Browsing: Travel

Introducing Gdansk to Air Arabia’s European network from Sharjah broadens the airline’s Baltic coast coverage. Besides Gdansk, Air Arabia also serves prominent European cities such as Athens, Vienna, Prague, Milan, Munich, Rome, and London Gatwick. Gdansk Airport caters to the broader Tri-City region, including Gdansk, Gdynia, and Sopot, in addition to other parts of northern Poland. It offers both domestic and international flights, facilitating travel for leisure and business travelers across the region. Adel Al Ali, Group Chief Executive of Air Arabia, emphasized that the new Gdansk route will strengthen the airline’s footprint in Poland. Tomasz Kloskowski, President of Gdansk Airport, also underscored the direct link between the Pomeranian area and the UAE. The airport has identified Sharjah as a transfer hub for onward flights to destinations in India, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and East Africa. These new flights will enable Gdansk passengers to connect seamlessly to Air Arabia’s extensive network via its hub in Sharjah. Scheduled to Launch in December with Five Weekly Flights Air Arabia operates Airbus A320 and A321 aircraft throughout its network and has opened reservations for the Gdansk route. The airline has scheduled flight G9 0628 for departures from Sharjah on Mondays and Saturdays.

Etihad Airways is set to introduce a seasonal nonstop route connecting Abu Dhabi and Gothenburg starting December 17, 2026. The service will operate four times weekly until March 21, 2027, providing direct flights between Zayed International Airport and Göteborg Landvetter Airport during the winter travel period. This new route creates a direct link between the UAE capital and Sweden’s second-largest city, with tickets now available via the airline’s booking channels.

South Korea’s tourism balance reached $596.6 million in surplus during June 2026. This June figure signifies South Korea’s fourth consecutive month of positive tourism balance, after a lengthy period of deficits totaling 72 months from March 2020 through February 2026. The country’s January balance was a $1.4034 billion deficit, followed by February’s $1.0993 billion shortfall. However, the trend reversed in March when the surplus reached $263.8 million. It remained positive at $159.9 million in April and $220.5 million in May. Tourism earnings hit $2.784 billion in June, while South Korean residents traveling abroad spent a total of $2.1874 billion. On average, foreign visitors spent $1,397 per person during the month, whereas outbound South Korean travelers spent about $1,091 each. The difference between inbound tourism income and outbound expenditure resulted in the $596.6 million surplus, making it the largest positive monthly balance in over 17 years.

Spain has put in place provisional border inspections for individuals arriving from Italy via air and sea routes. These checks started at midnight on Aug. 8 and are expected to remain in effect until Sept. 7. Authorities are now verifying travel and immigration documents on routes that usually operate without routine internal border checks. This move follows Italy’s earlier decision to reintroduce controls on certain passengers arriving from Spain. Travelers from Italy face temporary passport checks at Spanish airports and seaports. During the first day of implementation, Spain’s Interior Ministry reported screening 199 passengers on 12 flights originating from Italy. The controls were carried out at airports in Madrid, Barcelona, Seville, Bilbao, Alicante, and Valencia. The process involves checking passports, nationality, and visa status where applicable. Despite these measures, flights and maritime services connecting Spain and Italy continue to operate normally while the temporary checks are in place. Italy’s own temporary border controls began on Aug. 1, following a significant influx of migrants into Ceuta from Morocco. Rome implemented these checks on non-EU nationals arriving from Spain by air or sea, but did not include Italian citizens, Spanish citizens, or other EU nationals in the restrictions. Italy informed European authorities that its controls would be in effect until Sept. 1, according to the current schedule. Ceuta migration surge preceded border measures Approximately 72,000 migrants entered Ceuta during the large migration wave from Morocco that started in late July. Spanish Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marl

Dubai-based airline flydubai revealed a significant boost to its European route offerings on Wednesday, aimed at accommodating the rising international travel demand by increasing flight frequency to key Italian cities. Official sources from Emirates News Agency confirmed that flydubai is enhancing its presence in Italy by adding more flights to Milan-Bergamo and Naples, thereby strengthening direct connections between the United Arab Emirates and Southern Europe.

Emirates, the flag carrier airline, announced the official launch of a new digital payment feature on Tuesday, enabling eligible passengers to buy tickets using cryptocurrency on both its website and mobile app. Announcements made via Emirates News Agency confirmed that Emirates in partnership with Crypto.com offers a fresh payment option for travelers. This marks the operational deployment of a strategic memorandum of understanding signed by the two companies in July 2025. The new digital payment system is accessible to residents of the United Arab Emirates for both international and domestic flights, with fares and settlements denominated in Emirati Dirhams. Cryptocurrency transactions are facilitated through Crypto.com’s checkout portal, providing travelers direct access to their digital wallets during the ticket purchasing process.

Visitors and art enthusiasts will be able to experience Guggenheim Abu Dhabi starting December 11, 2026. The museum, designed by architect Frank Gehry, covers an area of 80,000 square meters on Saadiyat Island. With 30 interior galleries, 11,600 square meters of exhibition space, and 23,000 square meters of outdoor display zones, the museum aims to offer new perspectives on contemporary global art history. Guggenheim Abu Dhabi will join other world-class cultural establishments in the Saadiyat Cultural District, including Louvre Abu Dhabi and teamLab Phenomena Abu Dhabi.

Cultural heritage landmarks experience increased tourist visitor traffic across South Korea. Throughout the first half of the year, neighboring East Asian countries continued to be the primary sources driving South Korea’s tourism resurgence. Entry records indicate that mainland China remained the leading source of international arrivals, with 650,000 visitors in June, also showing the fastest year-on-year growth among major markets. Cumulative figures for January through June show Chinese visitors reached 3.21 million. Japan ranked as the second-largest inbound market, with 350,000 visitors in June, totaling 1.95 million over the first six months. Taiwan held its position as the third-largest source, contributing 220,000 arrivals in June and reaching a total of 1.15 million visitors during the same period. Expanding beyond traditional East Asian markets provided additional momentum for South Korea’s tourism recovery. Officials highlighted that visitor numbers from both Taiwan and the United States experienced particularly strong growth, expanding by over 160 percent compared to pre-pandemic levels recorded during the first half of 2019, prior to global travel restrictions.

South Korea’s travel account posts surplus for 3rd consecutive month in May as foreign visitor numbers increase nationwide The post South Korea travel account posts surplus for 3rd month in May appeared first on Gulf Daily Report: The Gulf’s daily news, fully reported..

Australians travel advice Middle East conflict alerts rise as federal authorities urge citizens to leave high-risk Gulf zones. The post Australians travel advice Middle East conflict raised by DFAT appeared first on Gulf Daily Report: The Gulf’s daily news, fully reported..