Author: Tourism News live

India’s global tourist destination Taj Mahal, which witnessed a daily footfall of thousands of people, now stands secluded after it was shut to the public exactly three months ago due to the COVID-19-induced lockdown, an IANS report has said. Taj Mahal is Uttar Pradesh’s main attraction and a major source of revenue for the state’s tourism industry. According to the Archaeological Survey of India, as many as 15,000 to 20,000 foreigners and Indians used to visit the historical site daily. Superintendent Archaeologist, Vasant Kumar Swarnkar, told IANS that foreign tourists were charged Rs 1,300 each while domestic tourists paid Rs ... Read more

Two more repatriation flights to Goa will leave from Dubai on June 21 and 25 respectively, Air India has announced. Special flights that will depart Dubai at 12 noon will arrive at the Dabolim airport in Goa at 4.40pm. The flights are being operated as part of the Vande Bharat Mission to repatriate stranded Indians from the UAE, said a spokesperson of Air India. Both flights will be ferrying 149 passengers each and priority will be given to those registered for repatriation with the Indian missions in the UAE, said Gulf News in a report. The first direct repatriation flight to Goa ... Read more

Japan’s tourism players are adopting new marketing strategies to remain relevant in the minds of travellers. From moving products online to introducing deals and greater flexibility in bookings, the stakeholders are trying their best to communicate with their potential visitors. For example, Shangri-La Hotel Tokyo has launched The Boutique, a website selling food, beauty products, bedding and other luxury items from the brand. The campaign is designed to keep the hotel, top of mind for visitors, until they feel ready to book again, according to a report in TTG Asia. True Japan Tours has also moved online to offer virtual ... Read more

The Czech Republic partially opened its borders to neighbouring states on May 26, but tourism has been slow to catch up. That’s understandable as restrictions are still tight and the list of favoured countries is short. This would mean that the upcoming summer season would not be a fruitful one for tour operators. Prague’s mayor, Zdenek Hrib, says he is hugely concerned about the fate of tourism and pledges full support for the sector and its employees. The enforced pause could offer the city a chance to recover from “over-tourism” that is “eating the city from the inside”. “The impact ... Read more

Kazakhstan will resume flights to six countries, including some holiday hot-spots, starting from mid-June. Flights to Turkey, China, South Korea, Thailand, Georgia, and Japan will resume on June 20 in a safe manner, Kazakhstan Civil Aviation Committee said in a statement. ‘‘The number of flights on international routes will be operated based on existing intergovernmental agreements on air traffic and depend on the commercial loading of aircraft on each route,’’ the statement published on the committee’s website said.  Tickets for these flights will go on sale in accordance with the schedule published on the websites of airlines, Caspian News reported. ... Read more

Beijing has urged its residents to not leave the city and closed schools again as authorities scramble to contain a “severe” new coronavirus outbreak in the city of 21 million people. The coronavirus resurgence — believed to have started in the capital’s sprawling Xinfadi wholesale food market — has prompted alarm as China had largely brought its outbreak under control through mass testing and draconian lockdowns. The country had eased much of its anti-coronavirus measures in recent months as the government all but declared victory against the disease that emerged in the central city of Wuhan late last year. Fearing ... Read more

Medical testimonials are going to be a must to fly to Kerala from June 20. All passengers have to carry certificates stating that they are Covid-19 free, for the flights to get operational clearance. The policy applies to government sponsored Vande Bharat Mission and chartered flights equally, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said at a news briefing on Wednesday. Significantly, the chief minister said the state would have no issues in providing no-objection certificates to special flights comprising wholly of passengers who had tested positive at the port of departure. Kerala would receive them and treat them in State-run or commandeered ... Read more

Air India has reintroduced its Coimbatore-New Delhi flight. The flight will be operated four days a week from June 22. The flight – number 547/548 — will depart from New Delhi at 7.40 am and land in Coimbatore at 11 am. The same flight will leave Coimbatore at noon and land in New Delhi at 3 pm.

In a new initiative to attract international tourists to Telangana, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), Union Ministry for Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF) and Telangana Forest Department are working closely to identify potential vacation spots to form a tourism circuit. The districts where tourism spots are being explored include Sangareddy, Siddipet, Medak, Kamareddy and Adilabad. The USAID, which selected Medak district under its Forest Plus 2.0 to improve greenery in the forest area, has identified immense tourism potential in Telangana. USAID, MoEF and Telangana Forest Department have together roped in a tourism consultant, Deepu Karthikeyan, who ... Read more

The Karnataka government on Wednesday launched caravan tourism, an initiative under which tourists can book a fully-equipped vehicle that will take them places, and also serve as beds for the night. The initiative has been started by the tourism department to revive the sector badly hit by the coronavirus crisis. Each caravan has seats that convert into beds, allowing four people to sleep in one car. The vehicles are equipped with a shower, a modern toilet, a smart television and a music system. They also have a kitchenette that includes a refrigerator, freezer and microwave. The caravan bus has 1,400-watt solar ... Read more

Riaz Ahmad, managing director of Abad Hotels & Resorts, has been in the hospitality sector for many decades, braving umpteen challenges. But even for someone like him, the coronavirus pandemic has presented an unforeseen situation. In this interview he talks about how his company is preparing for the future, keeping the interest of the employees in mind. Often the government ignores the sector as there is a perception that tourism is a business of the wealthy, he says. Excerpts: Q: It’s great to see Abad group reopening its properties across Kerala. How was the lockdown experience at Abad group? What ... Read more

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, as well as temporary pay cuts for executives, in March. “Never in Hilton’s 101-year history has our industry faced a global crisis that brings travel to a virtual standstill,” CEO Christopher Nassetta said in a press release, adding he was “devastated” by the decision. Covid-19 all ... Read more

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 Roo Tourism Board handles the marketing for 12 destinations under the umbrella of the Mexican Caribbean and the Grand Costa Maya, including Cancun, Riviera Maya, Tulum, Playa del Carmen, Isla Cozumel, Isla Mujeres, and Costa Mujeres. The region is using a “traffic light system,” said Dario ... Read more

Workers are preparing the Eiffel Tower for reopening next week, after the coronavirus pandemic led to the iconic Paris landmark’s longest closure since World War II. France’s tourism industry is opening back up, but the 1,063-feet tall wrought-iron tower won’t immediately welcome visitors the way it did before the country went into lockdown in March. Only limited numbers of people will be allowed in when the Eiffel Tower opens again on June 25, according to a report by news agency AP. Elevators to the top will be out of service, at least at first, and only the first and second ... Read more

Air France plans to serve close to 150 destinations this summer, taking its network to 80% of its usual capacity. By the end of June, the flight schedule will represent 20% of the capacity usually deployed over this period. Subject to the lifting of travel restrictions, the gradual increase in the number of frequencies and destinations will continue, reaching 35% of the flight schedule initially planned in July and 40% in August. Several routes will resume between Paris and the French regions, as well as inter-regional routes, particularly to and from Corsica. The number of services will also be increased to ... Read more