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 second annual Jordan Travel Mart was held at the Dead Sea offered two days of two days of meetings, workshops. 100 buyers from the Americas participated in the event and met 180 of their Jordanian counterparts. The Jordanian suppliers were represented by 60 hotels, receptive operators, and other suppliers of services. Recent figures show that visitors form the Americas increased 12.7% 200,000 in 2008 and…
The Karak Antiquities Department (KAD) said recent reports that the walls of the Karak Castle are collapsing are untrue. The KAD director said reports have been appearing on electronic news services websites that several walls recently collapsed, and noted that renovation and restoration projects on the castle have been in progress since the 1990’s
Four and Five Star hotel occupancy rates in Oman increased from 64.7% in 2007 to 86.1% in 2008. The increase is attributed to mainly to the government’s successful promotional tourism campaign in the Gulf. Ministry of National Economy Statistics last year 618,826 people stayed in four and five star hotels compared to 674,204 people in 2008.
The Mauritius Tourism Promotion Authority together with Emirates Airline began a four city promotional tour of the Middle East. The one week promotional tour, dubbed the Mauritius Road show, aimed to promote tourism in Mauritius, which is geographically close to the Middle East. The Mauritius Road show began in Kuwait, continued in Riyadh and Jeddah, and ended on Thursday in Dubai. The Mauritius Minister for…
Dubai’s tourism campaign, dubbed “Keep Discovering Dubai” will bring over 2,000 industry professional between now and May. A key goal of the campaign is to dispel negative perceptions of Dubai, according to a Dubai Department of Tourism and Commerce and Marketing (DTCM) source. Specifically, there were previously reports of illegal sewage dumping on Dubai’s beaches and another report of a case of Legionnaire’s…
Wataniya Airlines this week launched twice daily scheduled flights to Bahrain. This is the third new route Kuwait’s luxury airline has announced this week. Previously they flew to Dubai, Beirut, and Cairo. Wataniya’s CEO said the Bahrain route is important both from a business and social perspective. The first Wataniya Aircraft landed at Bahrain International Airport Thursday morning.
Most kite flying experts recommend the Sultanate as the best place to hold kite-flying festivals in the Middle East. Kite flyers from around the globe, but especially Australia, are drawn to the Sultanates’’ long beaches and favorable winds. Marc Gribener, a kite flyer from Germany said that for kite surfing a minimum of 18 mph wind speed is required and that "The climate here is good for holding kite…
Travelport GDS announced on Tuesday that it had signed an exclusive Galieo contract with Al Ghaith Al Moosa Travel Agency (ALTA). Travelport GDS is one of the world’s leading providers of global distribution systems. Travelport GDS operates both the Galileo and Worldspan platforms. Regarding the new contract, Abdul Kareem, General Manager for Alta said that Galileo is their preferred GDS because "In today's…
Amadeus has appointed Tom Kulinski Business Solutions Manager for its Middle East and Africa operations. Mr. Kulinski has over 20 yeas experience in international companies throughout Asia, the Middle East, Africa, America, and Europe. During his tenure with Amadeus to date, he has led account migration projects and from 1995 worked in Amadeus (Nice) France in customer relations management. Mr. Kulinksi’s key…
The Road and Transport Association (RTA) announced the completion of the Dh 11 million dollar Marinas Project. The Marinas Project runs on both sides of the creek and is in the vicinity of the Floating Bridge. The project is intended for Dubai Police rescue operations, use by the Dubai Golf Club, Al Boom tourist village, and visitors to the Creek Park. Mattar al Tayer, Chairman of the Board and Executive…
An official with the International Air Transport Association has strongly recommended a move to an “open skies” policy. Madji Sabri spoke at the Middle East Economic Digest Airport Projects 2009 conference said that the “open skies” policy would be helpful in bridging the gap between extra capacity and demand, which is currently slowing down. In the Middle East and North Africa, there are over 460,000 jobs in…
The Dhofar Tourism Company’s RO 1 billion Mirbat Beach Project on the Salalah Coast was showcased Oman Travel Mart (OTM), which just recently concluded. The Dhofar Tourism Company pavillon revealed all 5 phases of the development, which is nearing completion. Phase 1 is the construction of the five star hotel called the Mirbat Beach Resort and Spa. For phase II, 161 Marina apartments around a Marina with 75…
Muriya Salaha Beach project clients were recently given a tour of the project so that they could see first hand the progress so far. A presentation of the construction development of the villas and destination facilities was given and a comprehensive review and update of the progress was made. Clients were able to view actual work in progress. At the Marina they watches as 170,000m3 of the inland marina basin was…
Al Bustan Rotana Dubai announced that Gonzalo Rodriquez has been appointed the hotel’s new Front Office Manager. Mr. Rodriquez has extensive experience working in five start properties in different European countries including Spain and Italy. He is a Spanish national with more than ten years experience working in the hospitality industry. Regarding his appointment he said he remarked "I am positively…
Dubai’s DepaMar was awarded a $50 million contract by Kerzner International Developments at the Mazagan Resort villas in El Jadida. El Jadida is on the Atlantic coast of Morocco. DepaMar is the Moroccan subsidiary of Depa Limited, one of the world’s largest interior design companies. The first phase of development at the Mazagan resort will include a five story hotel with 1,000 beds, entertainment center, many…
The UAE announced on Tuesday that it will begin using the international “blue flag” system to identify those swimming spots that are eco-friendly. The WAM news agency said that The Emirates Wildlife Society (EWS-WWF) will be the program coordinator across the UAE. The Blue Flag program is a voluntary eco-label that started in 1987 and is acknowledged by the United Nations environment programme and World Tourism…
An official speaking for Bahrain’s current tourism body said today that plans to establish a new Bahrain Ministry of Tourism this April have been postponed, because economic crisis has left the government struggling to find sufficient funds to support itself. Bahrain attracts about 2 million visitors a year and is one of the most popular destinations in the UAE. Officials expect that the tourism sector will…
Kingdom Hotel Investments (KHI) reported yesterday that they expected a 50% growth in consolidated revenue for 2008 compared to the 80% growth rate during the previous year ($178.6mm or Dh655mm). The company said that net income growth is driven by hotel performance and real estate sales. Also, the company’s foreceast comes in advance of their announcement of financial results for year ending 31 December 2008,…
Organizers of a recent hospitality and trade show said that hoteliers need to pay more attention to products and service which have bigger cost savings efficiency during periods of lower growth. Maggie Moore, the Exhibition Director of The Hotel 2009 said that “Without a doubt the hotel industry in the region will face challenges as overseas demand declines.” Miss Moore said that more emphasis is being placed…
Gulf Finance House signed a US $1.8 billion (Dh6.61 bn) agreement with Abu Dhabi Investment House to build a health resort in the tourist destination of Essaouira, in Morocco. The partners signed letters of intent on with the Moroccan government in Davos, Switzerland last week, as the World Economic Forum there was in process. The alliance between the two partners is named Vision3 and it will develop a…
Plane pooling among the very rich is becoming popular as the global economic downturn continues. The well heeled are eager to find ways to cut costs but without giving up luxuries and comforts they are accustomed to. Generally, an executive will join a network of jet users who enjoy private aviation, and they coordinate trip dates and shared cabin space. PrivateJetShare.com is one company encouraging this…
A Deluxe coach service between Dubai and Abu Dhabi was inaugurated by the Public Transport Agency (PTA) of the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA). CEO of the PTA said that initially 10 deluxe coaches will transport passengers along this route to the capital and Al Ain. The one-way fare is Dh20. Later 55 buses will be added and the service will be extended to more areas. The 10 buses were bought for a…
The volatile world economy caused the international demand for tourism to slow significantly in 2008. International tourist arrivals in 2008 were 924 million, a 16 million increase, or 2% increase compared to 2007. However, during the second half of 2008 growth stopped and the trend for international arrivals declined slightly. This trend is expected to continue into 2009.
Top executives reported that hotels in the Gulf region continue to hire more staff in order to maintain occupancy rates and prevent revenue drop. And, according to a hospitality recruitment spokesman hotels continue to recruit for top key positions, in spite of the international finiancail crisis. For most hotels in the region, occupancy rates decreased from 83% during the first half of last year to about 73%…
