World News

Birmingham Muslims planning to travel to Saudi Arabia for the annual Hajj pilgrimage have been urged to check the latest health advice before booking trips. The pilgrimage to Mecca is expected to fall between September 21-26 and traditionally many people begin making travel plans during the holy month of Ramadan.

This Independence Day weekend, fans are flocking to the sun-drenched island of Barbados for an exclusive concert by rising electro-pop stars, Priory. Dubbed an “emerging” band by Billboard Magazine, the Portland-based band will debut on-island July 5 at hotspot The Boatyard with hit songs from their latest album “Need to Know.”

This year continues to be a landmark year for the Islands of The Bahamas, with this latest recognition for leading the way in delivering a quality product and service by the ESQR (The European Society for Quality Research), which awarded The Bahamas Ministry of Tourism with Gold at its Quality Achievement Awards last week in London.

U.S. resident Joyce Arias was the winner of the Virgin Islands Nice Challenge, a social media competition launched by the United States Virgin Islands Department of Tourism to kick off a summer promotion built on its current "Virgin Islands Nice" campaign.

The 19^th Conference of Commonwealth Education Ministers (19CCEM) starting today will tackle the tough challenges facing governments in providing quality education and employable skills for young people, Deodat Maharaj, Commonwealth Deputy Secretary General, has said.

Barbados has been recognized as a winner in the 2015 TripAdvisor Travelers’ Choice™ awards for Islands, ranking third in the top 10 of all competing island destinations. For the third straight year TripAdvisor has highlighted the world’s top islands based on the millions of reviews and opinions collected in a single year from travelers around the globe.

Dominica, the Nature Island of the Caribbean, has an extra helping of FUN planned for July. The excitement kicks off on July 1 with the four-day Nature Island Food and Drink Festival and continues with the island’s 22^nd annual Dive Fest from July 10-19.

Relaxation and restoration await in beautiful Anguilla… at prices that won’t break the bank. Designed to provide value alongside the opportunity to experience the island’s Charming Escapes, unparalleled luxury, and quality living at affordable rates, the Summer Prix Fixe boasts savings of up to 30% off usual rates.

The Martinique Tourism Authority hosted a delegation of Florida-Caribbean Cruise Association (FCCA) officials May 28–29, 2015 as part of its continuing efforts to bolster the cruise sector on the island. The visit comes as Martinique enjoys its strongest cruise results in years, posting a 631-percent increase in cruise passenger arrivals since 2010.

In the early 1900's a railway was built between Bulawayo and Victoria Falls. It cut through virgin hardwood forest, and for much of its length it was perfectly straight as it crossed the deep sands of Hwange.  The area then, as now, was home to prolific wildlife – King Mzilikazi declared it his own special reserve.

Martinique was the big winner at this year's Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO) Travel Media Awards with journalists producing articles promoting travel to The Isle of Flowers earning five of the 10 top honors. Honored journalists and their Martinique stories are as follows:

At the recent TOFTigers 10th anniversary event at the Royal Geographical Society in London, Jeffrey Parrish, Managing Director of the World Wildlife Fund in US, highlighted the ongoing collapse in biodiversity across the globe. More than 53% of wildlife species have been lost since 1970.  He appealed to the global nature travel community to do more to 'inform, incentivise and invest in conservation'.

Qatar Airways announces that at a ceremony in the ‘Salon des Ambassadeurs’, at the Elysée Palace yesterday, President of the Republic of France, Francois Hollande, presented to Qatar Airways' Group Chief Executive, His Excellency Mr. Akbar Al Baker a Legion of Honor.

WWF-Pakistan has been awarded the National Energy Globe Award for its project City-wide Partnership for Sustainable Water Use and Water Stewardship in SMEs in Lahore, Pakistan. Funded by the European Union, it aims to promote water efficient production and consumption practices in the country’s Small and Medium Enterprises through the implementation of Best Water Management Practices.

Visitors took in the world's largest festival of light, music and ideas before the lights went out on Vivid Sydney 2015. NSW Minister for Trade, Tourism and Major Events Stuart Ayres said for 18 days, Vivid Sydney has captivated the imagination of visitors of all ages from across Australia and the world.

His Majesty King Felipe VI, King of Spain joined Tourism Ministers, Taleb Rifai, the Secretary General of the UNWTO (United Nations World Tourism Organization) and David Scowsill, the President and CEO of the WTTC (World Travel&Tourism Council) for the 15th. WTTC Global Summit in Spain.