Travel
Thailand: Finance Ministry approves stimulus package to spur tourism
Monitoring Desk BANGKOK: The Finance Ministry has now approved a stimulus package for the last three months of the year to boost Thailand’s tourism sector. The aim is achieve a 3% growth rate. The Thai Tourism and Sports permanent secretary Chote Trachu says the purpose is to increase the total tourist arrivals for the second…
Read MoreTunisia: French tourist killed in stabbing
Monitoring Desk TUNIS: A French tourist was killed and a soldier injured in a knife attack in northern Tunisia, said the country’s interior ministry on Monday. A ministry statement said the attacker was known to law enforcement authorities and had a criminal record. It said a manhunt has been launched for the attacker, but gave…
Read MoreThese are the countries where tourists spend the most money
Monitoring Desk LONDON: A new survey reveals the cost of visiting some of the world’s top destinations. Globehunters used World Tourism Organization data to provide insight regarding how much money travelers spend in each country and where they can expect to spend the most. The results can help travelers budget properly for their next journeys,…
Read MoreDharabi Lake to be developed as tourist-spot: Buzdar
F.P. Report CHAKWAL: Punjab Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar paid a surprise visit to Dharabi Lake in Chakwal on Thursday while en-route to Lahore from Islamabad on a helicopter. He inspected the activities being done to promote tourism in the area. Speaking on the occasion, UsmanBuzdar said that the Dharabi Lake will be developed as…
Read MoreChinese tourism growth slows as overseas travel loses its luster
Monitoring Desk BEIJING: The rapid growth of Chinese tourism took a bit of a breather during the latest week-long National Day holiday, government data indicate. The seven-day vacation from Oct. 1 to Oct. 7 is dubbed “Golden Week” and is one of the few major government-mandated holidays in a country where personal vacation days are…
Read MoreLonely Planet guide reveals Saudi Arabia’s tourism treasures
Monitoring Desk LONDON: Saudi Arabia has been designated “the final frontier of tourism” by Lonely Planet, one of the world’s largest travel guidebook publishers. The sixth edition of the company’s Oman, UAE & Arabian Peninsula travel guide was published this month, with an extensively updated section on Saudi Arabia, which announced its newly simplified e-visa…
Read MoreSaudi Arabia: Women can stay in tourism facilities without male guardian
Monitoring Desk RIYADH: Saudi Arabia is allowing foreign men and women to rent hotel rooms together without proving they are related, days after it launched a new tourist visa regime to attract holidaymakers. Women, including Saudis, are also permitted to rent hotel rooms by themselves, in a break with previous regulations. In an unprecedented move…
Read MoreSpain launches €300 million plan to soften tourism blow of Thomas Cook collapse
Monitoring Desk BARCELONA: Spain’s government has announced a recovery plan worth 300 million euros to combat the economic fallout of the collapse of British tour operator Thomas Cook, acting Tourism Minister Reyes Maroto said on Thursday. The plan will be made up of 13 separate measures and include a credit line for the affected companies,…
Read MoreThe awkward questions about slavery from tourists in US South
Monitoring Desk CAROLINA: It was late in the summer of 1619 that a ship bearing “not any thing but 20 and odd Negroes” docked at the fledgling port of Point Comfort, Virginia. Those Africans were the first victims of the American slave trade, 400 years ago. It has been 154 years since Congress abolished slavery.…
Read MoreKomodo: Tourists must pay $1,000 to enter ‘Dragon Island’
Monitoring Desk KOMODO: The Indonesian island of Komodo, home to the Komodo dragon, will not be closed to tourists next year – but a $1,000 membership scheme will be introduced, the authorities have said. It reverses a July announcement that the island would close in January to protect the dragons and their habitat. It was…
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