HolidayWeekly

The Voice of Tourism in Pakistan

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volume 74-2021

UNWTO Opens | First Regional Office In Middle East

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GENEVA: The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) has opened its first regional office for the Middle East in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

At a ceremony in the Saudi capital, UNWTO Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili was joined by Princess Haifa Al-Saud, Deputy Minister of Tourism for Strategy and Investment, and the Kingdom’s Minister for Tourism, Ahmed Al Khateeb to officially open the office.

They were also joined by Tourism Ministers from across both Middle East and from every other global region, as well as by leaders from the private sector.

The first UNWTO Regional Office will be a centre of conversation, debate and decision-making and bring hope to many people across the region allowing them to enjoy the social and economic benefits only tourism can deliver

The new office will serve as a hub for UNWTO to coordinate policy and initiatives across its 13 Member States in the region. This includes a number of tourism projects and products, among them the new “Best Tourism Villages by UNWTO”, launched on the occasion of the opening of the Regional Office.

Alongside this, Riyadh will also be home to an expanded UNWTO International Tourism Academy, providing opportunities for people of all backgrounds from across the region, including women and youth.

Zurab Pololikashvili said: “The first UNWTO Regional Office will be a centre of conversation, debate and decision-making and bring hope to many people across the region allowing them to enjoy the social and economic benefits only tourism can deliver. Work on the office began after the start of the pandemic, proof of our determination and the strong support of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.”

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres congratulated UNWTO on the occasion, saying: “I believe that this Office will help the Middle East region recover its tourism sector as well as support the growth of rural tourism development worldwide.”

Ahmed Al Khateeb, Saudi Minister for Tourism, added: “We are thrilled to host the new Regional Office in Saudi Arabia. This demonstrates our commitment to working with our partners at the UNWTO to develop a strong industry based on the principles of sustainability and opportunities for all, across the region and globally.”

UNWTO also contributed expert insights to the Tourism Recovery Summit, organized by the Saudi Ministry of Tourism and held against the backdrop of the Regional Office opening

Tourism Way Forward | In-Person B2B Workshop & Conference held in Istanbul

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ISTANBUL:  First in-person B2B Luxury MICE workshop event and Conference held in Istanbul Turkey where Muhammad Tariq Siraj, Chairman Travel Agents Association of Pakistan (TAAP) was invited from Pakistan to discuss the way forward for the travel trade in the post-covid-19 situation. 

Mr. Murtaza Kalender, GM TravelShop Turkey the host of the event. A tourism passionate and a leading tour operator of turkey, Mr. Kalender organized a very successful in-person event where tourism organizations and travel trade seniors of more than 60 counties including Pakistan participated.

While addressing the gathering, Chairman TAAP Muhammad Tariq Siraj said that in these unprecedented times when the entire world is facing matchless crisis without an equivalence and large-scale social distancing is the most important note of the time, organizing of such an important conference for looking way forward for international tourism is a big achievement and contribution of Mr. Kalender.

“Nowhere in any other field or in any other industry is this more apparent than when looking at the current state of the world’s travel trade, hospitality sector, and tourism. Unfortunately, these sectors are the largest sufferer of this pandemic because of the restrictions on movement and border closures. The same is the case with Pakistan’s travel and tourism sector. However it is t is hoped that once the worst of the pandemic is behind us, being one of the best adventure, leisure and religious tourism destinations Pakistan will well come international tourism with its tourism-friendly policy.” Said, Mr. Siraj

He also thanked Mr. Kalender for inviting him and TAAP Chairman invited all the participants to visit Pakistan and explore the world’s best and picturesque tourist destinations of Pakistan. Siraj also invited Mr. Murtaza Kalnder to host a similar tourism event in Pakistan also to promote tourism of both countries bilaterally with the cooperation of TAAP and Tursub.

Hajj 2021 | Qadri Denies Fixation of Pakistani Quota

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ISLAMABAD: Minister for Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony Noor-ul-Haq Qadri has said that the Saudi Ministry of Hajj and Umrah has not taken a final decision on the number of pilgrims and Hajj-related safety measures yet.

“It is absolutely wrong to say that Saudi Ministry of Hajj and Umrah has fixed Hajj  Quota for Pakistan.” Qadri

The Saudi authorities also informed that media reports about the number of pilgrims were mere recommendations from the Saudi Ministry of Health.

In a video statement, he said the Saudi minister for Hajj and Umrah, in a telephonic conversation with him, had confirmed that the Hajj 2021 policy had not been finalized.

The minister noted that the Saudi government has not yet taken a final decision on these suggestions.

The Saudi government will take Pakistan into confidence before making a final decision about Hajj. Pakistan to announce   Hajj policy after the final announcement from Saudi authorities. Pakistan will announce the Hajj policy after the final announcement of the Hajj policy by the Saudi government.

He had said that some 15,000 locals and 45,000 people from other countries would be allowed to perform the sacred religious ceremony this year. The pilgrims have to follow coronavirus-related standard operating procedures. The Saudi government had issued nine pages of special instructions and conditions.

Hajj 2021 will take place under special circumstances with special norms, rules, and regulations, eligibility, criteria, and age restrictions.

People below the age of 18 and over 60 years will not be allowed to go for Hajj, while health certificates will have to be deposited.

Qadri had asked the Pakistani intending pilgrims to continue their Hajj preparations. Authentic coronavirus vaccine certificates and a PCR negative test has been made mandatory.

Emirates Wins | Record 8th Consecutive Best Airline Award

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DUBAI: Emirates has been voted ‘Best Airline Worldwide’ for the eighth consecutive time by the Business Traveller Middle East Awards 2021.

 The airline also took home accolades for ‘Airline with the Best First Class’, and ‘Airline with Best Economy Class’.

 The wins demonstrate Emirates’ strategic approach to continuously improving the onboard and on-ground experience, offering a safe customer journey across all touchpoints, leaving no detail behind, while ensuring it meets evolving customer expectations during the most challenging period in the air travel industry has experienced.

 To maintain its industry leadership, the airline has also doubled down on its digital approach to modernize the air travel experience by fully launching and scaling up its biometric path and touchless check-in, providing further assurance and meeting the evolving expectations of customers for a safer, contactless travel experience. Today, from check-in to gate, customers have the choice to experience the future of travel at over 33 Emirates biometric checkpoints and close to 50 touchless kiosks across Dubai International Airport.

 Emirates continues to work hard to make travel easier and minimize restrictions by closely collaborating with industry bodies and government authorities to standardize Covid-19 related medical documentation like vaccine records and PCR test results. Emirates began trialing the IATA Travel Pass in April and will be fully rolling it out to all flights by the end of May. The airline has also tied up with the Dubai Health Authority for digital verification of Covid-19 related medical records, further supporting a seamless, paperless experience for customers at check-in.

The airline was a first mover in the industry when it introduced free Covid-19 cover to help customers travel with more confidence. Emirates expanded this to offer the airline’s industry-first, multi-risk travel insurance and Covid-19 cover. In addition to Covid-19 medical cover, it also accounts for personal accidents during travel, winter sports cover, loss of personal belongings, and trip disruptions due to unexpected air space closure, travel recommendations or advisories, and other circumstances.

As customers return to travel, Emirates is bringing them a generous and comfortable experience in Economy Class. On its latest A380, Emirates has replaced its Economy seats onboard with more ergonomically designed seats that come with full leather headrests and flexible side panels which can be adjusted vertically for optimum support, a step up from the version currently installed on Emirates’ Boeing 777 Gamechanger aircraft. Each seat features an elegant wood grain finish on tray tables, as well as a 13.3-inch personal screen to enjoy Emirates’ award-winning ice offering more than 4,500 channels on demand.

CEO PIA Meets | EU Ambassador In Pakistan

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KARACHI: Last week Air Marshal Retd. Arshad Malik, Chief Executive Officer Pakistan International Airlines (PIA)   called on Her Excellency Androulla Kaminara ambassador of the European Union in Pakistan, and discussed the initiatives undertaken to allay The EU Concerns Regarding PIA flight safety and other issues. The ambassador assured her support in taking up the matter with the concerned authority (EASA) for paving way for PIA flights resumption to EU destinations.