Macau Casino Companies Pledge Over $13 Billion Investment on Non-Gaming Activities

The second installment of a permanent exhibition containing the world’s largest private collection of diecast model aircraft officially opens at Shannon Airport. The new Aviation Gallery, situated in the airport terminal building opposite JJ Ruddle’s restaurant, is a magnificent exhibition open to the general public. It offers a captivating journey through the evolution of aviation, showcasing an unparalleled collection, meticulously amassed over many years by Limerick man, Mike Kelly.

2,800 employees from eight TUI companies under one roof.

Passengers on a flight from the UK to an island in Greece said they were left in a "boiling" hot plane on the ground in Athens for hours with "babies crying" after there wasn't room for their flight to land and it was diverted more than 300 miles away, the Manchester Evening News reported.

Integrated resort operator Wynn Resorts confirmed that it would be operating a casino at its resort in Ras Al Khaimah.

Looking to position itself as a leading tourism destination in the Middle East, Dubai has scrapped the 30 percent municipality tax on alcohol for what has been called a trial period of one year, till December 31. Also, tourists and expats will no longer need to pay a fee to secure a personal liquor license to purchase alcoholic beverages. However, an Emirates ID, or passport for tourists, will still be required. The change that came into effect from Sunday, was confirmed by Maritime and Mercantile International, one of the biggest alcohol retailers in the United Arab Emirates and a subsidiary of the state-owned Emirates Group.

Macau has seen a resurgence of tourists from mainland China since January 8 after the special Chinese administrative region dropped all Covid-19 testing requirements for inbound travellers from the mainland, Hong Kong and Taiwan.

The Middle East is leading international travel recovery in the fourth quarter as inbound arrivals to the region witnessed an increase of 4 percent, long ahead of the global average of a decrease of 30 percent, according to travel analytics firm ForwardKeys. “The FIFA World Cup is certainly the key driver for its travel recovery,” said Juan Gomez, head of market intelligence at ForwardKeys. The latest air ticketing data by ForwardKeys also shows that international arrival levels may be back to normal in 2023, with travel to the Middle East up by 15 percent on pre-pandemic levels in the first quarter. Overall, the outlook for 2023 looks promising, despite high inflation in key source markets and the looming recession, FowardKeys noted. The Middle East is also attracting more premium travellers than in 2019, the travel analytics firm noted with Saudi Arabia showing the greatest growth. Qatar, Egypt, Jordan, and Lebanon are also showing growth, with a regional average of 11  percent above 2019.

In a sign of reviving Hong Kong to China transport links, Saturday’s visitors to the gambling hub of Macau exceeded 55,000, the highest daily arrivals since the pandemic began, the government said on its website.

Three years of COVID-19 forced Becky Zhang’s specialty food business in Macau to near collapse. Founded by her grandmother more than fifty years ago, her store selling pastries and dried beef only survived thanks to residents who bought small quantities to help keep them afloat.

Saudi Arabia, which has bid to host the Expo 2030 world fair, is pushing ahead with plans to turn its capital Riyadh into a major global metropolis, a government official said on Thursday.

Las Vegas Sands is pursuing a multi-billion flagship casino, entertainment and hospitality development following its agreement to purchase a long-term lease over the home to the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, opened in 1972 on Long Island in New York. This would be the company’s first entertainment project in the U.S. since it sold its Las Vegas properties last year.

Travelport is about three-quarters of the way toward a full recovery after the pandemic decimated the travel industry.