Category: Top Stories

From Monday 18 January, all international arrivals to Scotland and England (including UK nationals) are required to present a negative COVID-19 test taken up to 3 days prior to departure, and provide evidence of a negative result before they travel. This is to help protect against new strains of coronavirus circulating internationally. Passengers will be subject to an immediate fine of £500 if they fail to comply with the new regulations on pre-departure testing. If you are arriving from countries, not on the government’s travel corridor list, you will still be required to self-isolate for 10 days, regardless of the test result. Last week, ... Read more

Legendary Bollywood star actor, Amitabh Bachchan is soon expected to host a reality show to promote Uttarakhand tourism. Uttarakhand Cabinet has taken a decision on this, at a meeting chaired by Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat. The show named ‘100 Days in Heaven’, will be hosted by the veteran Bollywood actor, which will be telecasted on several TV news and entertainment channels. It will be a sort of an ad campaign to promote Uttarakhand tourism,  made on the lines of the one the Bollywood actor has been doing for Gujarat. The show will be made by the production house M/s ... Read more

The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) has congratulated the first-round winners of the ‘Happy DIY Set Competition’ and ‘Blog it down’ weekly activities, organized under the Amazing Thailand Happy Quarantine project to help break the boredom of quarantine for tourists. Organized weekly for four consecutive weeks, both activities offer international travelers a chance to win luxurious accommodation packages in Thailand totaling 22 prizes. The ‘Happy DIY Set’ showcases Thai handicrafts, meant as a token of appreciation for international visitors to Thailand from TAT from local communities around the kingdom. It has been given since 21 December 2020, to stimulate creativity ... Read more

The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) has launched its new mental health guidelines for the Travel & Tourism sector, which have been compiled to support businesses of all sizes to support the mental health of their employees. The Mental Health Guidelines build on the Diversity & Inclusion Guidelines released by WTTC in 2020, going one step deeper to focus on mental wellbeing. It will help businesses better prepare for the recovery period following the COVID-19 crisis and will ensure that as the sector rebuilds, it comes back stronger and better than before. The guidelines come at a time when ... Read more

Leading African destination Kenya is welcoming Indian tourists to try out the unique Kenyan tourism products in 2021. Kenya is heavily banking on Indian Tourists to boost its international tourism arrival numbers, this year. As per the official statistics from the Ministry of Tourism and Wildlife, Kenya has registered a total of 122,649 travelers from the Indian market in 2019. In 2020, statistics for the period between January to October, the total number of tourist arrivals into Kenya from India was 25,251 and the decline is solely attributed to the travel restrictions imposed by both Kenya and India as part ... Read more

“WTTC wholeheartedly supports the testing on the departure of all travellers to ensure passengers can prove they are COVID-19 free and thus avoid the spread,” said Gloria Guevara, WTTC President & CEO “It will take a significant amount of time to vaccinate the global population, particularly those in less advanced countries, or in different age groups, therefore we should not discriminate against those who wish to travel but have not been vaccinated. “Only a tiny percentage of people around the world have so far received the vaccine, whereas there are vast numbers who have not, but who could be tested, ... Read more

‘The General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs – Dubai (GDRFA–Dubai) and the Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (Dubai Tourism) have signed a strategic partnership agreement to enhance cooperation and promote online services and platforms designed to facilitate processes for the issuance of residency permits for various investor programmes and special visas. These include the Distinguished Guests and the Virtual Working programmes, ‘Golden Visas’ for investors and retirement visa for retirees. The agreement will enhance cooperation and communication between the two entities and pave the way for the exchange of expertise, experiences, studies, creative and innovative ideas and field ... Read more

Tourism Malaysia’s joint effort with OPPO Malaysia for its ‘Be A RENOgrapher’ Photography Contest has finally come to an end. The contest saw Malaysians stepping up their creativity and taking the beauty of Malaysia through different lenses. This contest has brought to light many talented photographers expressing their creativity in unique ways which have always been the spirit behind the Reno Series. The photography contest received more than 10,000 entries where participants competed in four categories, namely Clearly Your Best Night, Clearly Your Best Portrait, Clearly Your Best Creativity and Clearly Your Best Landscape. Divided into two groups; OPPO users ... Read more

Staged by the Polish Tourism Organisation’s International Office in Beijing, a three-month promotional campaign on the Tuniu platform, one of China’s leading online travel agencies and tourism portals, has just wrapped up. The objective was to introduce the Chinese audience to Poland’s tourism highlights related to Fryderyk Chopin and to showcase itinerary proposals for touring our country. The campaign in question was inspired by the 210th anniversary of the renowned composer’s birthday and the 10th anniversary of the Chopin Museum opening in Warsaw. The project involved, i.a. creating a dedicated landing page in Tuniu’s booking application, adding new Chopin-themed trips ... Read more

Vinod C.S, President ATTOI,  has welcomed the special consideration given to the Tourism industry, in the Kerala budget presented by Finance Minister TM Thomas Isaac on Friday, which was missing in the past. “The decision to form a Tourism welfare board requires much appreciation. At the same time when an industry with a turnover of around INR 45,000 crores giving employment to over 15 lac people is going through its worst period in the history, an amount of at least INR 500 Crores should have been earmarked for tourism promotion” he added. “During the Covid time, the loan support scheme ... Read more

68 webinars organized by M/o Tourism till date under Dekho Apna Desh Series; series continue to provide thrust to the rich culture of tourism in India with a viewership of over 3 lakh, Dekho Apna Desh Series gets a huge thumbs up. SAATHI initiative launched to assist the hospitality industry to continue to operate safely and instill confidence about the safety of the hotel/unit in view of COVID-19 caused disruptions. 34399 accommodation units registered on the NIDHI portal so far ‘Stranded in India’ portal reaches out to thousands of stranded foreign tourists and extends support during COVID-19 lockdown Several important ... Read more

Ginger announces the milestone of its 75th hotel with the signing of the brand’s second hotel in Aurangabad, in the state of Maharashtra. This signing is in line with Ginger’s growth strategy of increasing the brand’s presence in key commercial hubs and state capitals of India. The hotel will be designed around the brand’s lean luxe philosophy of offering a vibrant, contemporary, and seamless hospitality experience to its guests. Commenting on the signing, Ms. Deepika Rao, Managing Director & Chief Executive Officer, Ginger Hotels, said, “This is a proud moment for us. Our guests and the investor community have shown great ... Read more

Dubai’s Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (Dubai Tourism) has unveiled a comprehensive list of vibrant events and activities featured in the Dubai Calendar for the first quarter of 2021.The events, ranging from comedy nights, live entertainment shows, concerts, family activities, sports tournaments and more, will be held between January and March and are set to appeal to visitors and residents of all ages and backgrounds. The scheduled events are set to further boost Dubai’s position on the global cultural map and reinforce its status as a must-visit destination. Dubai Opera Among the shows taking place at the Dubai Opera this ... Read more

The Paris Convention and Visitors Bureau recently launched the Paris Ensemble campaign to promote the products and services of professionals in the Paris tourism industry and encourage people to consume locally. Hoteliers, shopkeepers, restaurateurs, cultural venues, and other activities have once again adapted their approach so visitors can enjoy the capital while complying with health rules. Paris looks forward to welcoming them over the festive season. The Paris Convention and Visitors Bureau (PCVB) will be promoting actors in the Paris tourism industry and their festive products and services, enabling Parisians and visitors to enjoy an array of food, fun, and ... Read more

In a welcome move, the Andhra Pradesh government has approved a restart package to the tourism sector of the state. Through this, the state government has offered a restart package to the tune of INR 198.5 crore with interest subvention for assisting tourism establishments to restart their operations and support their fixed expenses and wage liabilities. The AP state government has noted that stakeholders of the tourism and hospitality industry were under severe stress since the Covid-19 outbreak and the subsequent lockdown followed by restrictions for travel. This stop in tourism activities has caused severe financial strain to all the ... Read more