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Egypt denies that suspension of Iranian tourist flights was caused by Sunni outcry
DestinationsEgypt’s presidential spokesman says tourist flights from Iran were not suspended because of pressure from “any particular groups.” Ehab Fahmy’s comments come after an outcry by hardline Sunni Muslims, known as Salafis, who were angered by the Egyptian government’s push to improve ties with Shiite Iran. The spokesman did not explain why the flights were [...]
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Iranian tourists visit Egypt under heavy guard, as relations thaw
DestinationsMore than 50 Iranian tourists visited sites in southern Egypt on Sunday amid tight security as part of a bilateral tourism promotion deal that has generated some controversy. The tourists, who according to a security official arrived on some of the first commercial flights between the two countries in three decades, will be restricted in [...]
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Blackstone and Travelport had a tough year doing business in Iran
TransportIt was a tough year doing business in Iran for Travelport and TRW, both affiliates of The Blackstone Group. Travelport enables travel agents to sell flight tickets for — and provides e-ticketing services to – Iran Air, the Iranian flag carrier and an airline that has been tied to support activities for Syrian tyrant Bashar al-Assad. [...]
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Egypt looks to Iranian travelers to revive struggling tourism industry
DestinationsEgypt’s tourism minister flew to Tehran on Monday in a bid to lure Iranian tourists to help his country’s ailing economy as relations between the two regional heavyweights continues to slowly improve. Hesham Zazou is heading a 14-person delegation that will spend five days in Iran for meetings with tour operators, travel agents and officials [...]
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Iran wants to make its Caspian Sea coastline the next tourism hot spot
DestinationsIran unveiled a national plan on Monday, with the main goal of boosting tourism and attracting foreign investment at regions along the Caspian Sea, IRNA reported. The plan is also aimed at increasing safety in the region, promoting coastal sports venues and creating new jobs. The first phase of the plan including the launch of [...]
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Two airlines suspend Iran flights amidst increasing sanctions weight
TransportTwo European airlines said on Saturday they were halting services to Iran, a sign of the crumbling purchasing power of Iranians as their economy buckles under the weight of Western sanctions. Air France-KLM will suspend its Amsterdam-Tehran service starting April 2013, a spokesman for the carrier said. It currently flies to Iran four times a [...]
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The Syrian government’s cozy relationship with the world’s leading airline ticketing companies
TransportDespite the horrors of the Syrian government’s attempt to brutally crush the uprising in Syria, global distribution system (GDS) and airline IT providers Travelport, Amadeus, and Sabre provided services to the Assad-goverment controlled Syrian Arab Airlines, even during its ongoing, brutal crackdown. Travelport, which took in more than $4 million in revenue from Syria in 2011, only suspended [...]
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Because someone asked: The travel habits of Iranians
DestinationsYes, someone did ask. Chimigi is Iran’s first online research panel, and recently released the results of its travel and tourism study called “The Iranian Traveler”, which benchmarks the travel frequency and preferences of religious, leisure and business travelers in Iran. Few highlights of the survey (via Tfour.me): – Emirates is the most preferred airline for leisure and [...]
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Iranian national airline nearly doubles airfare to cover rising fuel costs
TransportIranian national airline Homa has increased ticket prices for international flights by 90 percent due to a recent rise in jet fuel prices, ISNA reported. For instance, Tehran-London-Tehran ticket price rose by 85 percent, increasing up to 17.57 million rials from 9 million rials, and Tehran-Paris-Tehran ticket rose by 70 percent and is sold at [...]
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Iran’s airlines feel the brunt of international sanctions; passenger deaths shoot up
TransportAfter 17 years of United States sanctions that have prevented Iran from buying new Western planes and spare parts the number of passenger and crew deaths in crashes have increased exponentially, reports NYT. The sanctions have prevented oil-rich Iran from updating its fleet, forcing it to use substandard Russian planes and to patch up its [...]
