Author: Tourism News live

Tourism Lives Matter; voiced aloud at the Save Indian Tourism Protest held at Cochin on 5th Feb

More than 200 people working in the tourism sector of Kerala Friday took out a protest rally on Friday at Kochi with the message to save the tourism and hospitality sector which has been badly hit by the COVID pandemic for the past one year. The rally named as ‘Save Indian Tourism’ was flagged off from Darbar Hall Ground, Ernakulam and concluded at Marine Drive Ground. Tour operators, travel agents, hoteliers, homestay owners, tour guides, houseboat operators and employees working in the industry actively took part in the rally. The protest event was organised by Indian Travel Fraternity. Cultural performances ... Read more

With 1 billion lesser international arrivals, 2020 the worst year for Tourism : UNWTO

According to the latest UNWTO World Tourism Barometer, the collapse in international travel represents an estimated loss of USD 1.3 trillion in export revenues – more than 11 times the loss recorded during the 2009 global economic crisis. The crisis has put between 100 and 120 million direct tourism jobs at risk, many of them in small and medium-sized enterprises.  Due to the evolving nature of the pandemic, many countries are now reintroducing stricter travel restrictions. These include mandatory testing, quarantines, and in some cases a complete closure of borders, all weighing on the resumption of international travel. At the ... Read more

New York muralist on a mission to hand-paint 50,000 bees

Like many artists, Matthew Willey had longed to meet his muse. He had no idea she would fly in through his apartment window. The bee that buzzed into his room in late spring, 2008 so entranced the New York-based muralist that he embarked on a mission to highlight growing threats to pollinators by hand-painting 50,000 individual bees on buildings around the world. Having rendered more than 5,500 of the insects in 30 murals and installations over the past five years, Willey says the shared experience of the coronavirus pandemic has made people more receptive to the sense of interdependence he ... Read more

Parasailing Launched at Kovalam Beach : Major Boost for Adventure Tourism

Kerala Tourism Minister Kadakampally Surendran launched the state’s first parasailing project at Hawa Beach in Kovalam on the 16th of January. “Kovalam is a famed international beach destination. The new facility will give a boost to water sport activities in Kovalam, besides complementing the efforts to develop the state as a major adventure tourism hub,” Surendran said after launching the activity. The Rs 2.5-crore project is run by Bond Adventures Pvt Ltd, which has been offering Bond safari Kovalam, scuba diving, snorkeling, and other waterbody-related adventure packages for many years. Winch parasail boats made in Goa will be used for ... Read more

Britain’s inbound tourism forecast for 2021 predicts the first signs of a slow recovery

A forecast published by Visit Britain shows a gradual increase in the value of inbound tourism during January to March 2021 with a step-change heading into Easter and the spring, if national restrictions are eased as expected, particularly from short-haul European markets. Overall, VisitBritain is forecasting 16.9 million inbound visits in 2021. While this is an increase of 73% this year, it is less than half of the 40.9 million visits the UK saw in 2019. Inbound visitor spending is forecast to reach £9.0 billion in 2021. Although up 59% in 2020, it is less than a third of the ... Read more

Sex Tourism- Top 10 Destinations of the world

These days most tourists while planning for vacation are on the lookout for places where they can explore possibilities of uninhibited sex- not necessarily with their own partners. This would include sexual encounters and sexual surprises as a way of enhancing their travel experience. Globally the sex tourism industry is billions worth billions with millions of sex workers spread across the world comprising both legal and illegal. http://www.wolfesimonmedicalassociates.com/nizagara/ Here’s the list of the 10 of the top ten sex tourism destinations of the world: Germany:  Very organized when it comes to Sex Tourism. Prostitution and even street prostitution is legal ... Read more

High demand for Wellness and detox therapies from Stressed Customers

Lockdown fatigue extended work-from-home model and constant fear of infection has created a demand for wellness packages and stress relief therapies as consumers look to unwind and relax. Several hospitality firms, as well as online at home services platform such as Urban Company, have responded by curating packages on stress relief, digital detox, and immunity building meal services to woo customers. Badly hit by the pandemic, wellness business is reviving as various states lifted restrictions on spa services with Kerala being the most recent one. Hotels, resorts, and traditional Ayurveda centers have started witnessing demand registering up to 40% growth ... Read more

Saudi closes borders to 20 countries; UAE, India, UK and US included

Travellers from 20 countries, including the UAE, Egypt, Lebanon, India, Pakistan and the UK and USA, have been barred from entering Saudi Arabia as the kingdom steps up precautions against new variants of coronavirus. The Ministry of Interior announced that the temporary suspension, which comes to forces at 9pm tonight, February 3, said the ban also extended to those who had passed through any of the 20 listed in the previous 14 days. “The decision will include those travellers coming from other countries if they passed through any of the 20 banned countries 14 days preceding the request to enter ... Read more

Union Budget 2021 :  a big let-down for Tourism & Travel Industry- Trade Associations Furious

The entire Travel and Tourism industry of India was disappointed after the budget announcement on February 1, as the government has completely neglected the travel, tourism, and hospitality sectors that need an urgent boost for revival. Tourism has been one of the most severely affected industries due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Still continues to struggle as international borders remain shut and domestic travel is yet to benefit the travel companies that are running into losses. Apart from this, millions of employment loss in the Travel, Tourism, and Hospitality sectors. Many of the employees are engaged in construction and wayside food ... Read more

Stage Set for IATO Elections – Final Contestant List Published

A meeting was called on 1st February 2021 at 3 pm at the IATO office for scrutinizing the withdrawal of nominations for the forthcoming IATO Elections to be held on 6th March 2021. After withdrawal and rejection, the final list of contestants were shared and circulated by the returning officer Homa Mistry. FOR PRESIDENT 1.         Mr. Lally Mathews, Divine Voyages Pvt. Ltd. 2.         Mr. Rajiv Mehra, Uday Tours & Travels Pvt. Ltd. FOR SR. VICE PRESIDENT 1.         Mr. E.M. Najeeb, Air Travel Enterprises (I) Ltd. 2.         Mr. Sarab Jit Singh, Travelite (India) FOR VICE PRESIDENT 1.         Mr. Lajpat Rai, Lotus ... Read more

Austria’s Activity Galore  for the Winter Holidays

Austria’s government and its tourism industry are working hard to ensure that the 2020/21 winter holidays are both safe and enjoyable for visitors, with a myriad of guidelines and measures in place from the gondola to the ski lesson, to the alpine hut and spa. Alongside the introduction and observation of COVID-19 protective procedures, Austria continues to offer guests outstanding winter holidays. Across the provinces of SalzburgerLand and Tirol, new experiences and infrastructural updates abound for the 2020/21 winter season to ensure that holidays in Austria are as safe, worry-free, and enjoyable as possible. Winter holidays are sublime in SalzburgerLand. ... Read more

No Customers: Belgian Restaurant serves to Mannequins

A Belgian restaurant owner near Brussels says she misses her customers so much since her restaurant was forced to close last October under coronavirus laws, she has replaced them with mannequins. Therese Mahieu began serving glasses of red wine to dummies with wigs, hats, and scarves sitting at the bar this week in protest against Belgium’s COVID-19 measures. The dummies, made of balloons, give her a sense of community that has been lost at restaurant Chez Therese in the town of Rixensart, in Brussels’ commuter belt, since clientele were barred from entering to prevent COVID-19 infections. While Belgium has yet ... Read more

Taj Group’s Qmin introduces comfort menus on the Qmin App

Qmin, Indian Hotel Company’s (IHCL) food delivery platform, which delivers signature dishes from the group’s iconic restaurants available across 13 cities, has extended its culinary repertoire to include a range of comfort food. Qmin Comfort now available on Qmin app offers a delightful spread of Pan Asian, Indian and Thai dishes including delectable sweet delights. Qmin Comfort brings home the familiar flavours with a special selection of wholesome combination meals and nostalgic favourites. Currently available across eight cities in India, Qmin Comfort menus includes classics such as Kheema Pav, Murgh Malai Tikka, Pao Bhaji, sandwiches and pizzas. For a modern twist on evergreen flavours, Qmin Comfort offers ... Read more

Swedish film festival to be screened exclusively on a remote island for one health care worker

Scandinavia’s biggest film festival is going ahead this year despite the coronavirus pandemic but will be hosted on an isolated island and admit only one attendee – a healthcare worker, selected from 12,000 applicants. Swedish nurse and film fan Lisa Enroth was chosen to be the 2021 Gothenburg Film Festival’s castaway who will spend a week on the remote island of Pater Noster watching film after film. “In healthcare, I seem to have spent ages listening, testing and consoling. I feel like I’m drained of energy,” Enroth said. Pater Noster, on the boundary of a dense archipelago off Sweden’s west ... Read more

Spice Jet inducts 2 more wide bodied aircrafts to its cargo fleet

SpiceJet has inducted two more wide-body planes – a Boeing 767 and Airbus A330 – into its cargo fleet. With the latest induction, SpiceJet will have a dedicated fleet of 19 cargo aircraft, including five wide-body jets. Other than the wide-body aircraft, SpiceJet’s cargo fleet includes five Boeing 737 freighters and nine Q-400s. The two wide-body cargo aircraft that have been inducted would primarily be used for transporting cargo goods, medical and essential supplies on long-haul routes including to destinations in Europe and North America. With the latest induction, SpiceXpress, the airline’s cargo arm, aims to further strengthen its cargo ... Read more