Travel news: Qatar flies to Helsinki, Emirates Holidays launches Caribbean cruises, and more

Locke opens key London aparthotel and New Addis Ababa-Djibouti Railway.

Helsinki skyline, Helsinki, Uusimaa, Finland (Getty Images)

Finns are looking up with new Qatar route

Qatar Airways this week launched a new direct service from Doha to the Finnish capital Helsinki. At present, no other GCC carriers offer a direct route to Finland, though Norwegian offers a direct flight from Dubai to Helsinki during the winter months only. Return fares from Abu Dhabi or Dubai to Helsinki via Doha currently cost from Dh2,030 return, including taxes. For more information, visit www.qatarairways.com.

Emirates Holidays Caribbean cruises

Emirates Holidays has launched a variety of new Caribbean cruises and fly-drive holidays to coincide with the launch of a new direct route from Dubai to Florida's Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport on December 15. Travellers can now book cruises from Fort Lauderdale to various points in the Caribbean and Mexico, including the Bahamas and Riviera Maya, on ships owned by Royal Caribbean, Holland America, Carnival and Seabourn. A package including a five-night cruise, two nights' hotel accommodation, flights and taxes costs from Dh8,810 per person. A one-week self-drive holiday in south Florida costs from Dh8,810 per person, including flights, accommodation, car hire and taxes. Return flights from Dubai to Fort Lauderdale currently cost from Dh5,350 return, including taxes. For mor information, visit www.emirates.com and www.emiratesholidays.ae.

Locke opens key London aparthotel

Leman Locke, a collection of 168 designer apartment-style rooms, has opened in Whitechapel, between Tower Bridge and Shoreditch in London. Standard rooms are designed in the style of studio apartments, and cost from £92 (Dh416) including taxes, while one-bedroom suites cost from £124 (Dh560) per night, including taxes. There's a cafe and restaurant on site, and room service is also available. The hotel group Locke has a sister property in Edinburgh. For more information, visit www.lockeliving.com.

New Addis Ababa-Djibouti Railway

Trains began running this week on the Addis Ababa-Djibouti Railway, a new 750-kilometre line connecting the Ethiopian capital and the Red Sea port of Djibouti City. The line, which cuts a road journey of three days down to 12 hours, is Africa’s first fully electrified international railway route and has been built by the China Railway Group and China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation, with a US$4 billion (Dh14.69bn) investment from Chinese banks. Until local employees are trained, Chinese staff will operate the service, which is currently only carrying freight, but is expected to begin passenger services in three months. The line replaces the Ethio-Djibouti Railway, opened by the French in 1917 but abandoned in 2008, which had a much slower service.