16 Aug 2016

China is preparing to launch a special hypersonic jet to carry passengers to space. Designed by a state aerospace firm, it has initiated its research work on the aircraft that would take off from a runway and carry passengers to low earth orbit. This exclusive design is reported to be more efficient than the NASA Space Shuttle that had been developed on a rocket but landed on a runway.

CASTC or China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation is currently developing this brand new aircraft. When the project would be completed, it is estimated that the aircraft would cut down the costs of space travel considerably, offering China success in the field of space travel.

The jet plane would start just like a normal airplane. However, soon afterwards, a supersonic scramjet engine would kick the aircraft and lift it about 1000 km above sea level. Immediately, rocket boosters would offer an excess thrust to the engine, empowering it to escape the magnetic field of the lower atmosphere of the earth. Plans for developing this plane had been discussed on a local television channel and it was said that within 2030 the plan would begin offering services.

The aircraft, known as DF-ZF glider was attached to a ballistic missile and introduced at Wuzhai missile launch centre that is located in central China. The purpose of building it was to deliver missile at very high speeds across the world. The new space plane launched by China would utilize rocket motors coupled with combined cycle air breathing engine.

The space plane would also be utilized by the Chinese military to fly at high speeds that would be unmatched by any other air defense systems. 

16 Aug 2016

ANA (All Nippon Airways) has launched an exciting new competition, offering two lucky travellers the opportunity to win flights and a hotel stay in Tokyo, along with an ANA Rimowa Classic suitcase.

You can visit ANA’s Facebook page and answer a few simple questions about your dream itinerary in Japan to enter the competition. The competition will close at 5:00pm on 5th September 2016, and the trip must be taken between 1st October 2016 – 31st March 2017. Restrictions will apply during particularly busy periods.

16 Aug 2016

Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA) sees steady air traffic growth in July 2016. The main driver behind passenger traffic growth in July was the 11% year-on-year growth in Hong Kong resident travellers. Passenger traffic to and from North Asia and Mainland China recorded the most significant increases.

Another reason for the passenger growth was the low base in South Korean routes caused by the outbreak of MERS during the same period last year.

Traffic to and from key trading regions in North America, Mainland China and Southeast Asia rose most significantly in July.

HKIA welcomed 41.5 million passengers and recorded 239,960 flight movements for the first seven months of the year, marking year-on-year increases of 5.2% and 2.6% respectively. HKIA handled 2.46 million tons of cargo during the period, which remained flat compared to the same period last year.

The airport will be bringing more cultural experience to passengers during this summer period aside from the “Art, Culture and Music at the Airport 2016”. Airport Authority Hong Kong will be teaming up with Extension and Continuing Education for Life of the Hong Kong Academy of Performing Arts, to bring the passengers a performance of “Singing in Summer Rain”, where students will sing and dance to numbers from the all-time-favorite musical “Singing in the Rain”. It will be performed at Meeters and Greeters Hall B seven times daily, where passengers can enjoy some live music and dance performance when they pass by.

09 Aug 2016

Malaysia Airlines Berhad (MAB) officially announced the appointment of Arved Von Zur Muehlen as Chief Commercial Officer effective 5th September 2016. The announcement was made by Malaysia Airlines’ Chief Executive Officer, Peter Bellew.

Arved’s prior profession was the Senior Vice President of Commercial Network Operations for Qatar Airways, responsible for  global sales strategy and development as well as innovation and technology with a revenue target of more than USD7 billion. Whilst there he managed the roll-out of several successful projects, including the implementation of a new internet sales platform and booking engine. Before that, he spent four years with Swiss International Airlines as Vice President Sales International where he was responsible, amongst other things, for sales and marketing across 18 online markets. Arved also spent over 15 years with Lufthansa Airlines covering a wide breadth of portfolios in revenue management, sales and marketing and left the airline as Managing Director of Greater China.

Arved holds a Degree in Economics from the Johann Wolfgang-Goethe University Frankfurt. He will take over the current CCO, Paul Simmons who will be leaving in mid-September 2016. Arved will focus on developing a comprehensive and sustainable plan to improve Malaysia Airlines’ marketing, sales, products and customer service. Arved will play a crucial role in the next phase of the turnaround, focusing on restoring Malaysia Airlines’ position as a leading international carrier and developing innovative customer centric services.

06 Aug 2016

Kerala Tourism has rolled out a promotional campaign in Dubai to woo Arab travelers and showcase Kerala’s backwaters and waterfalls on taxis plying in the bustling metropolis.

The campaign will see the cabs take to the streets sporting wrappings aimed to promote the state’s Monsoon getaways, offering respite from the sizzling Arabian summer.
As many as 200 Kerala-branded taxis will ferry the message of ‘A Faraway Land Four Hours Away’ with eye-catching visuals featuring hill stations, backwaters, waterfalls and also Ayurvedic therapies – through the streets of Dubai. The campaign, inspired by the previous highly successful branding efforts on London taxis and the Mumbai metro, will run till August 15.

Arab tourists are the biggest spenders. Kerala received more than one lakh visitors from the region in 2015, with some 20,506 tourists from UAE alone. The majority came from Saudi Arabia with 51,149 Saudi nationals visiting last year, while Oman accounted for 18,763 footfalls, it said.

06 Aug 2016

Emirates flight EK-521’s crash-land in Dubai on Wednesday was due to a sudden change in wind patterns after its attempt to ‘go-around’ which means aborting a landing at the last minute to go up again and attempt a safe landing the second time. The media recording with ATC shows that the Boeing – 777 was coming in to land normally, but then it conducted a go-around hearing ATC asking the pilot to “climb straight to 4,000 ft.”

The EK-521 pilot’s “read-back” of the ATC instructions, which basically means that the pilot had correctly understood the instruction to climb to 4,000 ft. after going around, does not seem to suggest anything inappropriate till that point as their voice is perfectly normal. Go-arounds are a common thing in aviation. But, at that time, the Dubai Airport and its vicinity were witnessing a ‘wind shear’ – sudden change of wind speed and direction.

Emirates did not respond to a query on this issue, with an airline spokesman saying that “investigations are still on”.

01 August 2016

Chiang Mai tourism stakeholders have stepped forward in a concerted effort to reiterate the city’s readiness both in terms of infrastructure and hospitality in welcoming all international tourists, especially Chinese travellers whose numbers have increased significantly over the last few years. The announcement was made during a joint press conference, held on 29 July 2016 at Chiang Mai Zoo, by Chiang Mai Province, Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), Royal Thai Police, Department of Transport, and the private sector represented by tourism-related associations.

Over the years, Chiang Mai has reaped numerous awards. Chiang Mai was voted the 10th best city the Travel + Leisure World’s Best Awards 2013 readers’ survey. In 2014, the city was voted among the Top 25 Cities in the World by Condé Nast Traveller’s Readers’ Choice Awards 2014.

In 2015, Chiang Mai welcomed 9.26 million tourists, including 2.8 million international visitors – of which about 800,000 being Chinese tourists (an increase of 30 per cent). For this year, the latest data available was from the first quarter which saw more than 240,000 Chinese tourist arrivals, a 40 per cent year-on-year increase.

The city is in the process of improving city-wide signage and tourists leaflets to incorporate Chinese and English languages. The first of such efforts is a sticker, carrying cartoon characters of an elephant and a panda and a Chinese phrase “Thailand extends warm welcome to our Chinese friends” (and in the next production will incorporate English with adjusted phrase to cover all international tourists).”

In addition, in a bid to address the matter of cultural differences, the TAT Chiang Mai Office has produced tourist leaflets in Chinese and English that listing 12 recommendations on local traditions (do and don’t) as well as traffic regulations. This came on top of many other city-wide efforts to strengthening tourist safety and security, upgrading access by air and land, and improving hospitality service standards.

The majority of visitors travel to Chiang Mai by air. Chiang Mai International Airport is currently being served by 27 scheduled airlines which operated 62,626 domestic and international flights in 2015, up 26.06 per cent over 2014. The Airport served 8,069,918 passengers in 2015, up 29.88 per cent over 2014. The airport is working on a development project that will increase its capacity from 8 million to 15 million passengers per annum by 2022.

01 August 2016

Amadeus IT Holding, a leading technology partner for the global travel industry, reported an adjusted profit of 494.5 million Euros for the first half of 2016. This means, a growth of 17.9% compared to the same period of 2015 which was supported by a revenue increase of 15.1% to 2,275.5 million euros, and EBITDA growth of 16.5%, to 907.1 million Euros.

Around 75% of airline bookings made through the Amadeus system worldwide are with airlines that have a content agreement with Amadeus. Since the beginning of the year, new contracts or renewals of existing content agreements were signed with 21 carriers, including LATAM Airlines Group S.A. (“LATAM”), Virgin Australia, Emirates, Air Cairo and Etihad Airways.

Growth also continued in the low-cost carrier segment. Chinese low cost carrier Spring Airlines made its content available through the Amadeus system. Also, travel agents using the Amadeus system can now book Ryanair’s Business Plus Fare. Subscribers to the Amadeus system have access to the inventory of more than 80 low cost and hybrid carriers from all over the world. Bookings of this segment grew by 17% in the first half of 2016, compared to 2015.

The customers also continued to contract the merchandising solutions, including LATAM, FlyBe and Ukraine International Airlines. As of the end of the first half, 63% of the global air bookings processed through the Amadeus system are eligible to carry an attached ancillary service. At the end of the first half, 110 airlines had signed up to Amadeus Airline Ancillary Services for the indirect channel, with 86 of them already implemented. Including customers that have contracted this solution for either their indirect channel or direct channel, the number of contracted airlines is 157, 121 of which have already been implemented.

Amadeus Fare Families Solution, which allows airlines to distribute branded fares, had 39 contracts in place, including the newly signed Scandinavian Airlines, Iberia and Ural Airlines. 30 customers have now implemented the Fare Families solution, including Canada’s WestJet.

Merchandising sales through the Amadeus indirect distribution channel had a record first half of the year, with an 80% increase in airline ancillary services sold through the Amadeus system, primarily through the more than 30 global online travel agencies (OTAs) that are integrating Amadeus merchandising solutions.

21 July 2016

Abu Dhabi, the capital city of United Arab Emirates, has been doing all it can to keep up with Dubai after few years. Abu Dhabi is all set to stress on the culture factor and bring tourists to the region with various grand plans.

Abu Dhabi is comprised of numerous small islands and is linked with unique road bridges. Saadiyat Island in the north is going to be the talk of the town as soon as Guggenheim Abu Dhabi, Louvre Abu Dhabi and the Zayed National Museum open. Yas Island, known as the entertainment island, has its Yas Links, Yas Marina Circuit known for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Ferrari World and Yas Waterworld.

Three posh hotels will be opened towards the end of 2016 which includes Al Maryah, The Grand Hyatt, and Fairmont Marina.

Yellow Boats are great options for those who want to go on a speed-boat trip around the coastline.  Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque is one of the most magnificent mosques with space for 40,000 devotees. The Rub Al Khali desert is just a little away from the city and it is in fact, the biggest area of sand in the whole world. You can opt for a lot of desert experience packages like camel far, camel rides, Arabic style buffer and dune bashing.

  
The best time to visit Abu Dhabi is during the winters and spring, that is from November to April, when the temperature is around 24C because in summers, it can be scorching hot with temperature reaching around 42C.

19 July 2016

One of the most famous scenes of Yehliu Geopark on the north coast of Taiwan, the “Queen’s Head”, is on the verge of extinction. Although scientists are battling to save the ancient structure, conserving the rock remains uncertain as conservation work to protect it from the marine erosion has proved unsuccessful.

The rock is said to resemble Queen Elizabeth I’s profile, which attracted about 3 million visitors in 2015.

The fragile neck is at risk from typhoons and earthquakes aside to being battered by sea water and wind, according to Tang Helena, Neo-Space International Inc. Assistant General Manager. A circle of stone was installed in order to prevent the visitors from the rock.

The authorities are also exploring other modern systems to protect the natural formation. Options including introducing a glass cabinet and a steel rib were turned down as natural disasters like typhoons and earthquakes might bring unexpected damage to the formation.

On a lighter note, on Jan. 20, 2010, one formation created a profile like a princess after a part of it broke off. The new landmark was named Cute Princess following an online poll.

Even in the worst scenario, a toppled ‘Queen’s Head’ could be placed in a museum and attract tourists according to Park administrator Kuo Chen-ling.

19 July 2016

Beginning 15th December 2016, Latam Airlines Group has announced that it will operate three weekly non-stop flights between Lima, Peru and Barcelona, Spain. The airline group presumes more than 19,000 passengers per year will fly the new non-stop route. The service will be operated by Boeing 767 aircraft with 216 seats in Economy and 16 seats in Premium Business, offering 180-degree lie-flat seats.

The flight will complement LATAM Airline Group’s four weekly non-stop flights between São Paulo and Barcelona as well its daily non-stop services from Lima, São Paulo, Santiago and Guayaquil (Ecuador) to Madrid, where customers can connect to and from Barcelona via oneworld partner Iberia. The group also operates non-stop services from Latin America to a further four European destinations: London, Paris, Frankfurt and Milan.

The airline group also announced last week that it will increase frequency on its Buenos Aires- Miami route from seven to 11 flights per week, beginning 15 December 2016.

18 July 2016

UK Tourists will be facing difficulties for holiday bookings to Turkey according to research. Tourism in Turkey has witnessed numerous turmoil in 2016. Numerous travel agents informed that worried tourists were calling to cancel plans to visit Turkey after watching shocking footages on television. The Government stated on 16th July that the situation in Turkey was appearing to be calming and they also stated that the coastal resorts were not affected significantly.

However, ABTA spokesperson informed that operators like Thomson and Thomas Cook were offering the holidaymakers to change or cancel their plans during the weekend but the offers varied from operators to operators. She also informed that operators would decide terms and conditions of their bookings unless the Foreign Office advice any changes.

The British Airways also cancelled their flights to Turkey on Saturday, 16th July. But they resumed their services on 17th July to bring the stranded holidaymakers home. EasyJet, United Airlines, Turkish Airlines, Thomas Cook were also ferrying disturbed traveler out of Turkey. Among the stranded visitors, several were mere kids.

The recent incidents suggest that Brit tourists are going to face a really difficult time if they have already paid for their trips to Turkey. Some of them might have to endure financial losses.

13 July 2016

Aside from gathering up the awards for World’s Best Inflight Entertainment for a record of 12th consecutive year and Best Airline in the Middle East, Emirates was also named as the World’s Best Airline at the prestigious Skytrax World Airline Awards 2016. The World’s Best Airline Awards are considered a global benchmark of airline excellence. The award was based on a total of 19.2 million completed surveys covering 280 airlines, by customers hailing from more than 104 countries.

This is the 4th time Emirates has won the top accolade since the airline awards were introduced 15 years ago and has a total of 20 Skytrax World Airline Awards since 2001.

Emirates is the world’s largest international airline, with an extensive network that has grown to offer its customers a choice of 154 destinations in 81 countries across six continents, with convenient connections through its hub in Dubai. The airline operates one of the world’s youngest modern wide-body fleets. These aircraft are not only more efficient to operate, but are also more comfortable for passengers to fly in – enabling Emirates to install and offer the latest onboard products.

13 July 2016

American Express Global Business Travel has announced its commercial agreement with Airbnb, the world’s leading community-driven hospitality company. This partnership will make Airbnb more accessible to GBT customers and allow the company to book accommodation on Airbnb for business travellers. GBT and its customers can book directly on Airbnb.com in the first phase of the agreement.

GBT and Airbnb will integrate Airbnb booking information into GBT’s reporting platform to ease the process for the customers. Once completed, the reservation details for each business trip will automatically be shared with GBT. Additionally, corporate itineraries and mobile devices travellers can access booking information through GBT’s corporate reporting and duty of care platforms.

The first phase of the partnership will go live in the United States in the next few weeks and expand to additional countries including UK, France and Germany later this year. Airbnb for Business gives business travellers access to more than two million homes around the world, and the ability to explore a city like a local, even if it’s just for one night.

12 July 2016

UNWTO and partners launched an E-toolkit to help hotels in Europe to reach a zero-energy consumption which is required to all EU Member State to meet by 2020. This will evaluate the energy performance of hotels through a questionnaire and identifies options for energy efficiency which includes efficient use of non-renewable sources, while raising awareness on the topic through inspiring examples.

Sixteen hotels across seven European countries participated in the project as pilot European neZEH Hotels. These might become inspiring examples to the European hotel industry of how to implement best practices to achieve nearly zero energy level performance.

The neZEH project is co-funded by the European Commission in the framework of the Intelligent Energy Europe Programme which aims to accelerate the rate of large-scale renovations of hotels into nearly-zero Energy Buildings (nZEB) by providing technical advice to hoteliers and demonstrating flagship nZEB projects in the European hospitality sector.

11 July 2016

Etihad Airways, the National Airline of United Arab Emirates, was chosen as the official airline sponsor of WorldSkills Abu Dhabi 2017, the biggest vocational education and skills excellence event in the world. The event will be Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC) from 14-17 October 2017 and will bring more than 3,000 competitors and industry experts from up to 75 countries.

WorldSkills Abu Dhabi 2017 will be hosted by the Abu Dhabi Center for Technical and Vocational Education and Training (ACTVET) which aims to increase the prestige of vocational careers by challenging young people to become the best in the skill of their choice. This competition is a major achievement for Abu Dhabi as the emirate continues to transition into a diversified knowledge-based economy in line with the Abu Dhabi Economic Vision 2030.

WorldSkills covers a wide range of industries including construction, creative arts and fashion, information and communication technology, manufacturing and engineering, social and personal services and transport. The WorldSkills participants represent the best of their peers and are selected from skill competitions in member countries and regions across the globe.

Hala Abu Dhabi, the destination management division of Etihad Airways, has been named as the competition’s Customer Service Management which will deliver packages for all those attending the event as well as offer on-ground customer services.
 

27 June 2016

Singapore Airlines Flight SQ368 bound for Milan, caught fire right after its emergency landing at Changi Airport in Singapore.

It contained 222 passengers and 19 crew members onboard and had made an emergency landing at the same airport at 6:50am local time on Monday, 27th June 2016.

As per the reports, the flight had a hassle-free emergency landing at first, but all of a sudden, the right engine went ablaze. No passengers were harmed but they had to wait inside the plane for several moments while emergency services were putting the fire off with water and foam. Passengers and crew of the flight came out of the flight through stairs and were taken to the terminal by bus.

Passengers had been taken to Milan later in another airport according to Singapore Airlines.

27 June 2016

Etihad Airways, the national airline of UAE, hosted a charity Iftar for 5,000 labourers at the Workers Village in Mussafah, Abu Dhabi.

The annual event, organized under the theme “Share your blessings this Ramadan”, was hoted by the airline’s Sports and Social Committee. More than 300 employees volunteered to distribute meals to the workers breaking their fasts. They also distributed water, packets of nuts, socks, and eye shades, donated by Etihad Airways.

During the holy month of Ramadan, Etihad Airways organizes several sporting and community events to support charitable causes. A donation drive provided thousands of items of chinaware, cutlery and glasses to seven charitable institutions in Dubai, Ajman, Sharjah, and 91 needy families in Abu Dhabi. They also do garage sale and staff visits to the Moudhif home for the elderly in Abu Dhabi, and to the childrenat the cancer center in Tawam Hospital, Al Ain to distribute Eid Al-Fitr gifts.

26 June 2016

Dubai has been ranked as the top travel destination in the world for Muslims, according to an inaugural awards judged by Islamic travel experts. Dubai’s Muslim-friendly credentials, with halal food, prayer facilities, cultural experiences and accommodation, were the factors which brought the award.

The awards were based on number of criteria, such as the availability and range of Muslim services and facilities provided, as well as the promotion of the halal travel concept locally and internationally. Nominees were judged by a panel of Muslim travel experts.

Dubai launched its Salam Standard in October, its online reference tool that provides information on “Muslim Friendly” amenities and services available at hotels, resorts and destinations around the globe. The programme aims to recognize the growing influence of Muslim travellers.

14 June 2016

Visitor arrivals in Ras Al Khaimah have grown to 37% from India during the period of January to April 2016 according to Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority.

Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Authority recently conducted roadshows and one-on-one interactions with Indian Travel Trade Partners to educate about the tourist offerings of the Emirate as part of their tourism development strategy.

According to Mr. Haitham Mattar, CEO of Ras Al Khaimah TDA, they already launched their new brand positioning which emphasizes Ras Al Khaimah’s natural assets, luxurious indulgence, and range of activities for different types of travellers and authentic Arabian heritage and culture.

Ras Al Khaimah’s hotels also reported an occupancy rate of 71%, up by 18% over 1st Quarter of 2015 coupled with a 9.2% year-on-year increase in Rev PAR which demonstrates the highest growth across the GCC region. Ras Al Khaimah’s hotels and resorts continue to grow which offers over 5000 hotel rooms and 41 properties and with more than 3000 rooms in the pipeline across 12 properties by 2019.

Ras Al Khaimah is located only 45 minutes from Dubai, and with 64 kilometers of pristine beaches, mountains and a unique terracotta desert, and historic sites.

14 June 2016

To boost and elevate the number of quality tourists from China and improve tourism earnings, Mr. Yuthasak Supasorn, Governor of Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) and Mr. Hu Yong, General Manager of Global Business Unit of Baidu, a leading search engine company headquartered in Beijing China, mutually signed the Memorandum of Understanding on Tourism Cooperation between TAT and Baidu in TAT Head Office.

The signing of Memorandum paves the way for a closer mutual cooperation on developing strategies and enhancing communication channels online in promoting tourism to the people of China. TAT and Baidu will publish tourism products and services information for tourists to seamlessly plan their trips, encompassing both the popular tourism destinations and the newer unseen ones which help development in secondary cities and towns.

Baidu will be unveiling their new Baidu Map, a modern mapping service technology that will assists Chinese tourists on their travel experience such as the locating the tourist attractions, restaurants, products and services especially in Thailand.

TAT and Baidu will work together on the “Amazing Romance in Thailand” in July by compiling the information of locations related to love and romance, such as 100 love-confessions spots, 100 honeymoon places and 100 wedding destinations. For the “Women’s Journey” project, there will be a push notification on Baidu Map, welcoming Chinese tourists travelling into Thailand. Information of the shops and businesses that participate in the project and the privileges for female tourists will be provided throughout August 2016. TAT and Baidu will also cooperate a “Smart Guide” project that contains information about key tourist attractions in audio form. TAT will also count on Baidu to promote the video clip “Tips for a Happy Holiday in Thailand”.

All these cooperation and synergies will be developed and extended further in the future to boost the experience for all Chinese tourists.

14 June 2016

Korean Air has announced to having direct flights to New Delhi, the capital and commercial center of India. New Delhi is a commercial focus for many Korean and global companies including: Samsung Electronics, LG Electronics, Hyundai Motor, Doosan Heavy Industry, GS Engineering & Construction, Posco, IBM, GE, HP, Google and Yahoo.

New Delhi is also currently high demand as a tourist destination which includes cultural attractions such as Gandhi Memorial Museum and India Gate.

Korean Air reduces the frequency or suspends selected routes which are showing deficits. Korean Air is also considering operating a route to Iran in the future. Korean Air was granted permission to operate four flights weekly between Incheon and Teheran and will decide on the timing of the launch of its route.

Through constant development of new routes and the reduction of flights with low demand, Korean Air will maximize its profitability to ensure sustainability and competitiveness.

13 June 2016

First ever Bahamas Yacht and Travel Show, slated on 17 – 19 June 2016 at Bay Street Marina will be hosted by Bahamas Ministry of Tourism in partnership with “Boat 4 a Day”. This non-profit three-day boat show will promote all sea travel and guest-related products which includes Florida-based travel representatives and yacht brokers.

The concept of the show is to create a yacht and travel show in Nassau so that small businesses in the Bahamas’ marine industry would have the opportunity to market their products and increase their exposure from the Bahamas to both a local and international audience. Additionally, to generate tourist-based interest in what the Bahamas has to offer.
 

A major part of organizing the yacht and travel show is to give back to the community. The Bahamas National Sailing School will be the recipient of proceeds of an auction of different items including a yacht charter and a vacation to one of the islands.

The Bahamas Yacht and Travel Show will afford local companies the opportunity to market themselves in a cost-effective and community-minded manner. Residents will be able to benefit by being able to experience these products first hand.

04 June 2016

The Italian police mistook three Indian students namely Akshit Goyal, Deepak Bhatt and Uday Kusupati and detained them at Ventimiglia railway station in Italy. The three students were sent to Bari, 1000 km away from Vengamiglia along with other detainees and were released almost after 10 hours due to intervention of the Indian mission situated in Rome.

The spokesperson of External Affairs Ministry informed that the Italian authority later admitted that it was a mistake to detain the three even though their documents were right in order.

According to the Indian spokesperson, “The embassy has strongly raised the issues with the Italian authorities and is in touch with them to ensure that adequate steps are taken to ensure that such unfortunate incidents involving Indian nationals do not recur.”

This was the second time in a week when Indians made it to the news.

04 June 2016

Lufthansa once again has been recognized by the San Francisco International Airport/Community Roundtable as the “Quietest Overall Airline”. The award was presented at the Louis A. Turpen Aviation Museum and Library at San Francisco International Airport on June 1, 2016.

The San Francisco International Airport’s (SFO) Fly Quiet Program, implemented by the Aircraft Noise Abatement Office, is a roundtable initiative to encourage individual airlines to operate as quietly as possible at SFO. The airline’s top scores in the “Fly Quiet” category reflect Lufthansa’s pioneering efforts to reduce its noise footprint. Lufthansa will take delivery of a total of 251 low-noise and highly fuel-efficient aircrafts until 2025.

Lufthansa is the first airline in the world to equip its Airbus A320 short and medium-haul aircraft fleet with noise-reducing components on the underside of the wings. A total of more than 200 Lufthansa jets can therefore fly much more quietly and are expected to reduce CO2 emissions by around a yearly 1,000 tons per aircraft.

By 2020, Lufthansa aims to achieve noise emissions that are reduced by 50 percent.

04 June 2016

The National Airline of the Republic of Seychelles, Air Seychelles, has signed up to the Buckingham Palace declaration committed to shutting down the transport routes used by illegal wildlife traffickers as well as protecting iconic wildlife species.

The Declaration of the United for Wildlife International Taskforce on the Transportation of Illegal Wildlife Products was signed by Roy Kinnear, Chief Executive Officer of Air Seychelles together with Alitalia, Air Berlin, Air Serbia and Virgin Australia at the IATA Annual General Meeting held in Dublin.

The United for Wildlife is an alliance of seven conservation organizations led by the Royal Foundation of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry. It aims to address current conservation issues with an initial focus on supporting efforts to prevent the growing trade in illegal wildlife and products around the world.

The Declaration includes eleven commitments developed to support global efforts to prevent illegal wildlife smuggling, which encourage the transport industry to help close down the routes exploited by wildlife traffickers. Airlines are able to support in a number of ways including increasing passenger awareness, providing capacity building at airports and working closely to support the efforts of customs and law enforcement authorities.

02 June 2016

Cameroon Airlines (Camair-Co), one of West Africa’s fastest-growing airlines, has implemented SITA’s next-generation passenger service system (PSS) to manage every aspect of its operation from reservations, pricing, and ticketing and departure control to loyalty program and business intelligence. Camair-Co flies to 17 destinations across Africa and Europe.

Camair-Co selected SITA’s Horizon Passenger Management and Distribution as it offers the most comprehensive range of services available. It is built on flexible platform required by every airline allowing the carrier to customize the system to meet their specific business requirements to accommodate future growth.

SITA Reservations will be used by Camair-Co to manage bookings made from online sites, at airline and partner sales offices, through GDSs and travel distributors. This will also facilitate code share and interlining which will allow airlines to sell partner services in conjunction with their own.

A web-based loyalty program called Horizon Loyalty will also be deployed by the airline which will be integrated with SITA Reservations. Camair-Co will also use SITA’s Departure Control Services (DCS), a fully integrated multi-host system for automated check-in, boarding and load planning.

18 May 2016

About 40-50 SpiceJet passengers who were on their way to board the flight to Mumbai in Kochi Airport, India, got into an uncertain situation when they saw the aircraft taxiing towards the runway to take off.

The air traffic control and airline staff alerted the pilots and Boeing 737 returned to pick up the passengers that were left behind. SpiceJet flight SG 154 from Kochi to Mumbai got delayed by 75 minutes after it returned to the ground to pick up the left passengers.

The flight was supposed to land in Mumbai at 8:55pm but due to the situation, the departure was moved to 8:10pm. According to one of the passengers, when they were being ferried from the terminal building to the aircraft by coach, around 7.50pm, it started raining heavily wherein the bus stopped at a spot on the apron and remained there for close to 30 minutes. The aircraft started moving instead of the bus. After the downpour became a little less, the bus took them to the other SpiceJet flight, where, on showing the boarding passes, they got to know that it was scheduled for Chennai. By this time, the Boeing 737 bound for Mumbai had begun taxiing and the bewildered and angry passengers started shouting. Meanwhile the SpiceJet ground staffs were alarmed and started making calls even as the Boeing 737 continued to taxi towards the runway. The aircraft came to a halt after a while and stayed there for 20 minutes before taxiing back.

According to a former ICAO security auditor, P Mohanan, this circumstance is a major security breach and an inquiry should be conducted.

18 May 2016

The deal allowing Turkish citizens to travel across Europe without visas can create a greater risk of terrorist attack according to some European leaders.

Giving Turkey a visa-free travel opportunity is perverse and can cause “populist uprising” if it fails to control migration, according to Richard Dearlove, a former head of MI6. The biometric passports from the end of June will allow 75 million Turkish citizens to enter the Schengen zone for up to 90 days at a time. However, the European Commission report acknowledges the “increased mobility into the Schengen area of criminals and terrorists who are citizens of Turkey, or who are foreigners based in Turkey.” Visa free travel deals have been allowed by The EC with Kosovo, Ukraine and Georgia, all these regions are known for their organized crime.

Turkish authorities will be issuing reforms for the Turkish police, judiciary and counter-terrorism apparatus that are pre-condition of the visa deal that will help to mitigate the risk. Training will be imparted on ethical codes of anti-corruption warning the officials that they have to be very cautious while issuing the passport and citizenship papers as they could be sought after by terrorists.

2,525,000 biometric passports required for travel to the EU had been issued by Kosovo, Georgia and Ukraine and none by Turkey so far according to the spokesperson of the European Commission.

18 May 2016

China National Tourism Administration (CNTA), announced that the 1st World Tourism Development Conference will kick off in Beijing on 18th of May 2016. The conference will be co-hosted by the Chinese government and the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO). This will be attended by State leaders of China and other countries and UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon will send a congratulatory message.

The conference, which is themed as “Promoting World Peace and Development via Tourism”, will bring together nearly 1,000 participants from 107 countries including 600 foreign delegates and persons from central ministries and commissions, provinces and municipalities of China, research institutes, large tourism enterprises and media organizations at home and abroad in order to discuss the development of the global tourism industry.

The conference will feature 3 highlights: 1. It was initiated by China and attracts active participation from around the world. 2. It is a high-level conference that attracts great importance from governments of all relevant countries and regions. 3. The conference has a distinctive theme that has a strong resonance.

The conference will feature activities such as tourism promotion in the evening, opening ceremony, keynote speeches, summit and meeting for tourism ministers from 20 countries. During the conference, Beijing will hold the International Tourism Expo that will conduct tourism promotion activities.

UN will also officially announce at the conference to launch the 2017 International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development, a resolution it adopted in September, 2015. The Beijing Declaration on Tourism for Development will also be released at the conference.

18 May 2016

Sabre Corporation, a travel technology leader, takes its airline passengers to the clouds as they announced to deliver even faster cloud-based flight availability using solutions built on the Amazon Web Services (AWS) Cloud.

Sabre will offer airline availability solutions that will help carriers increase booking rates and deliver even faster responses. Using Sabre’s new availability services in the cloud, airlines and their customers will benefit from faster shopping. And by relying on a single-source delivery of a cloud-based system, airlines can manage availability for different channels through one source. Working with Sabre, carriers will house their availability data in the AWS Cloud which can then be accessed via multiple shopping channels, whether carrier website, online or offline travel agency, or other source. The new cloud-based solution will be available to Sabre’s customers later this year.

Sabre is the leading global technology provider to the $7 trillion travel industry and serves customers operating in 160 countries including airlines, hotels, travel agents and online travel service providers. The company’s technology processes over $120 billion of estimated travel spend and more than 1.1 billon system messages every year.

26 Apr 2016

The Travel Association urged holidaymakers to renew their passports ahead of the peak holiday season when up to 26 million UK holidaymakers are expected to head overseas. Members of the public do not have to wait for their passports to expire before renewing them as up to nine months unused validity will be added onto their replacement passport.

Renewing early means that travellers can take advantage of the standard rate for passport renewal. The standard charge to renew an adult passport is 72.50 Euro, but it rises to 103 Euro for the 1 week fast track service and 128Euro for the 1 day premium service. The relevant requirement can be checked on the Travel Advice section of the Foreign Office website (https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice). However for travel within the EU, UK citizens’ passports only need to be valid up until their date of departure. If a holidaymaker is unable to travel due to not having a valid passport, they will almost certainly be charged a cancellation fee which will not be covered by their travel insurance.

25 Apr 2016

Hong Kong Airlines, the internationally-acclaimed full-service airline, last week received its 30th aircraft, the Airbus A320. The average age of the airline’s operating fleet stands at just 3.5 years, making it one of the youngest fleets in the world. This expanded fleet will support the airline’s development plan to set foot on farther continents beyond the Asia Pacific region. Moreover, airline will add frequency of its flight to Hanoi to 10 flights per week, commencing 15 May, and to add an additional 6 flights per week to Beijing from May 1.

Hong Kong Airlines destination network covers over 30 major cities across the Asia Pacific region, including Gold Coast, Sapporo, Bangkok, Bali, Taipei, Beijing and Shanghai. In 2015, Hong Kong Airlines  has recorded a passenger volume of over 5.6 million with a market share of almost 9% at Hong Kong International Airport. Driven by the expanding fleet and network, the passenger volume is expected to reach 7 million in 2016.

This year marks the 10th anniversary of Hong Kong Airlines. New services and products will be launched to celebrate the milestone with the passengers. The company is dedicated to become a popular airline with continuous efforts in improving its service quality, safety standards and fas-expanding network. Hence, Hong Kong Airlines has grown into an important member in both local and regional aviation industry.

25 Apr 2016

As part of “May Maldives Madness” Campaign, Etihad Holidays, the leisure holiday division of Etihad Airways, launched a new campaign promising guests a three-night stay at a luxurious Maldives resort for just 1AED per night. The ‘May Maldives Madness” campaign has been launched in conjunction with Etihad Holidays’ Summer Sale, which offers guests more than 30 special deals on holiday packages worldwide.

Guests who pay for four nights at the exclusive five-star Maldives island resort of Anantara Veli will be able to add three additional days to their holiday for just one dirham per night. The resort features over water bungalows, an infinity edge pool, fitness centre, yoga pavilion and wellness retreat. Dining options include Japanese, Thai, seafood and grilled cuisines – all in a tranquil lagoon setting. Guests can also take advantage of the multitude of water sports including diving, surfing, sailing and deep-sea fishing.

This offer is available for bookings made from 22 April – 2 May 2016 with travel dates between 22 April – 31 August 2016. The package costs 9,599 AED which includes seven nights at the five-star resort and return economy flight tickets via Etihad Airways from Abu Dhabi and complimentary breakfast and speedboat transfers.

25 Apr 2016

Oman, one of the most beautiful tourism destinations in the Middle East will be the heart of the Oman Ministry of Tourism at the Arabian Travel Market (ATM) in Dubai from 25-28 April 2016. Their pavilion is designed to resemble a traditional historic fort from Sultanates rich history and heritage and will be a focal point for Ministry officials and partners to promote the huge variety of visitor experiences of the country.

One of the key areas that Oman will be promoting is the major growth in opportunities for the Meetings, Incentives, Conventions and Exhibitions (MICE) sector that will open up shortly with the opening of the Oman Convention and Exhibition Centre in Muscat later this year. Nearly 30 hotel operators and travel agents will be participating with Oman Tourism to promote attractions from across the country. Tourism representatives will include the country’s Director General of Tourism Promotion Salim Al Mamari and the Director of the Oman Convention Bureau, Khalid Al Zadjali.

Within the GCC, the Ministry recently launched a very successful “Discover Oman’s Beauty” campaign that offers a wide range of exciting 5 night packages for visitors from across the region with a focus on travelers from neighbouring Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

 
The Ministry of Oman, Tourism, can be found at the Arabian Travel Market in Hall ME2110 throughout the exhibition.

05 Apr 2016

Lufthansa Group made an agreement with Amadeus to adopt Amadeus Altea Departure Control Flight Management, starting with Lufthansa, Swiss International Airlines, Brussels Airlines and Lufthansa Cargo. Amadeus Altea Departure Control Flight Management automates aircraft load control and optimizes every flight departure by analyzing the passenger and cargo load, calculating fuel requirements and defining the optimal aircraft load distribution. This system will optimize loads for the group’s 3,000 daily flights.

According to Claus Filkorn, Postholder Ground Operations, Lufthansa German Airlines, a stable flight handling for their worldwide operation is one of the main objectives, but so is using a flexible product. Their agreement with Amadeus means they can expect automated fuel calculations and functional improvements. Lufthansa was looking to replace its legacy system with a new, state-of-the-art flight management solution, and has chosen Amadeus Altea Departure Control Flight Management for the role.

Lufthansa is one of the first airline to further centralize its load control sites and improve operational efficiency. Lufthansa Group’s airlines carried over 100 million passengers, whereas Lufthansa Cargo carried 1.6 million tons of freight and post in 2015.

05 Apr 2016

Allied Market Research titled “World Medical Tourism Market – Opportunities and Forecasts, 2014 – 2022”, projects that the world medical tourism market would reach $143.8 billion by 2022, with a CAGR of 15.7% from 2015 to 2022. Cancer treatment would continue to be the highest revenue-generating segment throughout the forecast period. North America and Asia-Pacific are estimated to remain principal revenue-generating regions and collectively accounted for more than 60% of the global medical tourism market in 2015, in terms of revenue.

The major factors that boost the market growth include, affordability, availability, and accessibility of superior quality healthcare services with healthy support and assistance from tourism departments & local governments. In addition, increasing incidence of cancer and other serious ailments is anticipated to drive the demand for healthcare services, which in turn is expected to drive the world medical tourism market. Limited coverage and lengthy partial reimbursement offered by insurance companies along with difficulties associated with cross border travel, such as language barriers, connectivity, documentation, and Visa approval issues, are likely to restrict the market growth.

The growth of these regions is attributed to the availability of affordable medical treatments for several disease conditions in countries such as Mexico, Thailand, Malaysia, India and Singapore. However, Asia-Pacific is the fastest growing region followed by LAMEA, owing to the increasing treatment success rates, coupled with the affordable price range. Within Asia-Pacific medical tourism market, India and Malaysia are few of the fastest growing countries.

05 Apr 2016

PATA Annual Summit 2016 will be hosted by the Guam Visitors Bureau (GVB) on May 18-21 at the Dusit Thani Guam Resort. Minister of Tourism and Culture, Seychelles, Honorable Minister Alain St-Ange, is set to deliver the keynote address at the main conference on May 19.

The PATA Conference on May 19, under the theme “Exploring the Secrets of the Blue Continent” examines what is required to take travel and tourism organizations to the next phase of sustainable tourism. The topics will include “Shaping the Intangibles through hyper connections”, “Driving Solo or Following the Pack”, “Mastering the skill of future trend forecast”, “Defy the norms to create same same but different”, ‘The New Edge – Foreseeing New Travel Patterns’; ‘Reversing the Brain Drain by Mixing the Borders’; ‘Techie HCD Solutions for Higher Profitability’; ‘Creating One of the Best Workspaces’, and ‘Less Space, More Popularity – Finding the Balance’.

This year marks the 65th Anniversary of PATA.

04 Apr 2016

British Airways plans on giving a great value fares for travelers from India. The all-inclusive fares starting from just INR44,460 on World Traveler economy class and INR131,965 on Club World business class will be available for flights from India to a huge selection of exciting destinations including UK & USA. The offer is valid for booking until 24th April 2016 and for outbound travel from India until 30th June 2016 in World Travel and from 1st May to 31st July 2016 in Club World.

Customers can also enjoy 15% discount on British Airways’ World Traveler Plus premium economy to customers travelling from India to USA and UK. This is valid for booking until 24th April 2016 and for outbound travel until 30th June 2016.

World Traveler Plus Premium economy is a great option for cost-conscious business travelers and discerning leisure passengers looking for a greater comfort, space and privacy. The airline currently operates 49 flights a week from five key cities in India, including New Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Bangalore and Hyderabad. Customers can book their whole journey on ba.com, earn frequent flyer points Avios by becoming a member of British Airways’ award winning frequent flyer programme, Executive Club, and gain access to airport lounges and enjoy world-class customer services.

15 Mar 2016

German Government’s attention was called by The International Air Transport Association (IATA) to focus on improving the competitiveness of the German air transport sector in the development of its national aviation policy. Government policies must eliminate burdensome taxation, ensure cost efficient airport infrastructure to meet demand and enable access to reformed and modernized air traffic management systems.

IATA urges German government to:

15 Mar 2016

The Network for the European Private Sector in Tourism, which gathers the main travel and tourism and trade associations in Europe, is calling on the European Parliament’s Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs Committee (LIBE) to adopt a smart Schengen Visa package. Europe has steadily lost market share in world tourism decreasing from 64% in 1980 to 51% in 2010 according to UNWTO. If this continues, Europe’s market share is expected to fall to 41% by 2030.

One way to improve Europe’s outlook as a world leader in tourism is to facilitate the entry of legitimate travelers to Europe by removing red tape from the current Visa Code. This may lead to an increase of visitors of up to 60% and generate up to EUR25 billion in additional revenue for the EU every year.

NET calls on the LIBE MEPs to vote in favor of the mandatory issuance of multiple-entry visas so as to encourage tourists to repeat visit to Schengen countries and to facilitate the movement of legitimate workers in the EU. NET also supports 1.) The possibility for the traveler to apply for their visa at the consulate that is closer to their place of residence 2.) Not make the proof of accommodation compulsory 3.) To give applicants a longer period to lodge their application in order to allow them to plan their trip 4.) To support a visa fee waiver extension (e.g. for minors) and 5.) to include tourists in the scope of touring visa.

In 2014, tourism represented the third largest socio-economic sector within the European Union, generating 10% of GDP and employing 13 million people.

15 Mar 2016

India Aviation 2016 was supported by Etihad Airways by showcasing two of its newest aircraft – Boeing 777 freighter, at the country’s premier civil aviation exhibition and air show in Hyderabad. The Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner, one of the five in the airline’s fleet, will be joined by a freighter on static display during the event attended by key government and aviation industry stakeholders from India and around the world. This show runs from March 16-20 at Begumpet Airport in Southern India.

This event, organized by India’s Ministry of Civil Aviation and Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI), provides Etihad Airways with another platform to engage with policy makers, business leaders, aviation experts and others across the aviation industry.

India is one of Etihad Airways’ key markets with 175 scheduled passenger flights each week and in partnership with Jet Airways, has a combined 254 weekly flights between Abu Dhabi and 15 cities across India. Both carriers are the largest international operator of scheduled flights to and from India with 20% market share.

15 Mar 2016

Hong Kong Airlines was honored to announce the co-branding partnership with Shin Yeh Restaurant Group Inc. (Shin Yeh), a highly-esteemed dining group in Taiwan for nearly 40 years, to offer a variety of delicious Taiwanese cuisine to its business-class passengers on Hong Kong Airlines flights from Taipei to Hong Kong starting from 1st April 2016.

Following the cooperation with the Tai Hing Catering Group and Blue Elephant Restaurant, Hong Kong Airlines is bringing the taste experience to the next level by working with the renowned Shin Yeh, who has been producing fancy Taiwanese cuisine over the past 40 years. Through this partnership, classic Taiwanese flavor will be brought to the sky.

Shin Yeh won The Miele Guide’s Top five restaurants in Taiwan in 2011 and 2012. Additionally, its Sweet Potato Congee, Three-Cup Chicken, Steamed Spring Roll are even elected for two consecutive years by CNN since 2014 as the three of the “40 must-eat dishes in Taiwan”. Not only to bring the essence of Taiwanese cuisine to the fullest, Shin Yeh also created unique dishes, which are popular in Taiwan and highly recognized internationally.

Hong Kong Airlines and Shin Yeh are pleased to announce the launch of the new Taipei – Hong Kong business class meals. In addition to the familiar dishes such as Rice vermicelli fried with pumpkin, mushroom and shredded pork, Karasumi egg fried rice with mixed vegetables, Taiwanese rice tube pudding with minced pork and dried shrimp, and Taiwanese turnip cake, Hong Kong Airlines offers unique Shin Yeh signature dishes Sautéed beef fillet with Sinyeh X.O. sauce, Deep fried snapper in sweet and sour sauce, Taiwanese Shinyeh braised pork belly with seaweed and chestnuts and Taiwanese traditional steamed minced pork with salted egg yolk. A total of eight internationally renowned traditional delicacies will be introduced in phases from 1 April 2016, two new meals every two weeks, serving business travelers of Hong Kong Airlines from Taipei to Hong Kong.

17 Feb 2016

Al Wasl Yachts, a premium provider of rental yacht and cruise services based in Dubai, offers exciting and unforgettable yacht cruise experience. The company offers opportunities to both locals and tourists in Dubai to enjoy premium yacht tours, cruises and fishing trips. They strive to offer customized tour packages, preference and budget. Al Wasl Yachts’ experienced and courteous team members, including captains, reservation executives, service staff, crew members and maintenance crew, put their level best to make every guest on board feel special and enjoy the tour completely.

This premium cruise ship and yacht services provider allows customers to choose from a variety of offers as per their liking and preference. They also offer luxury transportation, hostess service, special cake designs, decoration, gourmet cuisines and much more.

The company has built a formidable reputation for itself in offering the best yacht rental Dubai deals. Whether a guest looks for a lavish tour or likes to stick to a set budget, Al Wasl Yachts has something to offer to everyone.

17 Feb 2016

Travelport, a leading Travel Commerce Platform, has announced the extension of its multi-year content agreement with Cathay Pacific and its subsidiary Dragonair, which also sees the airlines sign up for Travelport’s industry leading merchandising solution known as Rich Content and Branding. Rich Content and Branding enables airlines to market and retail their products more effectively by determining how their content is visually presented and described to travel agents. It is also designed to allow airlines to use more sophisticated retailing techniques in order to drive sales of core fares as well as ancillary products and optional services such as seats with extra legroom.

As part of the agreement, Cathay Pacific is also implementing Travelport Rapid Reprice, a solution that helps agents automate the time-consuming ticket re-pricing and re-issue process.

16 Feb 2016

World Travel Awards (WTA), which will take place at the all new luxury The St. Regis Dubai on 24th April 2016, has unveiled its nominees for the upcoming Middle East Gala Ceremony 2016. The event will be attended by more than 400 senior industry figures from the region’s leading travel and tourism companies, as well as a host of international media.

World Travel Awards has revealed more than 1,300 nominees, thus, voting will be expected to be highly competitive up until 20th March deadline.

Each year WTA covers the globe with a series of regional Gala Ceremonies staged to recognize and celebrate individual and collective successes within each key geographical region. WTA Gala Ceremony offers unrivalled networking opportunities to members of the travel and tourism industry, with the events welcoming government and industry leaders as well as international print and broadcast media.

WTA was established in 1993 to acknowledge, reward and celebrate excellence across all sectors of the tourism industry. Today, the World Travel Awards brand is recognized globally as the ultimate hallmark of quality, with winners setting the benchmark to which all others aspire.

16 Feb 2016

New Space Ship Two, an auto that Virgin Galactic hopes, is making ready to roll out. Space tourism organizations are using designs together with winged cars, vertical rockets and capsules and excessive altitude balloons.

Virgin Galactic Space tourism is expected to take off by 2020, thus Canadian company gets patent for 20-kilometer excessive house elevator probably the most prominent house tourism application, the commercial space line founded by way of adventurer-business magnate, Sir Richard Branson. This will use a winged rocket aircraft dubbed SpaceShipTwo, successor of SpaceShipOne. SpaceShipTwo is designed to be flown with the aid of two pilots and carry as much as six passengers on a suborbital trajectory to altitudes above 100 kilometers, an internationally well-known boundary of space.

A key feature of the design is the so-called feathering system, a time period derived from the feathers of a badminton projectile. Virgin Galactic’s first SpaceShipTwo used to be destroyed on October 31, 2014, when a co-pilot upfront unlocked the feathers throughout a powered experiment flight and aerodynamic forces broke the craft aside. The co-pilot died but the pilot parachuted to security. 

The company will roll out its new SpaceShipTwo later this month in Mojave, California, however, the timeline for checking out and industrial operation has not been launched.

12 Jan 2016

According to the Irish Tourist Industry Confederation (ITIC), at least 6800 more jobs will be created in the tourism industry this year which will create extra jobs for the travel sector.

Also according to ITIC CEO Eoghan O’Mara Walsh, Irish Tourism has performed extremely well in 2015 which is testament to the quality and competitiveness of the tourism product and industry. Factors in Ireland’s favor also include healthy economies fueling a strong demand for travel, favorable exchange rates, and increased capacity on air and sea services to Ireland.

On the other hand, several capacity concerns that can boost Ireland’s tourism industry from further growth would be its shortage of hotel capacity in Dublin. A successful Dublin is vital for tourism to prosper throughout Ireland. Hence, 5000 more rooms are needed and awaiting to be built in the city capital, so that Dublin can accommodate the growing number of overseas tourists.

12 Jan 2016

Chinese tourists have been the target of Australian tourism at the moment due to being the second largest source of tourists. Australi is planning to invest A$400 million global tourism campaign targeting the new group of Chinese Holiday makers who prefer to travel independently.

Data shows that 1 million Chinese tourists have flocked to Australia in the past 12 months. These figures have grown by 100,000 since the last fifteen years.

Tourism Research Australia forecasts Chinese spending to double to A$13.7 billion by 2024-25. Tourism is among the fastest growing sector which employs half a million people and is said to bring A$113 billion by June 2016 getting one third of the profit from the foreign tourism.

12 Jan 2016

Japan, which has attracted more than 22,000 guests since 2011 which grew to 27,000 in the following year aims to develop into a medical tourism destination. Data has revealed that Chinese are among the highest visitors who come to Japan to look for a medical aid.

The number of foreigners visiting Japan has been increasing and the total for 2015 is expected to reach 20 million due to weak yen and relaxed visa conditions.

The Japanese government has always been cautious about promoting medical tourism, hence, providing a medical visa that allows foreigners to stay in Japan for up to six months for medical treatment. The current government is revising the policy of the previous administration, which prioritized acceptance of international patients. This emphasizes international expansion of Japan’s medical technology instead of focusing on medical tourism.

Language and cultural barriers and the need for balance with the national healthcare insurance system mean many healthcare institutions in Japan are cautious about internationalization. The government has set up Medical Excellence Japan, part of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, to accredit hospitals targeting medical tourists.

12 Jan 2016

Around 400 Syrian passengers, who were supposed to depart for Turkey through Beirut’s Rafik Hariri International Airport, were held back after two Turkish planes failed to take them over due to a recent decision taken by the Turkish authorities.

The Syrian nationals are prevented from entering the Turkish territory over newly announced visa rule, according to reports from the local media. They were asked to apply for an entry visa to Turkey following the regular global security concerns.

The stranded passengers were scheduled to transport back to Syria on Thursday evening, however, two passenger jets failed to appear to transport them to Turkey.

The new visa rule compelling Syrians to apply for an entry visa to Turkey was announced at the end of December 2015.

10 June 2014