In 2017 there were more than 450,000 daily bike trips in New York City, up from 170,000 in 2005. While the increased number of cyclists on the streets of Manhattan provide good PR for the Mayor, the increased bike culture angers pedestrians, citing cyclists who speed, run red lights, shout four letter words, text while cycling, go against traffic, and knockdown the elderly with walkers and canes. In addition, bike lanes and Citi Bike docking stations, combined with on-sidewalk bike parking...

Hilton announced the opening of DoubleTree by Hilton Suzhou Wujiang, a 22-storey, 316-room hotel located in the center of WuJiang Economic Development Zone, one of China’s “Top 10 Districts” on the borders of Suzhou and Shanghai, bridging the core of the rapidly developing Yangtze River Delta. This opening marks the entry of the award-winning full-service brand, DoubleTree by Hilton, in Suzhou, introducing its signature warm hospitality and caring service to the city. The...

Pakistan has refused to give the president of India permission to enter its airspace for his flight to Iceland, Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi said on Saturday. Prime Minister Imran Khan approved the move in light of India’s treatment of people in occupied Kashmir, Qureshi told Pakistani media, adding that the state’s concerns about Kashmir would be raised with the UN’s Human Rights Council. India’s President Ram Nath Kovind is due to travel to...

Boeing has suspended testing on its 777x aircraft after its team encountered an issue during final load testing, when a door reportedly blew off. The setback comes in the wake of its deadly 737 MAX crashes controversy. “During final load testing on the 777X static test airplane, the team encountered an issue that required suspension of the test,” a Boeing spokesman said. Final load tests subject aircrafts to “loads and stresses well beyond normal operational loads,” and...

The United States extends its condolences to all those in The Bahamas who have lost loved ones and we stand with the communities affected by the devastating impact of Hurricane Dorian. The U.S. government is working in partnership with the Government of The Bahamas, including the National Emergency Management Authority, to deliver emergency supplies to address the immediate needs in the wake of Hurricane Dorian. The U.S. Mission to The Bahamas, working through multiple agencies of the U.S...

Tourism Minister Hon. Edmund Bartlett says he is heartened by results of a new study by the Bloom Consulting, which shows Jamaica entering the top-ten tourism country brands in the Americas for 2019-2020, moving up five places since the last assessment. “I am very proud of the continued improved positioning of Jamaica’s tourism product globally and particularly the recent Bloom Consulting positioning, which has given Jamaica a premiere place in the Americas,” said Minister...

Port Canaveral officials are crediting close coordination between its partners and outside agencies for a quick turnaround that had the Port at full operation less than 24 hours after destructive Hurricane Dorian skirted Florida’s Space Coast. “Before, during, and after Dorian we were in constant contact with all of our partners and worked diligently with the Coast Guard to ensure our Port was 100 percent ready to open,” Port Director and CEO Capt. John Murray stated...

Jamaica Tourism Minister, Hon. Edmund Bartlett departs the island tomorrow to participate in the 23rd Session of the United Nations World Tourism Organization’s (UNWTO) General Assembly in Saint Petersburg, Russia. During his visit, the Minister will discuss plans for Jamaica to host the UNWTO Regional Commission of the Americas (CAM) meeting as well as a Global Conference on Innovation, Resilience and Crisis Management, in May or June of 2020. Jamaica was successful in its bid for the...

With excitement, hundreds of thousands of Catholics and other Christians in Mozambique and neighbouring states in Southern Africa have welcomed Pope Francis to Mozambique where he arrived Wednesday, on his first leg of tour of Africa. The Pope is now visiting Mozambique, Madagascar and Mauritius up to Tuesday next week, when he will end the tour in Southern Africa, the fourth visit to the African continent since his election to lead the Catholic Church. Reports said that the Holy Father had...

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) announced slowing global passenger demand growth for July. Total revenue passenger kilometers (RPKs) rose 3.6%, compared to the same month in 2018. This was down from 5.1% annual growth recorded in June. All regions posted traffic increases. Monthly capacity (available seat kilometers or ASKs) increased by 3.2% and load factor rose 0.3 percentage point to 85.7%, which is a new high for any month. “July’s performance marked a soft...

Dubai has retained its position as the fourth most visited city in the world for the fifth year in a row, according to Mastercard’s Global Destination Cities Index (GDCI) 2019. The city welcomed 15.93 million international overnight visitors last year. The UAE’s capital, Abu Dhabi, was ranked as the fastest growing city in the Middle East and Africa, with a Compound Annual Growth Rate of 16.7 per cent between 2009 and 2018 in overnight arrivals. “As the most attractive...

EgyptAir has taken delivery of its first of 12 Airbus A220-300 aircraft on order, becoming the first A220 operator based in the Middle East and North African region, and the sixth operator worldwide. The Cairo-based airline intends to fly the aircraft on routes to and from its main Egyptian Hub in Cairo in the coming days. Representatives from the airline, alongside executives from Airbus Canada Limited Partnership celebrated the aircraft handover at the A220 Mirabel final assembly line...

Airbus lifts its partnership with China to new heights On August 28 Reiters reported if the United States and China can settle their trade war, it would mean for Boeing to be the recipient of a very substantial and lucrative aircraft order from China. This hasn’t happened, so the European rival Airbus seems to be a winner in this U.S. – Chinese dispute. Today Airbus reaffirms its commitment to its long-term strategic partnership with China’s aviation industry and has signed...

Early Political Career In 1960, Robert Mugabe returned to his hometown on leave, planning to introduce his fiancée to his mother. Unexpectedly, upon his arrival, Mugabe encountered a drastically changed Southern Rhodesia. Tens of thousands of black families had been displaced by the new colonial government, and the white population had exploded. The government denied black majority rule, resulting in violent protests. Mugabe too was outraged by this denial of blacks’ rights. In...

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), NASA, and their partners in a pilot program that is laying the groundwork for an Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) traffic management system, successfully demonstrated how such a system can work in the future. The demonstrations, conducted at 3 separate test sites selected by the FAA for the UAS Traffic Management Pilot Program (UPP), showed that multiple, Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) drone operations can be safely conducted at low altitudes...

Sheremetyevo International Airport has been awarded the ACI Airport Service Quality Award (ASQ) in the category Best Airport by Size and Region for Over 40 million passengers per year for 2018. The awards ceremony was held in Bali, Indonesia, on 4 September 2019, during the Gala dinner of the second annual ACI Customer Experience Global Summit. Sheremetyevo Airport has been rated one of the best airports in Europe in terms of service quality for six consecutive years. The ASQ Award marks the...

For the 10th year in a row, the San Francisco Travel Association is forecasting record levels of visitor volume and spending for 2019. San Francisco’s destination marketing organization is projecting a total of 26.2 million visitors to the city for 2019, up 1.5 percent over 25.8 million in 2018. Total spending by visitors is projected to reach $9.56 billion. This is up 2.6 percent over $9.3 billion in 2018. On the convention side, San Francisco Travel has set a new record for the Moscone...

HURRICANE DORIAN AND THE ISLANDS OF THE BAHAMAS: Bahamian officials continue to assess the damage in The Abacos and Grand Bahama Island, the two islands in the Northwest Bahamas that were devastated by Hurricane Dorian. Relief teams are currently deployed and are providing assistance to those in need. The Bahamas Ministry of Tourism & Aviation (BMOTA) urges travelers to consider keeping and pursuing their vacations to the islands that were not affected and remain open. In the Northwest...

The St. Regis Atlanta is thrilled to announce the enhanced third annual Out of the Kitchen dining event, taking place at the iconic, recently refreshed Buckhead property on October 30, 2019.  A collection of 20 illustrious regional chefs will prepare an interactive experience for discerning diners, with the event’s proceeds benefiting CURE Childhood Cancer, a local nonprofit dedicated to funding pediatric cancer research and providing meaningful support to children and families...

The Hawaii Tourism Authority (HTA) announced today it is awarding funding to 95 events and programs in the Hawaiian Islands through its Community Enrichment program (CEP) for the 2020 calendar year, an increase from 74 recipients in 2019. The funds are generated from tourism dollars through the Transient Accommodations Tax (TAT), which people pay when they stay in legal accommodations throughout the state. HTA’s CEP funds a diverse array of festivals, events and year-round programs in...