Category: Round Up

Birth tourism is the common term used for travelling to another country for the plan of giving birth. It is one of the oldest, as well as, trending forms of tourism that enhances the possibility of getting citizenship in a more advanced country. Meanwhile, in Africa this old form of tourism is getting popularity as many of the underdeveloped countries lacks basic facilities for growing up a child. Also, most of the European countries discourage birth tourism and has passed strong laws behind the citizenship laws. Birth tourism also requires financial assistance, as it would cost between $25,000 and $60,000 ... Read more

Rove Hotels has launched the 5th property in its budget brand of “lifestyle hotels” in Dubai with rooms under Dh 300 a night. Part of Emaar Hospitality Group, Rove Dubai Marina will be opening its doors on April 7. The rooms will be charged Dh282 per night including taxes in July, and from about Dh400 including taxes at busier times. The hotel, located on Marina Promenade at the southern end of Dubai Marina, has a 24-hour gym, pool, sundeck, a restaurant, meeting spaces and free self-parking and Wi-Fi. A buffet breakfast at the Rove Dubai Marina costs Dh55 and is free for ... Read more

File photo An earthquake of magnitude 6.2 strikes the island of Mindanao in Philippines. There were no immediate reports of casualties or damage from the quake, which hit at a depth of 61 km (38 miles), about 128 km (80 miles) east of the island’s key city of Davao.  

Tourism Malaysia, on a mission towards their tourist’s safety, had launched their latest mobile application named My Tourist Assist’ (MyTA). The app is available for both Android and ios devices. “The app is designed by digital technology company, Jana Tiga Holdings and it can work even without an internet connection,” said Datuk Seri Mirza Mohammad Taiyab, Tourism Malaysia director-general. “This app allows tourists to get assistance from the authorities in case of an emergency situation, whereby an emergency or SOS button will connect the user directly to the authorities,” added Datuk Seri Mirza Mohammad Taiyab. The app also features a news ... Read more

Marriott International has launched its 100th hotel in India in India’s Silicon Valley, Bengaluru. “With the opening of the 360-room Sheraton Grand Bengaluru Whitefield Hotel, we have achieved the milestone of 100 hotels in India,” said group President and Chief Executive Officer Arne M Sorenson. The 360-room hotel includes 39 suites and 79 Sheraton Club Rooms, and also home to large meeting and banqueting facilities. A convention centre detached from the main hotel building with a capacity to host about 2,000 pax will be opened in a few months’ time. The convention centre is expected to be operational from July. On ... Read more

Amazon.com Inc may submit an offer to buy Indian e-commerce firm Flipkart, which is currently in talks with Walmart Inc for a stake sale. The deal with Walmart is more likely to go through, according reports to Mint. Walmart is in talks to buy a stake of over 55 per cent in Flipkart, which a direct challenge to Amazon in Asia’s third-largest economy. It is planning to buy Flipkart through through a mix of primary and secondary share purchases in a deal that could value Flipkart at $21 billion. Amazon is the largest Internet retailer in the world as measured by ... Read more

The Australian flag carrier Qantas is providing Qantas Points to its app users. So far about 200,000 people have been rewarded with 200 million Qantas Points.The points are generated by the airline’s own health insurance company, Qantas Assure. Points can be generated via tasks, based on a list of activities like walking with the dog, cycling to work, taking the stairs, swimming and also early morning gym activities. Additionally, the app has a Body Mass Index Calculator that gives extra 50 points for being in shape. The 200 million Qantas Points gained so far equates to over 3500 business class ... Read more

Chinese smartphone manufacturer OnePlus is all about to launch its flagship model OnePlus 6 by the end of April this year. The company has recently launched their phone’s promo via Twitter. ‘OnePlus 6 for its next flagship, 6et ready, it tweeted. The phone has similarities with i Phone X in terms of screen design. The OnePlus 6 will have a 20MP +16 MP dual rear camera with f/1.7 aperture, followed by a 20MP selfie shooter. The phone is paired with a 6GB and 8GB RAM along with a 3,450 mAh battery. The device is said to be calibrated by a ... Read more

Etihad Airways has officially opened its Etihad Eco Residence, Abu Dhabi’s first purpose-built, sustainable Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Platinum rated cabin crew accommodation. The project is the result of a unique partnership between the UAE’s national airline and the Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company, Masdar. The Etihad Eco Residence was inaugurated in the presence of Khaled Al Qubaisi, Chief Executive Officer, Aerospace, Renewables & Information Communications Technology (ICT) for Mubadala, by Tony Douglas, Group Chief Executive Officer, Etihad Aviation Group. Mohamed Jameel Al Ramahi, Chief Executive Officer for Masdar, alongside senior executives from Etihad Airways and Masdar ... Read more

The Iranian government is planning to permanently block the messaging app Telegram over national security concerns and replace it with its own messaging app. According to Iranian press agency MNA, Alaeddin Boroujerdi, chairman of Iran’s Parliament National Security and Foreign Policy Commission, announced the ban during a radio interview. Boroujerdi said the decision to block Telegram was “made at the highest levels of government”. Boroujerdi also informed that the government would release its own messaging app later this month, citing “national security” as the reason the messaging service will no longer be accessible. He also said he hopes Iranian-made messaging apps like ... Read more

Buenos Aires in Argentina is all ready to host the Global Summit of World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) on 18th April 2018. This year the theme adopted was ‘Our People, Our World, Our Future’. The forum is aimed to conduct debates and discussions in creating sustainable jobs, and in utilizing technology for optimum functioning of the industry. The Global Summit this year is conducted by the Ministry of Tourism of Argentina and the National Institute for Tourism Promotion (INPROTUR). “This year’s WTTC Global Summit will bring together CEOs, ministers and representatives of the highest level of international organizations around ... Read more

As part of the green protocol initiative, Andhra Pradesh government, in association with Ashok Leyland is all about to construct green bus manufacturing plant in the state. The 75-acre plant site is located at Model Industrial Park, Mallavalli village in Krishna district. The factory focus on high-quality building standards, that ensures to produce around 4800 buses per year. The plant is expected to employ around 5000 people, along with advanced service learning centre for youths. “This factory will not only provide jobs to our youth but also help improve the skill level of our people in the state and overall ... Read more

Sea cable car located at Phu Quoc Island District is said to be the world’s longest cable car route at southern province of Kien Giang in Vietnam. The cable car route is about 8.9 kilometres long connecting An Thoi Town and Hon Thom Island. The car would take around 15 minutes to connect from one end to other, with a max speed of 8.5 metre per second. The connecting system has 3 cable ropes capable of carrying 30 passengers each. The project was invested by Sun Group developer, which aims to magnet a large number of tourist to the island. Last ... Read more

Delhi government is planning to deploy 1000 electric buses in the capital city. It is estimated that each bus would cost around ₹2 crore to ₹2.5 crore. “The buses would be outsourced from China,” said Finance Minister Manish Sisodia, while delivering the budget speech last week. The project’s advisers are yet to be announced, followed by adding new infrastructure facility in the availability of charging stations. Two substations that can accommodate 11kv would be made at East Vinod Nagar and Bawana in Delhi. Meanwhile, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had earlier asked the transport department to inaugurate the project in November ... Read more

Toyota Motor Corporation (Toyota) and Suzuki Motor Corporation (Suzuki) have  entered in to a partnership toward the mutual supply of hybrid and other vehicles between the two companies for the Indian market. Suzuki will supply Baleno and Vitara Brezza vehicle models to Toyota, while Toyota will supply Corolla vehicle model to Suzuki. Details on each model, such as the schedule of the start of supply, number of supplied units, vehicle specifications, and supply pricing, will be considered at a later stage. The vehicles will be sold by respective subsidiaries of Toyota and Suzuki based in India through their sales networks. ... Read more