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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Thai Airways have just launched their Facebook page for the Middle East and to encourage users to "like" their page they are giving away a vacation for two. You stand a chance to win two tickets to Bangkok from Dubai with a two nights' stay at a 4-star hotel in Bangkok if you "like" the Thai Airways Middle East page and answer a simple question. Participants must be free to travel from Dubai to Bangkok…
In an endeavour to position itself within the hearts and minds of the GCC travel industry, The Empire Hotel & Country Club, Brunei recently connected with key travel trade professionals across Dubai, Doha, Dammam, Riyadh and Jeddah during Unique Choice’s 16th GCC International Workshop, held from May 19 to 23. The prestigious five-star resort’s inaugural participation at this event proved a resounding…
Emirates Airlines will be adding 73 additional flights to Jeddah and Madinah to facilitate passengers going to Saudi Arabia during Ramadan for Umrah. Religious tourism is at its peak between Ramadan and Hajj and the addition of 73 extra flights will help Emirates transport passengers from across its network to Saudi Arabia. Usually there is a big influx of Ramadan visitors to Makkah and Madinah from Indonesia,…
Emirates Airline has launched the UK's first urban cable car company called Emirates Air Line – not to be confused with the Airline which flies planes. This new service takes people across London's famous River Thames. The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson and Emirates Airline President Tim Clark joined Peter Hendy CBE, London’s Transport Commissioner, on the first official Emirates Air Line flight this morning.…
Starting from August 8 2012, the rapidly expanding low cost carrier, flydubai, will now be flying to its fifth destination in Iraq – Basra. The airline already flies to Baghdad, Erbil, Najaf and Sulaimaniyah. Basra is the main port of Iraq and is a bustling trading hub. Trade between Iraq and the UAE in 2011 was of over US$4.5 billion. flydubai's CEO, Ghaith Al Ghaith, said: "We identified Iraq as one of…
LONDON- Air Canada has announced it is to extend seasonal non-stop service between London Heathrow and St. John’s, Newfoundland this summer, operating flights daily from 18 May 2012 until 27 October 2012, four weeks longer than originally scheduled. “We are pleased to extend the only direct daily service to St. John’s from the UK,” said Robert Atkinson, General Manager – Sales UK, Ireland and Northern…
DUBAI, UAE - A pledge of continued support to Sri Lanka's tourism industry through award-winning air services was one of the highlights of the high-profile formal opening of the Emirates Lounge at the Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA), Katunayaka. Tim Clark, President of Emirates airline, and Mohammed Mattar, Divisional Senior Vice President Airport Services, joined H.E. Mahmood Mohammed Al-Mahmood,…
DUBAI, UAE - Emirates airline announced today that it has repaid a US$ 550 million sukuk bond in full on its maturity date 18 June, 2012. The sukuk bond, listed on the Luxembourg Stock Exchange, was originally issued in 2005 with a seven year term. The US$ 550 million sukuk bond was the first of its kind to be issued by Emirates representing its commitment to utilising a diverse range of funding tools,…
Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group has today announced that it will manage a luxury hotel which is under development in Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan province, China. Mandarin Oriental, Chengdu, which is slated to open in 2015, will form part of a prestigious mixed-use development located on a prime riverfront site in the Jin-jiang district, close to the city’s key commercial and entertainment areas and opposite…
The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company L.L.C. has opened its first luxury resort in Japan on the tropical island of Okinawa. The Ritz-Carlton, Okinawa is the ultimate luxury destination for visitors to an island that is rich in championship golf courses and surrounded by pristine emerald waters that are perfect for waterborne activities. The Okinawan concept of hospitality or “gusuku,” which translates as “castle” or…
Starting in 2013 Air France- KLM plans to test, in partnership with Panasonic Avionics, a program that brings on-board connectivity to the airlines’ long-haul flights. The experimental project will allow passengers to connect to the internet, send emails and SMS text messages, and, eventually, watch TV shows on their computer. A special in-flight website will allow users to access numerous services such as…
Celebrates a visit by Buddha to Sri Lanka. There is a procession of Elephants and Dancers to mark this celebration.
Beijing, PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF CHINA – Qatar Airways Chief Executive Officer Akbar Al Baker has been voted onto the Board of Governors of the global aviation industry body, International Air Transport Association (IATA). Al Baker was selected by fellow airline executives attending IATA’s annual World Air Transport Summit in Beijing this week. His is a newly-created position to increase representation for Middle…
TAJIKISTAN – 10 June, 2012 – Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. (NYSE:HOT) has signed an agreement with CJSC CHL International, a subsidiary of CHL Limited (BSE:CHL), an Indian-based company, to open a Sheraton Hotel in Dushanbe, Tajikistan. Scheduled to open in early 2013, the Sheraton Dushanbe Hotel marks the entrance of Starwood in the country. The opening of this hotel is part of the company’s global…
Chef Joël Robuchon‘s only New York outpost of his Michelin-starred L’Atelier empire will be shuttering its doors this summer. The Four Seasons Hotel New York has announced that it will ‘amicably part ways’ with the French chef as of June 30, whose restaurant L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon opened in the hotel in 2006. The restaurant earned a second Michelin star last year. The closure of his New York location leaves…
After the room service menu and the pillow menu, this one seemed almost inevitable: one London hotel is now offering a bath menu for the summer. Designed to help guests scrub a day’s worth of London grit from their bodies, the package comes courtesy of the Goring Hotel and Molton Brown, two British institutions determined to offer guests something special this summer. Uniquely though, the idea doesn’t just…
Italian industrial designer Michele Puzzolante has come up with a conceptual floating luxury hotel suite he claims could be entirely self-powering thanks to the dye-sensitized solar cells which would be integrated into the vessel’s walls. Puzzolante suggests his “Solar Floating Resort” could be navigated along exotic coast lines, while its six resident passengers observe marine wildlife thanks to its underwater…
Emirates has unveiled the world’s widest seat-back television screens, to be installed on its new aircraft. The new 12.1-inch screen is the largest economy class seatback system in the world, Emirates says, complete with high-definition displays — another first for the Dubai-based carrier. New screens are also being installed in premium classes, Emirates said May 31, including a 27-inch widescreen in First…
Amari the hotel and resort brand celebrating the colours and rhythms of modern Asian hospitality is offering sensational Spa Packages, specially designed for relaxation and rejuvenation. Offering an attractive selection of complimentary benefits including traditional Thai massages and discounts on a variety of Spa treatments, the Amari Spa Packages provide all the essential ingredients to escape for a relaxing…
A prominent Saudi Arabian princess attempted to leave a luxury hotel in Paris without paying a US$7.4m bill, according to media reports this weekend. Newswire AFP, citing French daily Le Parisien, reported that Maha Al-Sudairi, former wife of Crown Prince Nayef Bin Abdel Aziz, tried to leave the French capital's Shangri-La hotel in the early hours of Thursday without settling the bill for her and her 60-member…
From June 4 to July 1, Brussels is offering a sky high culinary experience with “Dinner in the Sky”, a unique opportunity to discover Belgian gastronomy in an unusual way. The Dinner in the Sky event will allow more than 600 guests to take part in this lofty eating experience, seated at a “flying dinner table” set 30 meters above one of four key tourist sites in the city. Hanging over the city’s Royal Palace…
The private garage located at 66 E. 11th Street in Manhattan, is the city’s first million dollar parking spot, according to the New York Post. The garage is described to be 12 feet wide, 23 feet long and more than 15 feet high and even have the ability to be duplexed in order to accommodate an elevator. The space is expected to go to one of the residents of the building, an eight-story prewar loft that is…
New York City restaurant Seredipity 3 has unveiled the world’s most expensive hamburger, Le Burger Extravagant which sells for $295. Made from white truffle butter-infused Japanese Wagyu beef, the burger is topped with James Montgomery cheddar cheese, black truffles and a fried quail egg. It is served on a gold-dusted campagna roll spread with white truffle butter, and the roll is topped with a…
