Costa Rica’s government will halt reopening the country’s economy due to an increase in the number of coronavirus cases over recent days, a senior official said on Friday. The Central American nation which has already lost 100,000 jobs due to the pandemic, and this decision will hit the economy hard. “These are not numbers to […]
Category Archives: America
20
Jun
Jun
Jamaica, which reopened its borders to international travellers on June 15, is looking to scale up tourism back to pre-coronavirus levels. Like many Caribbean islands, Jamaica’s economy is heavily dependent on tourism, accounting for 35% of GDP and 120,000 jobs. The country’s tourism sector saw record breaking growth in 2019, but hopes of repeating that […]
20
Jun
Jun
Aruba has announced that the country will welcome tourists from the Caribbean (with the exception of Dominican Republic and Haiti), Europe, and Canada from July 1. Visitors from the United States will be allowed from July 10. Official opening dates for other markets, including South America and Central America are yet to be determined. The decision […]
19
Jun
Jun
Machu Picchu, the jewel of Peruvian tourism, is all set to reopen in July. But there will be restrictions on the number of visitors. Given the need for social distancing and other measures to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, only 675 visitors will be allowed in each day – one-quarter the usual number, Jean […]
America, Hotels, News, Top Stories
Hilton lays off 2,100 employees, joining Marriott and Hyatt in reducing staff
18
Jun
Jun
Hilton Hotels is laying off 2,100 employees, or roughly 22% of its corporate workforce, as the pandemic continues to drive down demand for leisure and corporate travel. The hotel chain is also extending the existing furloughs for many of its corporate staff for an additional 90 days, CNN Business has reported. Hilton had announced the initial furloughs, […]
17
Jun
Jun
The Mexican Caribbean has begun to gradually reopen itself to tourists from June 8, and is on track to have 75% of hotel rooms ready by July 1, according to the Travel Market Report. The region currently has about 45% of inventory reopened, according to a Quintana Roo Tourism Board virtual conference last week. The Quintana […]
America, Hotels, News, Top Stories
Hard Rock Hotel, 16 other beach properties open in this resort town, throwing caution to the wind
15
Jun
Jun
Foreign visitors have begun to get back to the white sands and warm waters of Mexico’s Caribbean coast. The resort town of Cancun is especially in demand, despite Mexico reporting record infection levels in recent days. Cancun’s Hard Rock Hotel re-opened on June 8 along with 16 other beachside resorts. All of these resorts have […]
15
Jun
Jun
Home rental firm Airbnb has entered into a partnership with Brazil’s state of Sao Paulo, to encourage tourism once the coronavirus crisis has passed. Virus hotspot Sao Paulo is the first destination in Latin America chosen by Airbnb as part of a global push to revive its business as authorities ease coronavirus-related restrictions on tourism. […]
14
Jun
Jun
SeaWorld Entertainment, one of the world’s leading theme park and entertainment companies, has announced a phased reopening of SeaWorld San Antonio on Friday, June 19.The reopening of the park will include enhanced health and safety protocols for cleaning and sanitizing, physical distancing, face covering requirements, and temperature screening. A new online reservation system will also […]
11
Jun
Jun
In Chile’s port city of Valparaiso, people are perhaps facing more ups and downs than almost anywhere else, as the city’s funiculars have been turned off. With no tourists in town because of Covid-19 travel restrictions, the city’s unique public transport system has ground to a halt. A lack of ticket sales to fund their […]
America, News, Top Stories
Virtual meetings keep Bahamas Tourism busy, as it looks to draw tourists from the US and Canada
11
Jun
Jun
The Bahamas Ministry of Tourism and Aviation (BMOT) has been hosting a series of virtual sales missions in the US and Canada during the entire time of quarantine in an effort to continue promoting the islands. BMOT brought together all of its international partners in the US and Canada for two days of virtual meetings hosted by Director General, Joy […]
07
Jun
Jun
Etihad has landed a plane in Cuba for the very first time. The airline flew from Abu Dhabi to Havana, helping Cuban nationals return home. Taking off from Abu Dhabi International Airport, Etihad pilots flew the Boeing 777-300 jet for over 21 hours to land at Jose Marti International Airport, just outside Cuba’s capital. It’s […]
America, Asia, Aviation, News, Top Stories
US to prevent Chinese airlines from flying into the country, citing travel agreement violations
04
Jun
Jun
The US government has said it will block Chinese airlines from flying into the US in response to what it says is a policy that has prevented US carriers from service between the two countries. The Transportation Department restrictions will take effect June 16 but could be enacted earlier if President Donald Trump decides to […]
America, Hospitality, Hotels, News
Marriott CEO sees business travel in China growing again, even as US shows steady recovery
03
Jun
Jun
Marriott International, which has reopened all its hotels in China, is seeing a steady recovery in the United States, its biggest market. Chief Executive Officer Arne Sorenson said, “It’s not just leisure travel growing, but it is business travel. Chinese are flying again.” Sorenson said the occupancy rate in China was 40% currently, up from […]
01
Jun
Jun
The Mexican Caribbean state of Quintana Roo is preparing to reopen itself to tourism from June 8, Governor Carlos Joaquin Gonzalez has announced. In the interim, area tourism and hospitality companies, particularly in the popular holiday hotspots of Cancun and Riviera Maya region, are bringing back employees to begin training in the ways of the “new normal”, Travel […]