Author: Tourism News live

Prominent entertainment firms have partnered with Crystal Lagoons, to come up with 16 projects across the United States, known as Crystal Lagoons Island Resorts. The first project will be in Arizona. Crystal Lagoons is a multinational company with its US headquarters in Miami and offices in Dallas and Los Angeles, that has developed an innovative concept and technology, patented in 190 countries, allowing for the construction and maintenance of unlimited size of water bodies in crystalline conditions at low cost. The development will unite Universal Music Group, the world’s leading record label; Epic, the multinational entertainment company; Point Cloud, the ... Read more

The Association of Tourism Trade Organisations India (ATTOI) has conducted a virtual members conference, and said various tourism stakeholders should reach out to tourists who had previously visited the state, in order to rekindle connections. As one of the key members of ATTOI, Baby Mathew said that over time thousands and thousands of tourists have visited Kerala. If hotels and resorts can reach out to them via e-mail or any other suitable platform just to enquire about their well-being, that would be a great gesture. This is a time to keep up marketing efforts and keep in touch with guests. ... Read more

As a progressive measure to sustain livelihoods of those employed in the tourism sector, the Kerala state government should announce a job retention scheme in the wake of the corona virus pandemic, the Association of Tourism Trade Organisations India (ATTOI) has suggested. ATTOI said the government may pay the salaries of tourism employees in the private sector, so that the industry gets some time to crawl out of the crisis. The tourism sector has been heavily impacted due to booking cancellations, resulting a massive drop in inbound tourism. The sector is likely to lose more than Rs 20,000 crore as ... Read more

Firstly, the coronavirus outbreak is a human tragedy, affecting hundreds of thousands of people. It is also having a growing impact on the global economy and the impact would depend on how long the epidemic lasts. Travel and tourism industry has been hit economically due to outbreak of coronavirus with many prospective domestic and foreign tourists cancelling their travel plans. This global pandemic has prompted the Indian government to impose increasingly tough restrictions on travel resulting in further drop in hotel occupancies since the imposition of the ban. Here I would like to emphasize on a few points how the ... Read more

On Tuesday at around 9.30 am, an Air India flight took off from the Thiruvananthapuram airport carrying with it German and other European nationals, after days of ground work by scores of tourism department officials. “Kerala Tourism is happy that we could be of assistance to tourists to enable them to return home during this crisis,” Kerala Tourism secretary Rani George has said. The Department of Tourism and the Consulate of Germany worked together for the successful repatriation of the 232 tourists. For the last one week, the officials of the department of tourism and the various help desks have ... Read more

The Ministry of Tourism has set up a portal to disseminate information regarding the services that can be availed by stranded foreign tourists. The portal called ‘Stranded in India’, hosted on the Incredible India website, has been set up to extend support to all foreigners who are stuck in India due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The portal will help tourists get information of state tourism departments and regional offices of the Ministry of Tourism, to help them stay safe and healthy. The portal will help tourists find information on ways of getting back to their respective home countries too. Please ... Read more

Now 3D animals are at your beck and call, via Google. Just a simple Google search will take you there. For example, to find a Lion in AR you will need to type “Lion” in the Google Chrome app, then go to the “View in 3D” option and just click on it. And whoa, you will have your 3D lion in your living space. Google’s 3D animals aren’t available on all devices yet. It’s only available on smartphones and not on the computer or laptop. Android smartphones or tablets running Android 7.0 or higher and iPhone or iPad running iOS ... Read more

Ferrari will resume production from April 14, after halting the same on March 14 due to the COVID-19 outbreak. However, production will only resume if the supply chain works without any interruption so that all necessary parts can be provided for the production process. In an official press release, Ferrari said “All activities that can be conducted in smart working will continue to be performed as has been the case in recent weeks. The company will continue to cover all days of absence to those unable to take advantage of this solution.” The Italian firm was the first to temporarily ... Read more

Top-selling smartphone manufacturers are asking the government to classify handsets as an essential commodity which can be delivered to customers through e-commerce platforms amid the 21-day national lockdown in India. Industry bodies Manufacturers’ Association of Information Technology (MAIT) and India Cellular & Electronics Association (ICEA) have written to the government seeking concessions in the delivery of smartphones among other electronics devices and removal of restrictions on the movement of components for inland and export purposes. In its letter dated March 27 to the government, MAIT, the apex body of electronic product makers, suggested that ecommerce companies be listed under essential ... Read more

While the launch of the iPhone 12 is still months away, information about the device is already here. Last month saw new leaks that reveal information about a new design for the iPhone 12. The latest leaks around the product indicate Apple could enhance the iPhone 12’s Augmented Reality capabilities, by equipping these series with a new iPad Pro with LiDAR ( short form for Light Detection and Ranging) sensor. Interestingly, the sensor was first seen on the iPad Pro launched earlier this month, and will now make its way to the new iPhones in 2020. This information comes courtesy ... Read more

The Oman Ministry of Tourism has said that significant investments will be made to transform ancient houses into heritage inns and guest houses to boost tourism efforts promoting the Sultanate’s vibrant local heritage. As one of the Ministry’s top priorities, the preservation of ancient houses – which are considered architectural treasures that show Oman’s archaeological character – are central to national initiatives showcasing the unique heritage and rich history and civilization of the Sultanate. Ancient local neighborhoods have already been restored using innovative engineering and architectural techniques to turn them into an attractive tourist destination. The Ministry said that tourists ... Read more

Phuket, the tourism magnet of Thailand, is entering the shutdown phase from Monday. Transportation to the island will be banned, and the lockdown will last for a month. Phuket Governor Pakkapong Taweepat has said boats, cars and trucks providing essential goods and services are exempted. Last week the government had imposed emergency rules and now the decision to enter the lockdown phase is a clear indication that the country is in a very cautious mode, as it fights the epidemic. About 56% of total employment in Phuket is in tourism-related industries, the Bank of Thailand said in a note. Thailand’s ... Read more

Porsche is stepping up its corporate social responsibility in response to the coronavirus pandemic. After stopping production on March 21 for an initial period of two weeks, the car manufacturer is also redirecting resources to help those in need. The Executive Board of Porsche AG is working intensively on concrete measures that will enable the company to provide support. Specialist staff such as medically experienced personnel or IT experts have been deployed to carry out voluntary work. Assistance with technical materials and supplies, such as procurement of personal protective equipment has been identified as another field of activity. Food donations ... Read more

The widespread impact of the global pandemic caused by COVID-19, has created an unprecedented situation in the travel and tourism industry. As countries that comprise primary source markets for the Caribbean have closed their borders to protect their citizens, flights into Jamaica have come to a halt. In light of this, and in concert with global efforts to control the spread of COVID-19, The Holiday Inn Resort Montego Bay will close till May 31, 2020. Managing Director Kevin Hendrickson issued the following statement elaborating on the temporary closure. “Our dedicated team will be contacting all guests with existing reservations to ... Read more

There is an imminent need for pricing to be cut down for the houseboat industry to survive. Pricing should be kept under check till at least December. In an interview, Sreekumar, Director of Sree Tours, Kumarakom, says certification should be provided to all boats depending on the hygiene standards. The government should look to provide a year-long tax holiday for tour packages, he adds. Excerpts: Q: The houseboat industry is going through probably its worst ever phase. Did you think that the crisis would end up having such a devastating effect on the industry? A: Yes, it’s going to be ... Read more