This weekend, Viceroy Hotel Group (VHG) raised the curtains to unveil Viceroy Palm Jumeirah Dubai, a stunning beachfront resort at the center of Dubai’s thriving hospitality landscape. Viceroy Palm Jumeirah Dubai is home to 477 rooms and suites, including 352 guestrooms, 85 suites and 40 hotel apartments located across 16 floors. Designed by Yabu Pushelberg and NAO Taniyama and Associates, this Icon Collection masterpiece showcases sweeping, unobstructed views of the surrounding city...
Union Pacific became the safest US railroad and achieved its best annual employee safety performance in the company’s 154-year history in 2016. This marks the second consecutive year Union Pacific was the top-performing railroad in employee safety. Union Pacific’s safety improved 11 percent with a 0.78 reportable injury rate in 2016, compared to 0.88 in 2015. Reportable injury rates represent the number of reportable injuries submitted to the Federal Railroad Administration per...
One airline from the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Etihad Airways, says bookings to the US are ‘strong’ despite the ban on the use of electronic equipment in passenger cabins imposed by the White House on planes flying from the Middle East. “Bookings to US destinations remain healthy, and customer feedback to the initiatives taken by Etihad Airways to provide for their business and entertainment needs has been very positive,” said an Etihad spokesman, as quoted by Reuters. Last month...
Spring in Japan means the blooming of cherry blossoms, and also… the annual penis festival. The latter takes place on the first Sunday of every April and is just as phallic as it sounds. Thousands flooded the streets of Kawasaki, Japan, to take part in the Kanamara Matsuri – the Festival of the Steel Phallus – in which giant steel phalluses are paraded through huge crowds on portable shrines. Festival-goers snap selfies with penis sculptures, buy various forms of penis memorabilia and...
London & Partners, in association with The Meetings Show, has launched a bespoke social media campaign using videos, podcasts and blogs to tour more than 136 kilometres between 20 partner venues across the city. The aim of the campaign, which will use the #LondonIsOpen hashtag, is to increase brand exposure for the organisations joining London & Partners on their stand at The Meetings Show in June, and extend the reach of promotional activity beyond the three days of the show. London...
Just days into S17, Budapest Airport has announced further expansion of its destination map, filling the white spot that was Kazakhstan. Confirming a twice-weekly service to Astana, Wizz Air will be linking the two capital cities from 8 June, utilizing the carrier’s fleet of 180-seat A320s on the 3,742 kilometer sector. As Kazakhstan becomes Budapest’s 45th country market, the Central Asian operation means Wizz Air will now offer flights to 29 countries from its home-base. As the world’s...
A suspected bomb blast inside a car of the St. Petersburg Metro system has killed nine passengers and injured over 20 others. The entire transit system is shut down as bomb squads and rescuers respond to the emergency. A suspected bomb blast inside a car of the St. Petersburg Metro system has killed nine passengers and injured over 20 others. The entire transit system is shut down as bomb squads and rescuers respond to the emergency. The explosion happened as the train was travelling between...
Despite sluggish global economic growth, low oil prices, ‘Trumponomics’ and Brexit, the UAE will lead Middle East passenger growth in 2017 with an annual increase of more than 6.3%, according to estimates from the International Air Transport Association (IATA). However, aviation-related discussions during Arabian Travel Market this year will no doubt be dominated by the recent US-led ban on electronic devices and the repercussions for regional airlines. Aviation features heavily in the seminar...
What about a free trip to Hawaii? It sounds like a big incentive for important clients of Nu Skin Enterprises from China and Hong Kong. For Hawaii receiving 6000 qualified distributors from China is big business. For the Meeting and incentive travel and tourism market for the Aloha State having 6000 high spending tourists is a good reason to get excited. Nu Skin Enterprise is an American multilevel marketing company which develops and sells personal care products and dietary supplements. Nu...
Dubai has been furnished with a quintessentially British offering with the opening of the new five star DUKES Dubai hotel on the west trunk of Palm Jumeirah. This is the first international property for DUKES, which has proven a hugely popular destination with GCC visitors in London. DUKES Dubai, which soft-opened for training in December, consists of 279 guestrooms including 64 suites, with a ladies-only Liberty Duchess floor featuring 20 rooms, as well as 227 fully furnished hotel apartments...
Over the last few years, Leipzig has developed into one of the most dynamic cities in Europe, with the fastest-growing population in Germany. The East-German city mixes 1,001 years of tradition with a young heart, and this is evident in its rich arts and music scene. 2017 got off to a spectacular start with some outstanding exhibitions. The new TITANIC 360° Panorama by panoramic artist Yadegar Asisi at the Panometer Leipzig revisits the most famous shipwreck of all time and shows the ocean...
Canada is proud to host the 46th session of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) in Montréal, from September 3 to 9, 2017. Hundreds of scientists and representatives from 195 countries will gather to advance the science of climate change and to decide the scope of the sixth IPCC assessment report. This report will provide the most up-to-date international scientific knowledge on climate change, and it will play an important part in supporting the implementation of the Paris...
Some 30 people have been injured, four of them very seriously, after an explosion at a French carnival in the Paris suburb of Seine-Saint-Denis. French authorities said Saturday that the explosion took place at around 5 p.m. local time in the commune of Villepinte, about 18 kilometers from the center of Paris. French daily Le Parisien said most of those affected by the explosion had suffered shocks or minor injuries but four were hospitalized and in a critical condition. The cause of the...
MITT 2017, Russia’s leading and largest travel and tourism exhibition, took place from 14 to 16 March at Expocentre in Moscow at a time of renewed optimism in the Russian travel market. 23,047 industry professionals from 79 regions of Russia visited the show – this is a 9% increase of B2B only visitors than compared to 2016. These visitors included tour operators, travel agents and other professionals involved in the travel industry, such as airlines, transport companies, hotels and IT...
“The Asian Art Finance Forum (2nd) and Global Art Bank Executive Summit 2017” was successful held at the Shanghai Tower, a landmark building in Lujiazui Shanghai. The forum was organized by the Asia Institute of Art and Finance, and assisted by the Chinese Culture and Finance 50 Forum. With the theme of “Art Investment and Art Consumption in the Age of Spiritual Consumption”, the forum focused on investment and consumption of art, inviting experts and scholars from the...
On the morning of April 2, China will usher in Qingming Festival, while the Water Releasing Festival is to be held in Dujiangyan city, Sichuan Province, home to a pair of World Heritage sites. The sites are of immense interest to tourists as is the reproduction of the stunning water releasing act that has been celebrated for over 2,000 years, attracting over 2,000 visitors to see the spectacle. The Organization Committee of the 2017 China – Dujiangyan Water Releasing Festival indicated...
A bus travelling from the town of Bautzen to Slovenia crashed near the city of Nuremberg in the German state of Bavaria, local media reports. The incident left 18 people injured, and four were taken to the hospital. The bus, carrying a group of 44 senior citizen tourists, crashed into a road barrier due to a blown-out tire.
The Colombian embassy in Austria is giving out a brochure pitching for its ambassador to become the leader of world tourism. The global travel and tourism industry now has a Colombian approach with Jaime Alberto Cabal competing with 6 other candidates to lead the United Nations World Tourism Organization. His expertise and professional competence are related to the design and implementation of public policies for the development of strategic sectors and socio-economic and sustainable...
UNWTO Secretary General candidate Jaime Alberto Cabal, former Minister of Colombia and Colombian Ambassador ao Austria, Croatia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Hungary, Montenegro, Czech Republic and Serbia occupied different positions in the corporate and business association sector. He has assumed governmental responsibilities as well as diplomatic and academic activities distinguishing himself by his leadership and management, geared towards the creation and transformation of organizations with a high...
RIU Hotels & Resorts this week reopened the ClubHotel Riu Guarana, in Portugal, following its renovation. This RIU ‘All Inclusive’ resort is located in the Algarve, just a few metres from Praia de Falesia. In this renovation, the 500 rooms of the ClubHotel Riu Guarana, spread over two buildings, were updated and now feature fresh and contemporary décor and more modern furnishings. The rooms provide a balcony, air conditioning, a flat screen TV, an electronic safe, and a ceiling...
Waking up to the enthusiastic chirping of birds? Biking around the city with the sun on your face? Taking in the lovely blossoms in the parks and drinks on a terrace after sunset? Yup, spring has officially sprung in Antwerp! Thanks to the start of the Tour of Flanders and the opening of Comics Station, the Easter vacation is the perfect time to travel to Antwerp. But in the months of May and June Antwerp has also plenty of fun events to offer. CYCLING IN ANTWERP On the occasion of the start of...
The customers at Lucia Diner in Cameron, Arizona say an old coyote stalked, captured and ate a roadrunner near a roadside eatery off of Highway 89. The coyote is a common sight around Northern Arizona. The bird was believed to be a greater roadrunner one of the many desert animals this inhabit the rough and remote portion of Arizona, about 35 miles southeast of the Grand Canyon. “I’ve seen this skinny coyote around before but never seen him eat,” said bystander Phil “Boss” Barrow. Witness...
A French national was “violently” assaulted by a knife-wielding attacker in Shanghai, France’s consulate has said. The attack comes days after a Chinese man was shot dead by police in Paris, sparking riots among France’s Chinese community. Following the stabbing, the Consulate General of France in Shanghai issued a warning on Friday, urging nationals in the city to be vigilant. “The French Embassy in China calls the French community to the utmost vigilance. The embassy and consulates...
A letter informing Prime Minister Theresa May of the Scottish government’s official request to hold a second independence referendum has been delivered to Downing Street. Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon signed the Section 30 letter requesting transfer of powers to Holyrood on Friday morning. May’s government has already said it will decline the request, however. “As you are aware, the Scottish Parliament has now determined by a clear majority that there should be an independence...
Virgin Atlantic, VisitBritain and Marketing Manchester have joined forces in a two-year partnership to promote the airline’s new direct routes from San Francisco and Boston, into Manchester, England, offering the only direct service between the world-class cities. The seasonal routes, which took flight March 28 and 29, respectively, will operate three times per week from San Francisco and twice weekly from Boston. As of May 2017, additional flights will take-off from New York JFK to...
Budapest Airport has announced further development in its expanding summer schedule with another welcome frequency increase on Air Canada rouge’s link to Toronto Pearson. Announcing just last November that the Canadian leisure carrier would be expanding its existing three times weekly operation from 19 May, three weeks earlier than 2016, the airline has confirmed the frequency will now be doubled during the peak season, commencing a six times weekly service from 21 June. Experiencing a highly...
Just weeks ahead of Ukraine International Airlines’ inaugural flight to Chernivtsi, Milan Bergamo Airport announces its new airline partner’s second service to the Ukraine, linking the Italian airport to its main hub at Kiev Boryspil. Initially launching a twice-weekly service from 16 May, utilising its fleet of two-class configured 737-800s, the Ukrainian flag carrier will add a third flight from 4 June, before increasing to a daily service from 15 July. Further diversifying Milan Bergamo’s...
CapitaLand’s wholly-owned serviced residence business unit, The Ascott Limited (Ascott), is geared up to open Ascott Marunouchi Tokyo – the first luxury serviced residence in Japan under the premier Ascott The Residence brand on 30 March 2017. Located in the prime Marunouchi-Otemachi area, the exquisite property will offer an exclusive living experience in the country’s biggest and most prestigious international financial center. Ascott Marunouchi Tokyo is part of an integrated...
Moving against South Africa’s President Zuma by imposing a series of votes of “no confidence” against his boss did not pay off for Derek Hanekom who was just fired tonight from his post as the Minister of Tourism for the Republic of South Africa. Mr. Derek Hanekom Replacing him is the new Hon. Minster of Tourism, Mrs. Tokozile Xasa. She was originally a teacher and taught at several high schools for 9 years before becoming the first female mayor of a district municipality in the...
The Jamaica tourism sector and allied industries have been put on alert to prepare for 4.2 million visitors this year. The target represents a 5 percent increase on the 3.84 million tourists the country received in 2016. Jamaica Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett, has pointed to the opportunities that the increased arrivals will mean for the various stakeholders, in particular income generation and the creation of more jobs. Giving the opening address at the fourth Tourism Linkages Speed...
