• Home
  • Post a press-release
  • Visibility packages
  • Subscribe email updates
  • Event Calendar
  • Contact

For Immediate Release | Official News Wire for the Travel Industry

Where press releases are breaking news

  • Home
  • Post a press-release
  • Visibility packages
  • Subscribe email updates
  • Event Calendar
  • Contact

Seychelles Tourism Board Present at the Fifth Edition of the “Penalty Shoot Out”

December 13, 2019 by PressEditor

The Seychelles Tourism Board (STB) through its office in Abu Dhabi participated at the 48th UAE National Day celebrations in style as its presence was noted at the 5th edition of the “Penalty Shoot Out” hosted by Al Ethihad Sports Academy on Saturday, November 30, 2019.

“Penalty Shoot Out,” a sports event spearheaded by Al Ethihad Sports Academy under the supervision of its founding CEO Mr. Arakkal Kamarudheen, seeks to groom young talents to be professional athletes.

Bringing together over 150 youths from Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Sharjah, the event provided an opportunity to the promising players to showcase their athletic abilities through friendly matches at the prestigious American International School Abu Dhabi.

The Academy further encourages the development of sport skills in youngsters, giving them opportunities to be selected to train at international academies such as Barcelona FC Academy and even tour countries such as India to gain experience.

Supporting the initiative through its office in Abu Dhabi, the STB was represented the Tourism Attaché, Ms Aliette Esther, who conducted the mission successful alongside Seychelles based DMC Vision Voyages, also sponsored the event.

Recalling the fabulous experience at the ‘Penalty Shoot Out’ Ms. Esther stated that assisting the Al Ethihad Sports Academy with the event has been a means to increase visibility for the destination and expressed that STB’s involvement in such events are beneficial to the Seychelles.

“There has been talk about a much-needed shift in diversifying tourism in the Seychelles,” said Ms. Esther, “and this event fits right into it as it can create opportunities for sports tourism in the Seychelles.”

“What is most encouraging,” Ms. Esther continue, “is Al Ethihad Sports Academy’s keen interest in tapping into young players’ potential in the Seychelles. We have swimmers, footballers and cricketers in the country, so a lot of young people could benefit from such a venture. Team exchanges between the 2 countries would not only help develop youth sports in the Seychelles but also open them up to more cultural experiences and boost their confidence. Players going to the Seychelles would be accompanied by their families, therefore contributing to our tourism and economic sectors.”

Ms. Esther further stated her satisfaction to execute side-lined collaboration with her various Abu Dhabi partners as they consolidate the relationship between the two countries.

MEDIA CONTACT: STB News Bureau, Tel: +248 4 671 354 / +248 4 671 313, [email protected]  www.seychelles.travel

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • Facebook

Filed Under: Travel & Tourism Tagged With: event, penalty, Seychelles, sport, STB, tourism

Brunei hotel boycott growing: Hollywood steps in

April 4, 2019 by Forimmediaterelease

The list of Hollywood stars, musicians, athletes, and now even companies, expanding globally as well, is growing every day in support of a boycott of Brunei hotels owned by the Sultan. This is in response to the Sultan of Brunei announcing new laws in his country against homosexuality and adultery which includes sentences of death by stoning.

The Brunei Tourism website calls itself the Abode of Peace and A Haven of Tranquility.

Joining the ranks of the boycott are Ellen DeGeneres, Elton John, and Billie Jean King who are following George Clooney’s lead in calling for the boycott.

In Brunei, beginning today, offenses such as rape, robbery, and defamation of the Prophet Muhammad will carry the death penalty, and theft will be punishable by amputation. Lesbian sex will carry a penalty of 40 strokes of the cane and/or a maximum of 10 years in jail, while those who “persuade, tell or encourage” Muslim children under the age of 18 “to accept the teachings of religions other than Islam” are liable for a fine or jail. Homosexuality was already illegal in the country.

These new laws have sparked outrage among human rights organizations and public figures, and it is possible that at least one Hollywood firm is considering re-routing an upcoming event at one of the Los Angeles-based hotels that the Sultan owns; he owns the Hotel Bel-Air and The Beverly Hills Hotel.

In a tweet, Ellen Degeneres said: Tomorrow, the country of #Brunei will start stoning gay people to death. We need to do something now. Please boycott these hotels owned by the Sultan of Brunei. Raise your voices now. Spread the word. Rise up.

Elton John tweeted:  I believe that love is love and being able to love as we choose is a basic human right. Wherever we go, my husband David and I deserve to be treated with dignity and respect – as do each and every one of the millions of LGBTQ+ people around the world.

Billie Jean King tweeted: This atrocity begins today in #Brunei. Please join me and spread the word about the boycott of hotels owned by the Sultan of Brunei.

Today, the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, confirmed that the London Underground would be removing some Brunei tourist advertisements from its network. The Brunei Investment Agency owns the Dorchester Collection of hotels.

Travel News | eTurboNews

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • Facebook

Filed Under: Press Release Tagged With: and, Angeles, around the world, based, begins, Beverly, Beverly Hills, Beverly Hills Hotel, boycott, boycott growing, Breaking Travel News, Brunei, Brunei hotels, brunei tourism, Brunei travel news, children, collection, companies, confirmed, country, Cultural Travel News, day, death, death penalty, defamation, dignity, Dorchester, Dorchester Collection, Elton John, even, event, expanding, Feature, figures, fine, firm, following, gay, George, globally, GO!, Government Affairs, Growing, haven, Hills, hollywood, hotel, Hotels, Human, human rights, husband, illegal, in, includes, Investment, Islam, IT, jail, Jean King, Jean King tweeted, John, join, joining, king, laws, lead, lesbian, LGBTQ, list, London, Los Angeles, love, mayor, millions, musicians, Muslim, need, network, New, new laws, News articles, organizations, outrage, peace, penalty, People, public, public figures, raise, rape, respect, response, right, rights, rise, robbery, s, said, sentences, sex, spread, Stars, start, stoning, sultan, support, The Beverly Hills Hotel, The Dorchester, The World, theft, to, TO BE, TO DO, today, tourism, tourism website, tourist, Travel Destination News, Travelwire News, tweet, tweeted, up, Voices, We, website, WHO, word, World, years

U.S. State Department tells tourists Brunei is safe, except for death by stoning

April 2, 2019 by Forimmediaterelease

The U.S. State Department is telling American travelers, Brunei is one of the safest countries in the world to visit. Brunei safer than the Bahamas, Germany or Indonesia, and way safer then Turkey.

The U.S. embassy, however, states: Criminal penalties for some offenses are harsher than in the United States. This is a clear and misleading understatement:  When traveling to Brunei the State Department wants travelers to read through a 1767 page document provided by the Brunei government outlining all details of the Syariah Penal Code. This law will be implemented as of April 3, 2019. Regardless the State Department tells U.S. Citizens, the country remains a level one “no threat.” visitors destination.

Why is the U.S. Embassy not telling American tourists, that Brunei actually is ready to stone American travelers to death if they are part of the LGBT community? Is this part of the harsher penalty for the crime of sexual orientation?

The embassy website states:

  • Non-Muslims may be arrested for khalwat (close proximity between the sexes) under the Sharia Penal Code provided that the other accused party is Muslim. Khalwat may include activities from holding hands or public displays of affection to sexual activity. U.S. citizens are also subject to khalwat laws.
  • Extramarital relations between a Muslim and non-Muslim may be considered a crime in Brunei.

eTurboNews asked the State Department and received this response:

The U.S. Department of State has no greater responsibility than the safety and security of U.S. citizens overseas.  We are committed to providing U.S. citizens with clear, timely, and reliable information about every country in the world so they can make informed travel decisions.  We routinely update our Travel Advisories and country-specific information for all countries based on a comprehensive review of all available safety information and ongoing developments. At a minimum, we review Level 1 and 2 Travel Advisories every 12 months, and Level 3 and 4 Travel Advisories every six months.  We also review and update Travel Advisories and country-specific information on an as-needed basis, based on developing security and safety information.

On March 29 the State Department issued  the following paragraph linked from the page categorizing Brunei as a safe country:

“The Government of Brunei Darussalam will commence full implementation of the Syariah Penal Code (SPC) on April 3, 2019. The full SPC introduces new judicial procedures and punishments, including, for certain offenses and under certain evidentiary circumstances, amputation of hands or feet and death by stoning. The SPC applies regardless of an individual’s religion or nationality, although some sections of the law have specific applicability to Muslims. Brunei’s existing civil penal code and civil courts will continue to function in parallel with the SPC and Syariah Court.”

Scott Foster, president of LGBT Hawaii told eTurboNews:

“The response by the U.S. State Department is insulting and is putting LGBT traveler in danger. It should be the obligation for the U.S. government to protect Americans and not put them in harm’s way.
Death by stoning for LGBT travelers should be clearly visible alert on the State Department Brunei page and not hidden in a 1767 document. In no word is the State Department spelling out this danger to LGBT travelers.
The United States should immediately issue a travel warning to protect our LGBT travelers and citizens. The alert level for Brunei should be raised to 4, what means “DO NOT TRAVEL, or at a minimum to a level 3: “Reconsider Travel.”

Travel News | eTurboNews

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • Facebook

Filed Under: Press Release Tagged With: Americans, and, April, arrested, Bahamas, based, Breaking Travel News, Brunei, Brunei Darussalam, Brunei travel news, citizens, Clear, close, code, commence, community, continue, countries, country, court, courts, crime, criminal, danger, Darussalam, death, decisions, department, Department of State, Destination, developments, document, embassy, eTurboNews, existing, Feature, feet, following, full, function, Germany, government, greater, Hawaii, Hawaii Travel News, hidden, immediately, implementation, in, including, individual, Indonesia, information, insulting, issued, IT, law, laws, LGBT, LGBT community, LGBT travelers, LGBTQ, linked, Make, march, May, misleading, months, Muslim, muslims, nationality, needed, New, News articles, Non, obligation, ongoing, orientation, out, overseas, page, Paragraph, party, penal code, penalties, penalty, president, procedures, protect, public, putting, raised, ready, received, relations, reliable, religion, remains, response, responsibility, review, s, safe, Safety, safety and security, Scott Foster, Security, sexual, SPC, State, State Department, State Department Brunei, states, stoning, tells, The Bahamas, the United States, The World, threat, through, to, told, tourism, tourists, tourists Brunei, Travel, travel advisories, Travel Destination News, travel warning, Traveler, travelers, traveling, Travelwire News, Turkey, U.S, U.S. State, U.S. State Department, United, United States, update, visit, visitors, warning, way, We, website, Why, word, World

Brunei Travel: Ready to be stoned to death? How will WTTC and UNWTO respond?

March 30, 2019 by Forimmediaterelease

Brunei is becoming a deadly place to visit starting April 3, specially if you are member of the LGBT Community.

Next week the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) will have their annual summit in Seville, Spain. Tourism leaders from around the globe will meet and listen to keynote speaker U.S. President Obama. Will President Obama, UNWTO Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili, or WTTC CEO Gloria Guevara say something on what is developing in Brunei?

No country in the world so far issued travel warnings against Brunei. U.S. authorities have a level 2 travel advisories against Germany or the Bahamas but find travel for Americans perfectly safe when a new law threatens citizens and visitors, including children to be subject to death by stoning for same-sex sexual acts and amputation for robbery. Such a law will come into effect in Brunei Darussalam on April 3.

Brunei is a tiny nation on the island of Borneo, in 2 distinct sections surrounded by Malaysia and the South China Sea. It’s known for its beaches and biodiverse rainforest, much of it protected within reserves. The capital, Bandar Seri Begawan, is home to the opulent Jame’Asr Hassanil Bolkiah mosque and its 29 golden domes. The capital’s massive Istana Nurul Iman palace is the residence of Brunei’s ruling sultan

“Pending provisions in Brunei’s Penal Code would allow stoning and amputation as punishments – including for children, to name only their most heinous aspects,” said Rachel Chhoa-Howard, Brunei Researcher at Amnesty International.

“Brunei must immediately halt its plans to implement these vicious punishments and revise its Penal Code in compliance with its human rights obligations. The international community must urgently condemn Brunei’s move to put these cruel penalties into practice.”

These punishments are provided for in newly-implemented sections of the Brunei Darussalam Syariah Penal Code that are due to come into force on 3 April 2019, according to a discreet notice on the Attorney General’s website.

“To legalize such cruel and inhuman penalties is appalling of itself. Some of the potential ‘offences’ should not even be deemed crimes at all, including consensual sex between adults of the same gender,” said Rachel Chhoa-Howard. “These abusive provisions received widespread condemnation when plans were first discussed five years ago.”

Amnesty expressed grave concerns over the Penal Code when the code’s first phase was implemented in April 2014.

“Brunei’s Penal Code is a deeply flawed piece of legislation containing a range of provisions that violate human rights,” said Rachel Chhoa-Howard. “As well as imposing cruel, inhuman and degrading punishments, it blatantly restricts the rights to freedom of expression, religion, and belief, and codifies discrimination against women and girls.”

Stoning and a hunt to kill members of the LGBT community is not an isolated problem in Brunei alone. Brunei is joining countries like Iraq, Iran, Saudi Arabia or Tanzania.

Background

Brunei Darussalam has signed but not yet ratified the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, and has rejected all recommendations to this effect in its human rights review at the UN in 2014.

Under international human rights law, corporal punishment in all its forms, such as stoning, amputation or whipping, constitutes torture or other cruel, inhuman or degrading punishment, which is prohibited in all circumstances.

Acts of torture and other ill-treatment are absolutely proscribed in the main international human rights instruments, most of which Brunei has not signed or ratified. In addition, this prohibition is also recognized as a peremptory rule of customary international law, meaning that every state is bound by it even if they are not a party to a relevant human rights treaty. All acts of torture constitute crimes under international law.

While Brunei retains the death penalty in law, it is abolitionist in practice. One new death sentence was imposed in 2017, for a drug-related offense.

Just a few years ago the Sultan of Brunei told UNWTO Secretary-General and WTTC CEO: “We will do our best to support tourism. Tourism is of strategic importance for Brunei and based on two principal resources: the country’s pristine rainforest in the heart of Borneo, and its spiritual and cultural heritage. Environmental protection and conservation must, therefore, lie at the heart of any tourism development, the Sultan had stressed.

Travel News | eTurboNews

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • Facebook

Filed Under: Press Release Tagged With: Americans, and, annual, annual summit, April, arabia, around the globe, attorney, Attorney General, authorities, Bahamas, bandar seri begawan, based, beaches, best, Borneo, Breaking Travel News, Brunei, Brunei Darussalam, brunei travel, Brunei travel news, Bruneis, capital, CEO, children, China, citizens, code, come, community, Compliance, concerns, condemn, condemnation, conservation, convention, council, countries, country, crimes, cultural, cultural heritage, Darussalam, deadly, death, death penalty, development, discrimination, Drug, due, effect, environmental, environmental protection, even, far, Feature, find, first, force, forms, freedom, freedom of expression, Gender, general, Germany, girls, Globe, Gloria Guevara, golden, Government Affairs, halt, heart, heritage, home, Howard, Human, human rights, Human Rights news, hunt, immediately, importance, in, including, inhuman, International, international community, international law, Iran, Iraq, island, issued, IT, joining, just, keynote, keynote speaker, kill, law, leaders, legislation, LGBT, LGBT community, LGBTQ, like, Listen, Main, Malaysia, massive, meaning, meet, member, members, mosque, most, move, name, nation, New, new law, newly, News articles, notice, Obama, offences, only, opulent, over, Palace, party, penal code, penalties, penalty, People in Travel, Place, plans, Pololikashvili, potential, president, President Obama, problem, protected, protection, punishment, Rachel Chhoa, rainforest, range, ready, received, recommendations, rejected, related, religion, reserves, Residence, resources, review, rights, robbery, rule, ruling, s, safe, said, Saudi, Saudi Arabia. (, sea, Secretary, secretary general, sentence, sex, sexual, signed, South, South China, Spain, speaker, spiritual, State, stoning, strategic, sultan, summit, support, Tanzania, The Bahamas, The Code, The Island, The Residence, The World, to, TO BE, told, torture, tourism, tourism council, Tourism Development, tourism leaders, Travel, travel advisories, travel and tourism, Travel Destination News, travel warnings, Travelwire News, treatment, U.S, U.S. authorities, U.S. president, UN, UNWTO, UNWTO Secretary, visit, visitors, warnings, We, website, week, were, women, World, world travel, world travel and tourism, World Travel and Tourism Council, WTTC, WTTC CEO, years, Zurab Pololikashvili

LGBT Hawaii supports Lesbian Tourist and today’s U.S. Supreme Court Ruling

March 19, 2019 by Forimmediaterelease

LGBT Hawaii thanked lesbian couple Diane Cervelli and Taeko Bufford from California for standing up for what is decent and right. “It makes a difference to all our LGBT visitors and for the travel and tourism industry and for our State as a whole. We welcome LGBT visitors with open arms”,  said Scott Foster of LGBT Hawaii.

LGBT Hawaii issued a statement today applauding today’s ruling by the US Supreme Court that rejected the appeal of a Hawaii Bed and Breakfast owner who denied renting a room to a lesbian couple.

Their decision upholds an earlier Hawaiian State court ruling that found the Aloha Bed & Breakfast in Hawaii Kai violated Hawaii’s anti-discrimination law by denying the couple a room because of the owner’s religious beliefs. B&B owner Phyllis Young had admitted during the Hawaii court proceedings that she turned the women away because she believed that LGBT relationships were “detestable” and “defiled the land.”

California couple Diane Cervelli and Taeko Bufford were represented by Lambda Legal, a nonprofit LGBTQ rights organization.

Scott Foster of LGBT Hawaii said: There is no room for discrimination in Hawaii. Hawaii is an open and tolerant rainbow society ruled by the spirit of Aloha. We welcome every visitor, regardless where they are from, and regardless of their sexual orientation. We’re pleased with the decision of both the Hawaii and U.S. Supreme Court.

Here is what happened: In 2007 a Lesbian couple Diane Cervilli and Taeko Bufford visited the Aloha State of Hawaii and booked a room at the Aloha Bed & Breakfast in Honolulu.

The owner of the B&B Phyllis Young refused to rent a room to the couple claiming a conflict with her religious belief.  The couple went to court and a Hawaii State court ruled that Young ran afoul of Hawaii’s public accommodation law, which among other things bars discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation.

Young took the case all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court. The highest court in the United States handed a defeat on Monday to a bed and breakfast owner in Hawaii who turned away the lesbian couple. Litigation will now continue to determine what penalty Young might face.

SOURCE: www.lgbthawaii.com 

Travel News | eTurboNews

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • Facebook

Filed Under: Press Release Tagged With: amp, and, appeal, B, bars, bed and breakfast, beliefs, booked, Breaking Travel News, California, case, conflict, continue, couple, court, court ruling, decision, denied, discrimination, earlier, face, found, Hawaii, Hawaii Travel News, Hawaiian, highest, Honolulu, Human Rights news, in, Industry, issued, IT, Kamaainas, Land, law, legal, lesbian, lesbian couple, LGBT, LGBTQ, News articles, open, organization, orientation, owner, penalty, People in Travel, public, refused, rejected, religious, rent, represented, Responsible Tourism News, right, rights, room, ruling, s, said, Scott Foster, sexual, society, Source, Spirit, Spirit of Aloha, standing, State, statement, states, supports, Supreme, Supreme Court, the United States, to, today, tourism, Tourism Industry, Tourism Investment News, tourist, Travel, travel and tourism, travel and tourism industry, Travelwire News, turned away, United, United States, up, US, visited, visitor, visitors, way, We, welcome, went, were, WHO, women, young

Search




Recent Articles

  • Seychelles brings its warmth to Salon Tourissima in France
  • What’s new in The Bahamas in February 2023
  • Introducing the Masquerade Suite at The St. Regis Venice in conjunction with Venice Carnival 2023
  • Malta, in the Heart of the Mediterranean, Offers a Jam-Packed Schedule of Musical Events and Festivals in 2023 Starting with Il-Karnival ta’ Malta in February   
  • Keeping Seychelles as the top choice of holiday destination for Nordic travelers
  • Sandals Resorts delivers authentic vacations
  • Seychelles makes remarkable presence at Spain’s FITUR 2023
  • The St. Regis Venice celebrates romance
  • Luxury romantic Valentine’s Day package from Blossom Hotel Houston
  • Ministry of Tourism and Hidden Worlds launch student art contest

Subscribe to daily email update

RSS eTN Articles

  • First LGBTQ+ Travel Symposium set for India
  • 3 Themed Holidays To Organise To Focus Your Trip To Italy
  • Uganda and the media supporting conservation
  • India tourism budget mention disappointing
  • US Travel and Hilton executives launch conference discussion
  • 4,601,142 visitors: International travel to US up 61.3 percent
  • Travel & Tourism Industry’s Basic Principles: Part 2
  • New CEO at San Antonio Hotel Emma at Pearl
  • What’s new in The Bahamas in February 2023
  • Booking Kuwait Airways flights from Budapest Airport

Archives

  • February 2023
  • January 2023
  • December 2022
  • November 2022
  • October 2022
  • September 2022
  • August 2022
  • July 2022
  • June 2022
  • May 2022
  • April 2022
  • March 2022
  • February 2022
  • January 2022
  • December 2021
  • November 2021
  • October 2021
  • September 2021
  • August 2021
  • July 2021
  • June 2021
  • May 2021
  • April 2021
  • March 2021
  • February 2021
  • January 2021
  • December 2020
  • November 2020
  • October 2020
  • September 2020
  • August 2020
  • July 2020
  • June 2020
  • May 2020
  • April 2020
  • March 2020
  • February 2020
  • January 2020
  • December 2019
  • November 2019
  • October 2019
  • September 2019
  • August 2019
  • July 2019
  • June 2019
  • May 2019
  • April 2019
  • March 2019
  • February 2019
  • January 2019
  • December 2018
  • November 2018
  • October 2018
  • September 2018
  • August 2018
  • July 2018
  • June 2018
  • May 2018
  • April 2018
  • March 2018
  • February 2018
  • January 2018
  • December 2017
  • November 2017
  • October 2017
  • September 2017
  • August 2017
  • July 2017
  • June 2017
  • May 2017
  • April 2017
  • November 2016
  • October 2016
  • August 2016

Content

and Breaking Travel News Business CEO experience first free hotel Hotels in including Industry International International Travel News IT minister most New News articles only over People s said sandals The World through time to TO BE tourism Tours Transportation News Travel Travel & Tourism Organizations News Travel Destination News Travelwire News up We were WHO World World News year years

Copyright © 2023 · Metro Pro on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in