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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British Airways has announced that it will resume flights from Riyadh and Jeddah to London Heathrow from March 29, 2009. The airline will fly five times a week from Riyadh and Jeddah to Heathrow Terminal 5. The airline had suspended services to Riyadh and Jeddah in March 2005 due to poor commercial performance on the route.
Abu Dhabi based Etihad is flying special relief flights from Thailand to Abu Dhabi to carry stranded passengers, the first of which was due to arrive on November 29 . Etihad's Boeing 777 flight with a capacity of 378 passengers will be taking off from U-Tapao International Airport, about 150km east of Bangkok. Source: www.ameinfo.com
Represented by the General Civil Aviation Authority, UAE has signed a memorandum of understanding with Qatar to increase the number of flights between the two countries. FlyDubai was appointed as a UAE national carrier in addition to Etihad, Emirates, Air Arabia and RAK Air, while Qatar Airways was appointed as Qatar's national carrier. Source: www.ameinfo.com
Sharjah based low cost carrier Air Arabia has won the AVEX aviation show award for Best Regional Airline. The award ceremony, which was part of one of the largest air show and aviation exhibitions in the region, took place in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt Source: www.ameinfo.com
Emirates Airlines has once again denied rumours of a possible merger with Abu Dhabi-based national carrier Etihad. 'There are no merger talks taking place between Emirates and Etihad. We have no knowledge of the federal government or Abu Dhabi, or another airline taking a stake in Emirates', the airline told a Dubai newspaper. Source: www.ameinfo.com
UAE national carrier Etihad has launched its maiden voyage to Moscow from Abu Dhabi. The airline will run five flights per week. Etihad will also launch a new service to Kazakhstan's capital, Almaty, on December 2. Source: www.ameinfo.com
Abu Dhabi-based airline and UAE’s national carrier has signed a $102m aircraft financing facility with a consortium of regional and international banks to finance the airline's acquisition of an Airbus A340-600 aircraft. The 12-year finance lease was provided in equal shares by three separate banks, led by co-arrangers and lenders Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank, Standard Chartered Bank and Sumitomo Mitsui Banking…
Abu Dhabi International Airport has reported that passenger numbers are up 32.8% through the month of October compared to last year. If the trend continues, the aviation hub is hopeful of achieving its target of nine million passengers a year by the end of 2008. The airport has already served 7.5 million passengers in the first 10 months of this year. Source: www.ameinfo.com
Bloomsburg has reported that Dubai plans to announce a strategy in the coming two weeks to attract tourists in the background of the ongoing financial crisis. Khalid Ahmed bin Sulayem, the director general of Dubai's Department of Tourism and Commercial Marketing, said that the emirate is gathering information and looking at trends in travel in tourism around the world, and may revise its target of attracting 15…
Dubai, November 25, 2008: InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) has announced the signing of an agreement with Abu Dhabi-based Seba Properties for the development of the InterContinental Fujairah Resort, a new beachfront property in one of the United Arab Emirates' (UAE) most attractive tourist destinations. The 291-room hotel will be the first InterContinental beach resort property to open in the UAE and will…
Set on the banks of one of the most breathtaking waterways in the world, in a town rich with ancient antiquities, Hilton Luxor Resort & Spa reopens for business, following a 30 month and US$45 million dollar master makeover. Located within minutes of the Temple of Karnak and the Valley of the Kings, the 236-room Hilton Luxor Resort & Spa has been entirely transformed to emerge as a dazzling new retreat that…
Dubai-based developer Nakheel says it will not operate the Queen Elizabeth 2 when the former luxury liner is transformed into a hotel in three years, a newspaper has reported. Nakheel is in talks with major hotel operators to see which will run the hotel, and it will ‘most likely’ be one that Nakheel has already worked with, said Manfred Ursprunger, CEO of Nakheel Hotels, QE2 Enterprises. Source: www. ameinfo.com
Aloke Dey, the manager of Sharaf Travel Holidays one of the largest tour operators in Dubai told a UAE mewspaper that room rates in the city's four and five star hotels had dropped by up to 30%. However, despite these cuts, he added, demand is still down 10% as compared to the same period in 2007. Source: www.ameinfo.com
Kuwait's fastets growing Airline ground handling company National Aviation Services (NAS) has won a bid to handle passengers and cargo at the Mumbai International Airport in Mumbai, India, for 10 years concession. The announcement was made at a press conference by the newly reorganized top management at NAS, led by Naji Al-Ajmi, President and CEO of NAS Global, Adel Al-Askar; Senior Vice-President of Governance…
Thales, a provider of mission-critical information systems for the aerospace, defence and security markets, plans to open a regional office at Abu Dhabi airport's new Business and Logistics Park. This comes in addition to Thale's recent announcement indicating the establishment of a regional service centre at the same location. This double move of two of its regional units is part of the agreement which recently…
Arab Wings has announced that it has signed an agreement with Abu Dhabi based international executive flight services company Royal Jet to manage jointly, a new Challenger 605. The agreement was signed during the Middle East Business Aviation show held at the Dubai Airport. Ahmad Abu Ghazaleh, General Manager of Arab Wings and Shane O’Hare, President and CEO of Royal Jets Signed the contract. The jointly…
Emirates airlines wants to sharply increase its flight slots at Italian airports, the government said, describing this as a move that could boost tourism to Italy from Asian and Gulf countries. Emirates, which has less than 10 Italian slots a week at present, has asked for slots to cover 21 weekly flights each to Rome and Milan and 14 for Venice. It also plans 28 weekly cargo flights. Source: Emirates…
Vacation services provider, Interval International, said on November 23 that, it is affiliating with Monte Cairo, an urban resort in Cairo, by adding the resort to its global network. The firm said that the new property, situated on top of the Moqattam Hill, comprises 80 timeshare units, with a mix of studio, one and two-bedroom units. "This is our second affiliation in Cairo. This project is in a popular…
According to the latest report by hospitality consulting firm, HVS International, while US and European hospitality sector faces severe economic downturn, the Middle East is still going strong. "We have found that the Middle East continues to be one of the most lucrative markets for hotel developers for the time being. It remains to be seen how much of a knock on effect the predicted downturns in Europe and…
Rolls Royce has signed up with NetJets Middle East for CorporateCare, the engine maintenance and management programme for six Rolls Royce powered aircraft. The aircraft comprise three Tay 611-8 powered Gulfstream GIVs and three Gulfstream G-450s powered by Tay611-8C engines. Source: www.ameinfo.com
Kuwait National Airlines said on November 23 that it will list the shares of Wataniya Airways, its full service luxury airline, on the Kuwait Stock Exchange on December 15. The company's listing on KSE would be managed by Kipco Asset Management Company, or Kamco. KSE raised 500 million Kuwaiti dinars in an initial public offering (IPO) in 2006. Wataniya Airways plans to start operations in February 2009…
Gammon and Billimoria has been awarded the construction contract for the first phase of Forbidden City, Nakheel's new project in International City, a Dubai based newspaper has reported. A top official has mentioned that the 4,000 low-rise studio, one- and two-bedroom apartments will be world class but 'affordable'. Source: www.gulfnews.com
Omagine SOAC announced on over the weekend that they are all set to sign an agreement with the Omani government for a $1.5 billion mega tourism project dubbed ‘OMAGINE’. The project will be spread out over 245 acres of prime beach front land, a stone’s throw distance from the Muscat International Airport. Omagine promises to be an elegant and sophisticated combine of entertainment, hospitality, cultural, retail…
The very first meeting for the Dubai Shopping Festival (DSF) 2009 was held on November 20, at Terminal 3 of the Dubai International Airport. Government dignitaries and officials of the DSF Committee attended the meeting. The 14th edition of the festival will begin on January 15 and continue until February 15. Three new government departments have joined the committee this year -Community Development…
