Dubai, UAE | The Green Charger Initiative has Supplied more than 62,000 MWh of Electricity Boosting Sustainable Mobility

Dubai Green Charger Initiative, operated by the Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA), has supplied more than 62,000 MWh of electricity to EV drivers, removing range anxiety and saving millions of metric tons of CO₂ in Dubai, global metropolis and emirate in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), known for year - round sound, record - breaking architecture, luxury shopping, and a highly multicultural population. 

This critical infrastructure milestone has enabled over 310 million kilometres of zero - emission travel, establishing the UAE’s city and emirate as a global leader in sustainable mobility.

Since the launch in 2014, the initiative has achieved outstanding results becoming a key pillar in accelerating the transition to sustainable mobility and consolidating Dubai as one of the leading global cities in green economy and smart infrastructure.

DEWA’s Chief Executive Office. Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, stressed that the initiative embodies the bank’s commitment to the leadership vision of making Dubai a smart and sustainable city, integrating the energy and mobility sectors.

To this end, an advanced and reliable charging infrastructure has been developed, which already has more than 2.223 distribution points offering ultra - fast, public, and wall - box chargers throughout the city, including “Green Charger” stations and authorised operators, a massive network created with the aim of encouraging the adoption of low - emission solutions and reducing the carbon footprint.

Finding stations is integrated into the city’s smart grid; drivers can locate chargers via the DEWA website or mobile app. Fast chargers are prominently installed at petrol stations and key hubs across the emirate.

Currently, the network serves about 23.600 registered users and offers four main types of chargers. In addition the Dubai Electricity and Water Authority has implemented a digital ecosystem that allows residents and visitors to access the service without prior registration by scanning a QR code at any charging station, thus facilitating electric mobility for both local and international drivers, reinforcing Dubai’s role as a global green mobility hub.  

Link

https://tvbrics.com/es/news/iniciativa-cargador-verde-de-dub-i-proporciona-62-000-megavatios-hora-para-impulsar-la-movilidad-sos/

Scandic Hotels | Planning to Open a New Franchise Hotel in Finnsnes, Norway

Scandic Hotels, a Swedish hotel chain based in Stockholm, a pioneer within sustainability, boasting the majority of its properties certified with the Nordic Ecolabel requirement is planning to open a new franchise hotel in Finnsnes, a town that is the the administrative centre of Senja Municipality in Troms county, located in the mainland part of Norway,  just across the Gisundet strait from the island of Senja  in the  Norwegian northern arctic region, a relevant stop on the Hurtigruten coastal route. 

Finnsnes known as the “gateway of the island of Senja”, is a small close - knit centre highlighted by its bustling harbour, a charming central park with a natural lake, and the iconic Gisundbrua bridge that connects the mainland to the “fairytale island” of Senja, and the perfect point to explore Senja, often called “Norway in miniature”, in an area known for its dramatic mountain ranges and Ånderdalen National Park, making it an  ideal destination to discover the pristine nature and rich wildlife of Northern Norway.

Scheduled to open in summer 2028, the hotel will operate under the Scandic brand through a franchise agreement with Norlandia Hotel Group, a privately held subsidiary of Hospitality Invest AS headquartered in Oslo, Norway, managing hotel operations, and developments across the Nordic region, is undergoing a full renovation.

The hotel will be the second franchise property in a short period to be operated in collaboration with Norlandia Hotel Group. The franchise agreement allows the hotel to operate under the Scandic while being managed by Norlandia Hotel Group as franchisee.

The property is located adjacent commercial properties totalling 14.000 square metres,owned by Senjen Holding AS, a Norwegian real estate and development company based in Finnsnes that aims to develop the Finnsnes town centre into a modern urban district with the hotel project forming part of this initiative. 

The hotel will feature 154 rooms, a restaurant, meeting facilities and in line with the majority of Scandic’s hotels is expected to be certified with the Nordic Swan Ecolabel, the official environmental certification for the Nordic countries, meeting requirements for climate to ensure minimal environmental impact.

The property will be included in Scandic Hotels’s environmental initiatives, which also apply to franchise hotels.

Links

https://www.scandichotelsgroup.com/media/press-releases/2026/scandic-strengthens-position-in-northern-norway-with-new-franchise-hotel/

https://www.hotelnewsresource.com/article141857.html

Hyatt Hotels Corporation | | Officially Opened a 241 - Room Hyatt Place Hotel in Jiaxing, China

Hyatt Hotels Corporation, American multinational hospitality company based in Chicago, Illinois has officially opened a 241 - room Hyatt Place hotel in Jiaxing, a historic city in Zhejiang Province, strategically located in the Yangtze River Delta between Hangzhou, Shanghai, and Suzhou, renowned as the “Home of Silk” , for its water towns, a significant role in modern Chinese history, and status as a historical “land of fish and rice”.

The official opening of Hyatt Place Jiaxing Nanhu marks the first Hyatt Place property in Jiaxing, representing a further expansion and presence of Hyatt Hotels Corporation in East Asia and in the Chinese market.

The hotel is situated in the Nanhu District, the main urban hub of Jiaxing City, known for its rich history, famous as the birthplace of the Chinese Communist Party and anchored by the beautiful Scenic Area featuring a tranquil lake, the iconic Huxin Island, and the ancient Yanyu Tower (Misty Rain Tower).

The district is also known for its historic Red Boat and Nanhu Tiandi, a modern pedestrian - friendly commercial and dining zone offering family – friendly spaces and traditional Jiaxing street food.

The property is located at 72 Jinghu Road along the shores of Jiaxing ‘s South Lake near Nanhu Place, a lakeside area with retail and dining options, offering an easy access to Hangzhou, Shanghai, and Suzhou, eaxh about one hour by car, with additional high - speed and air connections available.

Hyatt Place Jimxing Nanhu features 241 comfortable rooms and suites with floor - to - ceiling windows offering garden or city views, premium mattresses, and Cozy Corners with sofa sleeper beds. Select room types include private courtyards, and pet - friendly accommodations are available.

The hotel offers The Kitchen, an all - day dining venue serving international and local cuisine with a waterside terrace for outdoor dining.

Additional amenities at the hotel include a fitness centre with cardio and strength - training equipment and natural light, as well as The Market, a 24 - hour outlet offering snacks, beverages, and travel necessities.

The property includes a VIP room designed for meetings, workshops, or executive training, equipped with audiovisual technology. Complimentary Wi – Fi is available throughout the hotel.

Hyatt Place Jiaxing Nanhu joins Hyatt Place hotels, a select - service brand designed for mid - to upper income business and leisure travellers, known for its modern comforts, offering a blend of spacious rooms with distinct work and rest zones, 24/7 convenience and a focus on style and innovation.

Links

https://newsroom.hyatt.com/Hyatt_Place_Jiaxing_Nanhu_Celebrates_Official_Opening

https://www.hotelnewsresource.com/article141890.html

Penn Entertainment | Announced the Opening of a $360 million Land - Based Casino and Hotel in Aurrora, Illinois, U.S.

Penn Entertainment, Inc., formerly Penn National Gaming, an American company founded in 1972 and based in Wyomissing, Pennsylvania, operator of integrated entertainment, sports content and casino gambling with properties in various states including Hollywood Casino, Ameristar and Boomtown has announced the opening of a land - based casino and hotel in Aurora, a city in northeastern Illinois,  U.S., located along the Fox River.

Aurora  is the state’s second - largest city, famed as the “City of Ligjhts”, for being an early pioneer in electric street lighting,  widely celebrated for its rich industrial history, cultural diversity, thriving arts and entertainment, extensive outdoor recreation, and as an iconic shopping destination.

Penn Entertainment held a ribbon - cutting ceremony attended by Illinois Gaming Board officials, local dignitaries, state legislators, and company team members before opening the new Hollywood Casino and Hotel Aurora. Construction supported roughly 700 jobs, and the property employs about 700 team members.

Hollywood Casino and Hotel Aurora is located at 2500 N Farnsworth Avenue near Interstate 88 and Chicago Premium Outlets mall spanning approximately 388.500 square metres and replaces the riverboat casino that had operated at the Fox River since 1993.

The seven - story hotel features 226 comfortable standard rooms and suites featuring in - room technology and modern amenities.

Dining options include Sorella by Giada, an Italian steakhouse created in partnership with Chef Giada De Laurentiis, with seating for about 170 guests indoors and outdoors. Boulevard Food & Drink Hall, operated by McClain Camarota Hospitality, offers several dining concepts, including Antique Taco, Pretty Cool Ice Cream, Five50 Pizza, Stephanie Izard’s Lucky Goat, Tabo Sushi by Takashi Yagihashi, and Urbanbelly.

Red Lotus Asian Kitchen offers made - to - order Asian cuisine, and &Vine, a 110 seat bar and entertainment lounge, provides beverages and live entertainment.

 The gaming floor features more than 1.000 slot and video poker machines and over 50 table games, including blackjack, craps, roulette,, as well as a baccarat room and a retail sportbook.

The sportsbook includes one of the largest TV screen in the Chicagoland area, sports betting tellers, sports wagering, racing kiosks, interactive games, a wellness spa and also operates as a full-service restaurant with seating for approximately 163 patrons, serving a range of food and beverages.

The Drift Spa provides spa treatments and hair and beauty services, with 11 stations for hair, makeup, and nails and 7 rooms for massage therapies. Drift Spa will also introduce Drift Drybar, offering non - chemical salon services.

The property also includes a fitness centre and a 12.000 - square - foot event centre and meeting rooms designed to accommodate weddings, galas, community events, concerts, sporting events, and conferences, as well as an outdoor entertainment courtyard.

Penn Entertainment’s investment in the new property is part of a broader reinvestment in the Chicagoland market.

Link

https://www.hotelnewsresource.com/article141804.html

South Africa | | Established an Agreement with Rwanda to Lift Visa Restrictions

South Africa established an agreement with Rwanda to lift visa restrictions, a significant step toward normalising bilateral relations, with both countries agreeing to resume visa access for Rwandan ordinary passport holders within the next twelve months.

The decision was made on 17 June 2026 during a working visit by Rwandan Foreign Minister to Pretoria, the administrative capital of South Africa, serving as the seat of the executive branch of government, where South Africa’s Minister Ronald Lamola and his Rwandan counterpart Olivier Nduhungirehe met to face this issue and where further steps to strengthen ties were discussed.

The Minister of South Africa confirmed that his country would move to lift its ban on Rwandan ordinary passports, citing Rwanda’s modernised visa regime, which includes visa - free and visa - on - arrival dispensations, as a model worth noting as South Africa reviews its own immigration framework.

The two ministers also agreed to relaunch the Joint Commission on Cooperation (JCC), scheduled to convene in the Rwandan capital Kigali in the first quarter of 2027, and confirmed that Rwanda had lifted its ban on South African agricultural produce, in place since the 2017 listeriosis outbreak.

Discussions also covered cooperation across education, health, security, tourism. and trade. The diplomatic reset follows a period of tension in 2025’s, when relations were strained over South Africa between ond ’s military deployment in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Both ministers emphasised that the bilateral bond between the two nations remains strong with Rwanda Foreign Minister describing it as “unbreakable.

Despite bilateral friction in the recent past, both countries maintain full diplomatic relations and are active members in major continental and international blocs, including the African Union and the Commonwealth of Nations. High levels talks between the two countries undoubtedly serve as the primary mechanism to manage differences and sustain positive momentum.

Link

https://atta.travel/resource/south-africa-and-rwanda-agree-to-lift-visa-restrictions.html

Indonesia | Launched a Nationwide Shopping Campaign to Boost Domestic Tourism

The Indonesian government launched a nationwide shopping campaigns during school holidays with the aim of stimulating domestic consumption and strengthening domestic tourism.

According to the Indonesia Ministry of Tourism, the BINA (Shopping in Indonesia Movement) Holiday & Back to School 2026 programme involves 800 brands, approximately 80.000 outlets, and 414 participating malls, including airports and rest areas across 24 provinces, aiming to boost tourist domestic trips.

The initiative is part of the official efforts to consolidate domestic tourism as an engine of economic growth and take advantage of the vacation period to stimulate demand in multiple areas of the national economy. The drive coincides with the school holiday season, combining travel with shopping and entertainment events.

The campaign is backed by the Kementerian Pariwisata, Ministry of Trade, HIPPINDO, and APPBI, targeting wide economic benefits for retailers, SMEs, and tourism villages.

Participating to this initiative, hoppers and travellers can access promotions of up to 50% on retail, culinary, and creative economy goods as well as at the same tinme discovering new destinations across the country. 

The Spokeperson for the Ministry of Tourism, Nia Niscaya, said that the program seeks to encourage citizens to travel within the country and explore accessible destinations, while boosting sectors such as creative economy, gastronomy, and retail.

According to the large portfolio, shopping tourism can expand the economic impact of the sector by benefiting small and medium - sized companies ans shopping centres that function as poles of attraction.

Link

https://infoturlatam.com/indonesia-impulsa-turismo-interno-con-campana-de-compras/

Belarus | Actively Expanding Joint Tourism Initiatives with Russia to Attract International Visitors

Belarus is actively expanding joint tourism initiatives with Russia to attract international visitors and with the aim to establish the Union State as a unified seamless destination with the creation of attractive routes, combined itineraries, a common calendar of events to market their shared historical,, health, and patriotic attractions to travellers coming from abroad, as well as development of joint tourist information hubs.

The governments of both countries are aligning travel regulations to create a vast tourist offering as announced by the Director of the National Tourism Agency of Belarus, Kiril Masharski during the XIII Forum of the Regions of Belarus and Russia, as reported by BelTA, Belarus’ largest news agency. 

The initiative includes the development of combined routes, special itineraries and tours for tourists from third countries, especially from Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Middle East. Among the options discussed are a fan of itineraries that allow visitors to reach Moskow, continue to St. Petersburg, and visiting the Belarusian capital Minsk at the beginning or at the end of the tour. 

As part of the joint strategy, both countries are developing an unified calendar of State of the Union events, which will bring together, festivals, historical reenactments, cultural activities and sports competitions to facilitate travel planning. 

The Belarusian and Russian authorities are also studying the opening of tourism information centres in the State Union. The first of these planned is in the Russian city of Smolensk, a centre with a rich cultural and historical heritage located on the Dnieper River, 360 kilometres west - southwest of Moskow, and, subsequently, another could be established in Belarus.

Officials and operators from both nations are also creating curated tours highlighting World War II memorials, museums, and historical estates.

Also transboundary and regional travel is part of the vast offer. Cross - border routes are expanding, highlighted by a 500 km ecological tourism route connecting protected areas like the Braslavskiye Ozera national park in Belarus with reserves in Northwest Russia.

Regional programs are being crafted to promote Belarus’ popular spa and health resorts, and according to the source, another priority is the promotion of industrial tourism. Both countries have already prepared a joint catalogue of companies open to allow visits, offering specialized excursions to large - scale industrial plants, with the purpose of publicising production facilities and emblematic brands.

In addition, the Belarusian National Tourism Agency is developing a project to promote lesser - known tourist destinations through digital platforms and tours supported by expert bloggers, in order to diversify the offer and attract a greater number of international visitors.

With direct flights operating between 18 Russian cities and Belarus, coupled with visa - free travel conveniences for many international visitors, both countries aim to draw travellers who previously opted for long - haul destinations toward their shared regional market.

The Director of the National Tourism Agency of Belarus stressed that tourism ties between the two countries continue to strengthen. According to data provided by tourism authorities in 2024, Russian citizens made more than four million visits to Belarus, while more than one million Belarusians travelled to Russia.

Link

https://tvbrics.com/es/news/bielorrusia-y-rusia-desarrollan-rutas-tur-sticas-conjuntas-para-atraer-visitantes-internacionales/