Author: Tourism News live

They’ve both got beaches, food, history and sunshine, but two leading tourist destinations are now selling themselves as Europe’s safest as they try to lure the visitors they need to prop up economies fried by the coronavirus. Both Portugal and Greece, which this week opened their doors wider to international visitors, are trumpeting relatively low infection rates and widespread measures to keep the virus in check. And both face financial peril unless they can persuade the tourists to come, CNN says in a detailed report. Portuguese Prime Minister António Costa believes his country remains as attractive as ever, but has ... Read more

Thailand’s Cabinet on Tuesday approved three projects with a combined budget of more than 22 billion baht (USD 707 million) to help the country’s reeling tourism industry recover from the coronavirus crisis. The packages are meant to promote domestic travel from July to October. Tourism normally accounts for more than 10% of Thailand’s GDP. International flight arrivals were stopped in early April, drying up the market for foreign tourists. The biggest package, with an estimated cost of 18 billion baht (USD 579 million), will give travellers a 40% discount to a maximum value of 3,000 baht (USD 96) per night ... Read more

Residents of Malta will be given 100 euro (US$112) vouchers by the government to spend in bars, hotels and restaurants in an effort to revitalise the tourist industry, news agency Reuters has reported. Tourism accounts for a quarter of the Mediterranean island’s GDP but it has been at a standstill since mid-March when flights were stopped during the coronavirus emergency. Flights to a small number of countries will resume on July 1 but they exclude big tourism source markets Britain and Italy (except Sicily). Prime Minister Robert Abela said in a statement a monthly wage subsidy of 800 euros per worker ... Read more

India will take a decision on resumption of international passenger flights in July if coronavirus behaves in a “predictable manner” and if the entire aviation ecosystem and state governments are onboard, Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri has said. The country resumed domestic passenger flights from May 25 after a gap of two months amid the coronavirus pandemic. Scheduled international passenger flights, however, continue to remain suspended in India. “I am often asked, when can you start international civil aviation? If you leave it to me, and if the ecosystem works, and if we have the predictability in terms of ... Read more

A new tourist attraction is set to come up in Maharashtra. The state Water Resources Department (WRD) has decided to use 28 acres of unused land in the vicinity of Khadakwasla dam to set up an amusement park, water sports, multipurpose pavilion, a village theme, a restaurant and a resort. The irrigation department has sought proposals from interested organisations to use the land, to be developed as a tourism destination on Built Operate and Transfer (BOT) basis, according to a report in The Indian Express. As per the plan, the basic idea of the proposal is the beautification of Khadakwasla ... Read more

The Assam government is planning to promote ‘Monsoon Tourism’ to woo tourists from across the country, in a move expected to give some impetus to the state’s tourism sector hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic. The trip can be a quick relief for many in the north of India, suffering from the extreme heat. Assam Tourism will promote Chandubi in Kamrup district, Chandrapur in Kamrup metro district and Pabitra and Mayong in Morigaon district as part of the plan. There will be thematic promotional activities about monsoon tourism within and outside Assam. Appropriate packages will be developed, keeping COVID-19 safety ... Read more

The world is today a slow coach. The coronavirus crisis has helped people to stop and think. Tourism destinations worldwide are pausing to reflect on their business models and Amsterdam is one among them. Last year, 19 million tourists visited Amsterdam bringing in more than 6 billion euros ($6.8 billion) in revenue, according to a Bloomberg report. But the city is facing an existential crisis. In a way, Amsterdam has been over-run by tourism. There is no other way to put it. International visitors come into the city in large numbers during peak season and locals often feel side-lined. Not ... Read more

A total of 168 Indian nationals are returning from Maldives today via an Air India flight. The flight will land in two cities – Thiruvananthapuram and Bengaluru. Passengers had started gathering at Male airport since morning and thanked Indian government for its efforts to evacuate the Indian nationals, All India Radio (AIR) said in a report. Another two flights are scheduled in the next two days for Delhi, Kolkata and Bhubaneswar. The repatriation is being carried out in coordination with the Indian High Commission in Male. With this evacuation, over three and half thousand people would be brought back from Maldives ... Read more

Cafes and restaurants are reopening across France and travel to other European countries is being allowed, with French President Emmanuel Macron lifting a number of coronavirus restrictions. More than 29,400 people have died of coronavirus in France, and the country has had 194,000 confirmed cases – although the number of new cases has slowed markedly in recent days. President Macron first imposed a strict lockdown on March 17. These remained in place until May 11, when the country began to cautiously ease restrictions. In a televised address Macron said France had won its “first victory” but he warned the virus ... Read more

Hundreds of Germans landed on the Spanish island of Mallorca on Monday, the first tourists allowed into the country since borders were shut in March to tackle the coronavirus pandemic. More than 1,500 German holidaymakers are expected in the Balearic Islands as part of a pilot project that will open up a sector that accounts for 12% of Spain’s economy, before restrictions are eased next week. According to a Reuters report, visitors’ temperatures were taken at the airport and regional leader Francina Armengol said they must follow health and safety rules. “This virus is still infecting, still killing people all ... Read more

All travellers entering Singapore from 11.59pm, June 17, will be tested for COVID-19, the Ministry of Health (MOH) has said. The test will be scheduled a few days before the end of the 14-day stay-home notice period, at an allotted testing facility, MOH said in a press release.  Each person under a stay-home notice will receive information on the scheduled appointment slot and venue via an SMS notification. All inbound and outbound travellers who enter or leave Singapore from 11.59pm on June 17 will also be required to pay for their COVID-19 tests, and those who are not Singaporeans or PRs entering the country will need to foot ... Read more

Around 8,000 tourism, leisure and commercial facilities and restaurants in Abu Dhabi are eligible for refunds of 20% of the annual rental value, on their commercial property leases, amounting to a sum of Dh1 billion. They will get a refund of Dh200 million as part of the economic stimulus package launched by the Abu Dhabi government within the “Ghadan 21” programme to mitigate the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on business activities. This was announced by Khaled Mubarak Bani Zama, director of the Industrial Development at the Abu Dhabi Department of Economic Development, during a media briefing. The department approved 220 applications ... Read more

Turkish Airlines will resume flights to China and the United States from June 19, the airline announced, after the pandemic shuttered international travel in March. The airline’s chief executive Bilal Eksi said three flights a week to Chicago and Washington D.C. will be in operation starting June 19 and to Los Angeles from June 24. The airline also announced it will start a weekly flight to Shanghai from June 19 and two weekly flights each to Hong Kong and Seoul from June 24. The airline has already restarted flights to Britain, Germany and the Netherlands. Established in 1933, Turkish Airlines ... Read more

The Bombay High Court has allowed domestic and international airlines to fill up middle seats, providing some relief to the carriers. The high court, however, sought strict compliance with the May 31 circular of the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) requiring passengers to wear wrap-around gowns in addition to a face shield and a mask. A division bench of Justices S J Kathawalla and S P Tavade on Monday passed the judgment through video-conference on a plea filed by Air India pilot Deven Kanani, who alleged that national carrier Air India had violated social distancing norms while evacuating Indians ... Read more

Saving lives is Goa’s primary concern at the moment, and not tourism, the state’s deputy chief minister Manohar Ajgaonkar has said. Ajgaonkar, who is also the tourism minister of the state, has said that the pandemic-induced economic slowdown, would help Goa build and promote tourism in a legal manner in the future. “First, we have to save our lives, and tourism is not the immediate concern,” Ajgaonkar told reporters at the State Secretariat on Monday. The Minister said Goa had been designated as a green zone, but COVID-19 cases began to surge after the Central government eased travel restrictions to ... Read more