executive signed an agreement with New South Wales Premier Nathan Rees that aims to use the growing number of air links between Europe and Australia to increase the number of visitors to travelling to Sydney. Etihad Airways follows Dubai’s Emirates Airlines in…
Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE, Shaikh Mohammed Bih Rashid Al Maktoum, inspected Emirate Groups new headquarters which overlooks Dubai Airport and cost more than Dh400 million to build. The new building is the headquarters for Emirates, flydubai, and Dnata. Shaikh Mohammad inspected e-check in procedures, was briefed about travel procedures such as checking in, and visited the electronic…
Domestic tourism in Saudi Arabia has grown over the past few years due to infrastructure improvements and increased mobility among its growing population. The Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities (SCTA) reported that 37.5 billion Riyals was spent on domestic tourism during the past year. This added 47.5 billion Riyals to the countries Gross Domestic Product during the year. Last year the tourism sector…
Year on year room margins in Dubai dropped 43% last month due to steep discounts offered by hotels in order to attract visitors. STR Global’s figures show that Revenue Per Available Room (RevPar) for Dubai hotels plummeted from $348.66 in March last year to $199.97 (Dh734.48) this March. STR Global is an industry research firm based in London that was created last year by a joint venture between international…
Bahrain carrier Gulf Air said it will start two new flights to Egypt and Oman due to positive customer feedback. From 22 June, Gulf Air will fly to Alexandria, Egypt and from 1 July to Salalah, Oman. Both flight services will operate three times a week throughout the summer season and end in September. Gulf Air’s Sale Director said they chose to add new services to these two popular summer destinations due…
Jeddah will invest SR170 billion ($45 billion) to overhaul infrastructure and transform the Red Sea port city of three million into a trade and tourism hub similar to other Arab cities. Deputy Mayor for Construction and Projects, Ibrahim Kutubkhanah, explained inadequate infrastructure, pollution, densely populated slum areas, a lack of a city wide sewage system, and water supply shortages have been problems for…
The minister of tourism for Lebanon expressed optimism about revival of the travel industry in the UAE while attending the UN World Tourism Organization Summit (UNWTO) yesterday. Elie Marouni acknowledged the negative impact on tourism in the UAE but said they believed this will only be a slowdown and the UAE has a huge potential to recover. Mr. Marouni said the inter-regional growth of tourism will offset the…
A Saudi Arabian Airlines jet seized in Paris last week over a dispute with the leasing company was released yesterday morning. A court ordered the Boeing 777-200 be held at the Charles de Gaulle airport due to a financial dispute between Saudia and Saint Nazaire-based Eagle Aviation. The airline's director general said the seizure of the jet was arbitrary and illegal, and that "we are trying to resolve the…
Saudi Arabian Airlines cut operating costs 30% by upgrading its four contact centers in Madinah, Jeddah, Damman, and Riyadh with IP telephony and contact center solutions. IT Vice President for Saudi Airlines, Dr. Omar Abdullah Al-Jeffri, said the new Unified Communications technology implemented includes IP telephony applications and Modular Messaging for 1,200 in 15 sites throughout the Kingdom. The…
Two employees of a five star hotel on Shaikh Zayed Road were detained by police in connection with the loss of Dh 100,000 of a Bahranian businessman guest. When the businessman attempted to change rooms because of a malfunctioned lock on his door, the hotel staff returned all the items from his room's safety deposit box except the Dh100,000. The safety deposit box was secured by a secret pin number. He called…
An Emirates Airline flight from Dubai to Nairobi was delayed for 90 minutes while a burning smell was investigated. Passengers at the airport saw numerous fire engines near the plane at about 11 am. An Emirates Airline spokesman said after engineers inspected the plane, Emirates flight EK719 EAR-24 was cleared for take off at 12:15 am. The flight was initially scheduled to depart at 10:40 am.
Hotel revenue per available room (RevPar) in Dubai dropped 35% to $217.5 in February 2009 compared to $335.5 for the same period last year. Deloitte and Touché consultancy firm carried out the STR Global Hotel Survey showing the steep drop in RevPar. Consultants said that hotel revenues are decreasing as fewer visitors come to Dubai and more new hotels open their doors. The impact of the global economic…
Carvings unearthed in ancient temples in the Sinai Peninsula may help explain one of the more obscure periods in Pharaonic history. Mission head for Egyptian archeologists said there is a carving of King Ramses I standing before the god Set. The Hyksos worshipped King Ramses and rare inscriptions found on the temple walls relate to them. Hyksos means “foreign ruler” in Greek and they were intensely hate by the…
Air Arabia began non-stop service to Athens, Greece from Sharjah, UAE, as part of its strategy to expand its operations in Europe. Air Arabia is a low cost carrier in the Middle East and Africa. They will fly to Athens on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday, leaving Sharjah at 18:55 pm and arriving in Athens at 22.45 pm. The return flight will depart from Athens at 23:30 pm and arrive in Sharjah at 05:20 am.…
Coral Hotels & Resorts, which currently has properties only in the Middle East, plans to expand into new markets worldwide and have 100 hotels by 2012. They currently have 15 hotels, are expanding aggressively, and will have 15 more by the end of 2009 . Chairman and CEO of Coral’s parent Company Manafa said their vision is to “go global in this sector”. He said they are planning further expansion in the Middle…
Major international hoteliers are focusing on Abu Dhabi as the capital invests billions of dollars into the tourism industry in order to ensure it plays a significant role in economic growth. Chief executive for the consultancy organization Fast Future says Abu Dhabi is becoming an important focal point for major hotel brands because of the expected long term growth. Dubai’s Jumeirah Group, Hilton Hotel, Ritz…
The UN World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) said Monday that tourism growth in the Middle East will probably slow to 4%, down from 11% last year. Interim Secretary General for UNWTO, Taleb Rifai, spoke about the tourism industry in the Middle East during the first day of the UNWTO tourism summit in Qatar. Rifai said that internationally tourism is set to decrease to between 0% and minus 2%. The Middle East is…
Amadeus announced yesterday they partnered with Syrian Arab Airlines to launch their operations in Syria. Amadeus is the global leader for technology and distribution solutions for the travel and tourism industry. Amadeus has been active in Syria over the past five years with partners. Amadeus market share of Syrian travel agency reservation distribution increased 25% to 73% this year. The general manager…
Emirates Airlines increased its Far East flights, introducing three additional weekly flights from Dubai to Jakarta and announcing double daily flights from Dubai to Kuala Lumpur from 1 May. The World Bank recently forecast a 5.3 per cent increase in the gross domestic product for the Far East this year. Emirates Senior Vice President of Commercial Operations Worldwide explained the Middle East and Far…
Ireland based Grand Midwest Group opened its third apartment hotel in Dubai yesterday and is planning to launch two more properties in the UAE. Group Chairman for Grand Midwest said the company had planned more properties but because of the economic downturn they will focus on launching the two additional planned properties in the UAE by 2010. He said Dubai is not immune from the global economic downturn but…
Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Department will take part in the Kazakhstan International Tourism and Travel Fair in Atakent Exhibition Center in Almaty on 23 April. Sharjah is looking forward to increasing the tourist and capital inflow into the emirate.
The Dubai Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM) released revised figures showing that compared to 2007, hotel revenue in Dubai increased 15.1% and the number of guests rose by more than 8%. Hotel revenues last year were Dh15.27 billion and the number of hotel rooms increased 17.9% to 50,457 in 2008. DTCM released preliminary figures in March showing hotel revenue last year was Dh15.25 bn and the…
Emirates Airline is ready for heavy criticism again at the annual International Air Transport Association Meeting for the airline industry in June. In the past there has been very critical comments aimed at the airline during panel discussions. Two years ago Lufthansa had complaints and last year Air France-KLM and Singapore questioned whether Emirates record Dh5.02 billion profits for 2007-2008 were achieved…
A new report by Caterglobal.com showed that 75% of the twenty one per cent of Middle Eastern and North African hotel staff find work within the same industry. Caterglobal.com is one of the worlds leading hospitality recruitment websites. Caterglobal’s report was presented at the four day Arabian Travel Mart event being held in Dubai between May 5th and May 8th. The report surveyed over 3,500 hospitality…
