Crackdown!
LONDON: The British government plans to crack down on 'health tourism', whereby foreigners visit Britain to take advantage of the country's free healthcare system, the Sunday Telegraph reports.
Health Secretary John Reid was quoted as saying overseas visitors who fell ill while in Britain would in future have to pay before receiving treatment.
Wheels for Ranches
DUBAI: Hydroturf International, the distributor of Club Car in the Middle East, has just handed over the keys to 98 Club Cars to Arabian Ranches for use on the newly constructed Golf Course.
The Club Cars come in various models for different uses, ranging from people movers, Golf cars, Hospitality cars and even first aid cars.
DTCM wins award
Dubai: The Dubai Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM) has won the first Galileo Express Travel and Tourism Award in the Best International Tourism Board category.
Visa rules changed
Manama: Lebanon has changed its entry procedure for visitors of certain nationalities - meaning they can no longer acquire a visa at the airport or border.
Instead they will have to apply for a visa through the Lebanese Embassy in Bahrain before they travel.
Website boon
Manama: Bahrain Civil Aviation Affairs has launched its bilingual website, www.bahrainairport. com, which provides information on facilities and incentives offered to companies wishing to use Bahrain International Airport. The site, which had been tested for over a year, has already been visited more than 100,000 times before its official inauguration.
Sunshine in ships deal
Manama: Sunshine Tours has signed an exclusive deal to represent Swiss Quality Hotels International (SQHI) as their general sales agents.
The deal, effective December 3, was signed at the World Travel Mart held in London.
SQHI, an independently managed sales and marketing organisation, promotes 70 Swiss quality hotels for business and pleasure, located in different Swiss regions and in more than 40 famous destinations in Switzerland.
24 join guide course
Dubai: Twenty four students from 14 nationalities, including two from the UAE, have enrolled with the Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM) to attend the latest Dubai Tour Guide Award Training Course. On successful completion of the course, the UAE nationals and expatriates will become DTCM accredited tour guides.
National goes to Bosnia
SARAJEVO: National Car Rental has announced its expansion into Bosnia-Herzegovina with the opening of two new locations. These new locations are part of National's commitment to providing a network of rental solutions for travellers in Eastern Europe.
Airline sees profits
ABU DHABI: James Hogan, president and chief executive of Gulf Air told an audience of top aviation financiers and other executives, that Gulf Traveller, the full-service, all-economy subsidiary airline of Gulf Air, has recorded a profit in each of the first four months of operations.
Al Maha opens suites
Dubai: The first newly-upgraded suites at Emirates' luxury Al Maha Desert Resort have reopened for business.
The 15 new-look suites now feature larger individual private pools, following a major upgrade in early summer to put them in peak condition ready to greet guests arriving for the festive holiday.
Dubai gets ski dome
Dubai: Dubai, which is building its own version of Disneyland, has announced that the latest mega tourism project will include a Dh1 billion ($272 million) ski dome.
The Dubailand theme park, being built at a cost of $5 billion and scheduled to be open to the public in 2006, will also boast the sprawling 'Dubai Sunny Mountain Skidome', a statement said.
Expansion project
MUSCAT: The Oman Airports Management Company (OAMC) is studying a project to expand cargo facilities at Seeb International and Salalah airports.
A decision on the proposal will be taken within the next six months, OAMC chief executive officer Colin E Hobbs was quoted as saying in a report in the Oman Daily Observer.
Hotel launches website
LONDON: The InterContinental The Churchill London has enhanced its services to Middle East guests by launching an Arabic language version of its website.
The dedicated site provides detailed coverage of the hotel, with comprehensive descriptions and photographs of all the facilities on offer.
The Arabic website for InterContinental The Churchill London can be accessed via www.churchill-arabic.intercontinental.com.