Travel

23 March 2022; MEMO: Holiday prices for Russian tourists looking to visit popular destinations, Turkey and Egypt, have almost doubled since invasion of Ukraine last month.

21 March 2022; MEMO: Iranians on Monday marked the beginning of the new Persian year, Nowruz, with festive fervour, after two years of COVID-19 restrictions, Anadolu News Agency reports.

Nowruz, which means 'new day' in Persian, coincides with the spring equinox, which falls on 21 March every year.

This year's celebrations are relatively grand as coronavirus restrictions have been gradually eased in recent months in the wake of a drop in infections and deaths from the pandemic.

18 March 2022; MEMO: President Tayyip Erdogan opened a massive suspension bridge across Turkey's Dardanelles Strait on Friday, the latest in a series of major infrastructure projects which he has prioritised during his two decades in power, Reuters reports.

14 March 2022; MEMO: Turkiye denied the claims that an ancient inscription found in East Jerusalem and brought to Istanbul during the Ottoman period will be delivered to Israel, according to the diplomatic sources on Sunday, and Anadolu News Agency reports.

The Times of Israel news website, on Friday, reported that Turkiye had agreed to return the 2,700-year-old Siloam inscription to Israel as a gesture during Israeli President Isaac Herzog's visit to Ankara, the first in years.

10 March 2022; MEMO: Saudi Arabia has lifted the ban imposed on its citizens for travel to Thailand, the official Saudi Press Agency (SPA) has reported. Thai citizens will now also be allowed to enter Saudi Arabia three decades after diplomatic ties were severed. No further details were provided.

01 March 2022; MEMO:As the Russian war in Ukraine continues, fears are growing in Egypt about the effect the fighting will have on its economy as it recovers from the global coronavirus pandemic.

Russian and Ukrainian tourists make up around 40 per cent of the total number of tourists who visit Egypt and numbers had already started to wane in February as news of a potential conflict played out.

BERLIN, February 27. /TASS/. The European Union member states will close their airspace for Russian planes, the ARD television reported on Saturday citing own sources.

The channel did not specify when the ban will be imposed. The following countries have already closed their airspace for Russian aircraft: the United Kingdom, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Poland, Romania, Slovenia, Latvia, Lilthuania and Estonia.

Kolkata, Feb 26 (PTI) Shipping liners have stopped booking export cargo destined for Russian and Ukrainian ports in the wake of the conflict between the two countries, officials said.

Cruise liners have also announced the cancellation of port calls in Russia, they said.

Thiruvananthpuram, Feb 17 (PTI) Kerala's first Caravan park is all set to come up in Vagamon, a scenic hill station located in Idukki district.

The park, as part of the state government's new Caravan Tourism policy, would be thrown open to travellers on February 25, state Tourism Minister P A Mohammad Riyas said on Thursday.

He said Caravan Tourism was introduced by the state Tourism department as a safe means for holidaying at a time when people are unable to step out or travel due to the outbreak of COVID-19.

16 Feb 2022; MEMO: Turkiye's International Antalya Sand Sculpture Festival will take place for the 17th time in 2022, with the theme of outer space, Anadolu News Agency reports.

As preparations are in full swing for the festival in the resort city of Antalya which attracts many local and foreign visitors, festival Director, Cem Karaca, told Anadolu Agency that this year it will focus on space-human interaction and sand sculptures will reflect humanity's effort to reach space.