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Mount Etna Eruption Disrupts Sicily’s Troubled Catania Airport 

Mount Etna, Europe's most active volcano, lights up the night sky with eruptions as seen from Rocca Della Valle, Italy, August 13, 2023. (Etna Walk/Marco Restivo/ Handout via Reuters)
Mount Etna, Europe's most active volcano, lights up the night sky with eruptions as seen from Rocca Della Valle, Italy, August 13, 2023. (Etna Walk/Marco Restivo/ Handout via Reuters)
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Mount Etna Eruption Disrupts Sicily’s Troubled Catania Airport 

Mount Etna, Europe's most active volcano, lights up the night sky with eruptions as seen from Rocca Della Valle, Italy, August 13, 2023. (Etna Walk/Marco Restivo/ Handout via Reuters)
Mount Etna, Europe's most active volcano, lights up the night sky with eruptions as seen from Rocca Della Valle, Italy, August 13, 2023. (Etna Walk/Marco Restivo/ Handout via Reuters)

Flights serving the eastern Sicilian city of Catania were halted on Monday after an eruption from nearby Mount Etna, local authorities said, bringing fresh travel woe to the crisis-plagued Italian airport.

The 3,330 meter (10,925 ft) high volcano burst into action overnight, firing lava and ash high over the Mediterranean island. The lava flow subsided before dawn, but ash was still coming from one of the craters.

Flights to and from Catania, a popular tourist destination, would be suspended until 8:00 p.m. (1800 GMT), the airport said on Twitter.

Catania Mayor Enrico Trantino banned the use of motorcycles and bicycles in the city for the next 48 hours, because many streets were covered in ash, and ordered cars to drive no faster than 30 kph (19 mph) due to the skiddy conditions.

The latest cancellations at Catania airport, which attracts more arrivals than the island's capital, Palermo, came a month after a fire at a terminal building led to weeks of disruptions for passengers.

The last major eruption was in 1992.

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AlUla Becomes 1st Destination in Middle East to be Certified by Destinations International

The accomplishment is part of the Destination Marketing Accreditation Program (DMAP). SPA
The accomplishment is part of the Destination Marketing Accreditation Program (DMAP). SPA
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AlUla Becomes 1st Destination in Middle East to be Certified by Destinations International

The accomplishment is part of the Destination Marketing Accreditation Program (DMAP). SPA
The accomplishment is part of the Destination Marketing Accreditation Program (DMAP). SPA

Saudi Arabia’s AlUla has received accreditation from Destinations International, a US-based organization, making it the first destination in the Middle East to receive the certification.

The accomplishment is part of the Destination Marketing Accreditation Program (DMAP), which serves as a benchmark for destination marketing organizations to measure quality and professionalism, AlUla announced Thursday.

The accreditation comes one year after AlUla successfully joined Destinations International as the first entity from the Middle East, it said.
Since opening its doors to visitors four years ago, AlUla has established itself as one of the most significant tourism sites in the Kingdom, especially with the introduction of a year-round events calendar.

"Completing the Destination Marketing Accreditation Program is a significant milestone for AlUla. We strive to develop AlUla's tourism industry and ecosystem to be best-in-class,” said Chief Tourism Officer at the Royal Commission for AlUla Philip Jones.

Jones added: "This accreditation reaffirms our commitment to ensuring the highest standards in our destination and strengthening trust among visitors, stakeholders, and partners. We hope that being part of Destinations International, home to best practices, will enable us to share our unique approach with the world and highlight everything that makes AlUla one of the world's leading luxury destinations today."

To obtain Destination Marketing accreditation, over one hundred performance standards in areas including governance, stakeholder engagement, financial management, and destination development must be met. These standards are set by an independent committee of industry experts representing a wide range of destination organizations and are updated periodically to reflect the evolution of best practices in the sector.