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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Raffles Hotels & Resorts has announced the appointment of Peter French as President, Raffles Hotels & Resorts, with effect from 1 January 2013. Mr French succeeds Mr John Johnston, who has held this role since 2009. Mr Johnston who has been with parent company Fairmont Raffles Hotels International (FRHI) since 1998 will be retiring at the end of the year. Peter French was most recently…
Nothing beats an ice hotel to properly chill out when winter comes. Here’s a short selection of the most famous temperature-challenged hotels around the world. One of the most famous ice hotels has been opening its doors every winter in Québec since 2001. This winter, it will open from January 5 to March 24, 2013. Although the beds are sculpted in ice, they are covered with a special mattress and…
Jeddah, November 11th 2012 – Representatives of the King Abdullah International Foundation and Sofitel, the luxury brand of French Hotel Group Accor, gathered in Jeddah to commemorate the signing of a management contract of a Sofitel hotel in Riyadh, in the presence of HRH Prince Khalid ibn ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Abdulaziz, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Foundation and Denis Hennequin, Accor Chairman and Chief…
Dubai– Recent figures released by the Kenya Tourist Board (KTB) show for the first eight months of 2012 an increase of 89.6% in arrivals from the UAE compared to the same period in 2011, making the UAE the fastest growing inbound market for Kenya. Between January and August 2012, visitor arrivals to Kenya from the UAE numbered 26,574 compared to 14,019 in 2011. Overall, Kenya received over 800,000 arrivals from…
يمكنكم السفر من أبوظبي عاصمة دولة الإمارات العربية المتحدة إلى العاصمة السريلانكية كولومبو على متن طيران الاتحاد فقط مقابل 1190 درهم ذهاباً وإياباً. هذا السعر ساري المفعول بين: 23 ديسمبر - 26 ديسمبر 2012 أو 31 ديسمبر - 25 يناير 2013 الأسعار قابلة للتعديل من قبل الشركة في أي وقت.
The historic Majestic Hotel is set to reopen its doors in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in December this year. The 300-room hotel, owned by YTL Hotels and located along Jalan Sultan Hishamuddin on a 1.29 hectare site opposite the Kuala Lumpur railway station, will open to guests following a RM250 million ($82.5 million) restoration program. The hotel, built in 1932, was considered one of the top landmarks of…
A luxury Irish hotel made famous in the classic John Wayne movie “The Quiet Man” went on sale on Wednesday for half the price paid for it five years ago. Ashford Castle, a five-star hotel on 365 acres (148 hectares) of land on the west coast, is on the market for 25 million euros ($32.46 million) — 25 million euros less than property developer Gerry Barrett paid for it in 2007. The Irish hotel sector…
The luxurious hotel Le Cheval Blanc at upscale ski resort Courchevel is adding eight new suites this winter, all decorated by interior designer Sybille de Margerie. The new suites are decorated with a selection of refined materials, with cashmere, leather and fur adding a touch of softness to the steel, bronze and brushed brass. Three color themes have been used: orange, red and bronze green. Two of…
An enormous pyramid-shaped hotel which has stood half-built for decades in North Korea’s capital is on track to open its doors next year, Reto Wittwer, CEO of luxury international hotel chain Kempinski, said Thursday at a forum in Seoul. Pyongyang’s 105-storey Ryugyong Hotel, a monolithic concrete shell dubbed the “Hotel of Doom” by international media, has been repeatedly delayed and stands as a symbol of…
London’s Heathrow Airport has opened what they’re calling a ‘pop-up’ park in the middle of one of their terminals where passengers are encouraged to zen out with a specially-designed relaxation menu. Set inside Terminal 5, the interior park – created with real grass, hedges, plants, and aromatic bushes — gives passengers a sweeping view of the airfield and was designed to help passengers relax and…
Chef Raymond Blanc has unveiled the new menu he has devised for Eurostar, with dishes inspired by the rail network’s French, British and Belgian destinations. Poached pollock in an English white wine sauce and an apple, celeriac and Belgian pas de bleu cheese salad are among the courses available from Wednesday to passengers travelling in business premier class. “Food on trains has got a bad…
Finnair and Finnish design house Marimekko are teaming up to enhance the air travel experience with a new design partnership. From spring 2013 all Finnair aircraft will feature a Marimekko for Finnair collection of textiles and tableware, featuring Marimekko’s classic patterns. The Marimekko for Finnair collection is specially designed to add a light and fresh visual and tactile dimension to the…
For those who like their coffee with a strong nose Thailand could be the ideal destination, after a blend made from elephant dung was put on sale by an upmarket hotel chain. The Black Ivory blend, made from coffee beans digested and excreted by Thai elephants, is billed as producing a particularly smooth cup. But it is not cheap, with Anantara Hotels saying the “naturally refined” coffee costs a…
The Ibis hotel chain, part of the Accor group, has just launched what it’s calling the ‘world’s biggest virtual pillow fight.’ The virtual pillow fight, which takes place on Ibis’s Facebook page, is open to netizens in the Asia-Pacific region and will run until November 21. Participants have to first become a fan of the Ibis Facebook page and access the pillow fight application before they can create…
Employees working in the public sector are to get a four-day long weekend to mark the UAE’s 41st National Day on December 2. The UAE National Day will fall on a Sunday and public sector staff are likely to be off from Friday, November 30 until Monday, December 3. Private sector employees will be given a three-day extended weekend, returning to work on December 3. Meanwhile, both private and…
Key cultural figures have petitioned the Italian government for enormous cruise ships to be banned from the picturesque lagoon in Venice. “We write to appeal for your active support … in safeguarding the city of Venice and its Lagoon,” the 21 signatories said in a letter published Thursday, addressed to Italy’s Prime Minister Mario Monti. “Public opinion throughout the world regards the protection of Venice as…
So the biggest airport in the world WON'T be opening in Dubai! Shocking, eh? The world's largest airport has, in fact, begun construction in Beijing and will be ready by 2017. Master plans for the new mega airport have been released by Dutch Airport Consultancy firm NACO. Located outside Beijing, it will have capacity for 130 million passengers per year, 23 million more than JFK and London Heathrow combined.…
The Jumeirah luxury hotels group has entered into a partnership with China’s online travel website, Ctrip, to allow Ctrip customers to make reservations more quickly for hotels under the Jumeirah umbrella. Ctrip is a leading one-stop China-based travel website that allows travelers to make reservations for hotels, air tickets and package tours. Special hotel offers, as well as a consumer contest, will be…
Budget carrier Tiger Airways has introduced a new Tiger Plus premium add-on service. The premium service, part of the carrier’s initiative to expand its product and service offerings, will be available for flights departing from Singapore Changi Airport T2. Tiger Airways, which operates from Singapore and Australia, flies to over 30 destinations across 14 countries in the Asia-Pacific region. Passengers who…
When the chef with the most Michelin stars in the world is asked to oversee the creation of the world’s biggest vat of mashed potatoes, there is no place for industrial-sized mixers or short cuts. Because executing Joël Robuchon’s recipe for perfect mashed potatoes requires old-fashioned tools like a potato mill and lots of elbow grease. Over the weekend, Robuchon and a team of 200 student apprentices…
The Dubai-based luxury hotel, Burj Al Arab is celebrating the Breast Cancer Awareness Month by launching the Pinking Burj Al Arab campaign. The highlight of the Pinking Burj Al Arab campaign is the exclusive, one-of-a-kind 24-carat rose gold iPad created by bespoke jeweler Gold & Co. London especially for the cause, with an engraved pink ribbon and the hotel’s logo. The ‘pink’ iPad will be reserved in…
Marriott International continues to grow its JW Marriott hotel brand with the opening of JW Marriott Essex House New York, the brand’s first hotel in New York City. The 509-room hotel is located on Central Park South in Manhattan’s renowned midtown neighborhood, boasting sky-high views of Central Park and situated just steps from famed Fifth Avenue shopping, dining and entertainment. Travelers have…
Qatar has announced plans to construct a gigantic rotating crystal ball for the 2022 FIFA World Cup, to host a sports museum and shopping center for tourists. The project concept was conceived by Danijel Koletić of Apriori Communications, who tasked architects Vedran Pedišić (SANGRAD) and Erick Velasco Farerra (AVP-arhitekti) to realize the idea. In response Pedišić and Farerra have created the…
Dubai is to welcome over 1 million visitors from Saudi Arabia during the Eid Al Adha holidays. Ibrahim Saleh, the Dubai Festival general coordinator, said organizers expect a record-breaking number of Saudis and expatriates from the Kingdom during this week. A similar event held during the Eid Al Fitr festival drew more than 800,000 visitors from Saudi Arabia, this time the number is expected to increase.…
