Category: Top Stories

Dubai has launched a new compliance programme to certify and recognise hotels and retail establishments, F&B outlets and attractions that have implemented public health protocols for the prevention and management of COVID-19, Gulf News has reported. The initiative is part of efforts to showcase Dubai as one of the world’s safest destinations as it continues to receive tourists following the city’s reopening to international visitors on July 7. A verification and validation process has been established in collaboration with the Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (Dubai Tourism), Department of Economic Development (Dubai Economy) and Dubai Municipality for issuing the ... Read more

The Nepal government is planning to resume domestic and international flight operations from next month with the country making steady progress in its fight against the coronavirus outbreak. The Tourism Ministry is working on a tentative plan to start domestic flights from August 5 and international flights from August 17, an official close to tourism minister Yogesh Bhattarai told news agency PTI. The first round of flights will be to and from capital Kathmandu, he said. The number of active coronavirus cases in Nepal dropped to about 6,000 this week, while the recovery rate remains impressive at 66%. In total, the ... Read more

Radisson has announced the opening of its new property near the Atlanta Airport. The hotel named Radisson Hotel Atlanta Airport is located just minutes from the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) and a short drive from downtown Atlanta. Guests can enjoy access to a complimentary 24-hour airport shuttle, unique dining experiences at the hotel’s onsite restaurant, ample meeting space and modern amenities. With the health, safety and security of guests and team members as its utmost priority, the hotel has begun implementing the Radisson Hotels Safety Protocol program. “We couldn’t be prouder to open this incredible hotel near one of the ... Read more

The Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand (CAAT) will enforce a new rule requiring all passengers, even on Thai-owned chartered flights or special flights transitioning through Thailand to have a valid Covid-19 clearance certificate, the Bangkok Post has reported. CAAT has prohibited all transit flights with Covid-19 infected passengers following China’s temporary ban of two Thai registered airlines after several passengers tested positive upon arrival in China. In both cases the flights only transited through Bangkok, and no passengers disembarked. The carriers, Thai AirAsia X and Thai Lion Air, were flying from Jakarta and Kuala Lumpur earlier this month and reportedly stopped ... Read more

The government plans to begin a contentious travel initiative next week as planned, despite a resurgence in new coronavirus cases, by excluding hardest-hit Tokyo from the campaign. Trips by residents of Tokyo and journeys to and from the capital will be ineligible for the government’s subsidy program, which will begin on Wednesday in a bid to spur domestic travel, tourism minister Kazuyoshi Akaba told reporters. “We will commence the campaign, as we ask both the lodging industry and travellers to take measures to prevent the spread of the virus in the remaining 46 prefectures,” Akaba said. The government plans to ... Read more

Helge Braun, who has coordinated Germany’s fight against the pandemic from the start, said the government is considering limiting travel in and out of areas that see a sudden, unexplained surge in Covid-19 cases. “Our measures are appropriate to prevent a second big wave,” Braun told The Associated Press (AP) during an interview at the Chancellery in Berlin. “But this requires us to stay the course, not get careless in our measures, and maintain our respect for the virus.” Germans have watched in horror as cases in the United States, Brazil and elsewhere surged long after Germany flattened its own curve ... Read more

Etihad has added more destinations to its hand baggage only ‘Deal Fare’ which allows travellers to purchase lower fares in economy class if no checked baggage is required. Throughout July and August 2020, the Deal Fare will be introduced on routes including Belarus, Greece, India, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, Russia, Serbia, Seychelles, Sri Lanka, Sudan and Turkey. Initially, it was only available on flights between Abu Dhabi, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Lebanon, Egypt and Azerbaijan. Robin Kamark, chief commercial officer, Etihad said, “Following its success within the GCC region, we are excited to include more destinations that ... Read more

Qatar Airways, on Wednesday, became the first airline to resume operations to Velana International Airport (VIA) after Maldives reopened borders. According to the airline, the scheduled flights will connect via Hamad International Airport located in Doha, Qatar, with European and American destinations including London, Copenhagen, Stockholm and New York. Daily flights from Doha to Male’ will depart at 0205hrs and arrive at 0905hrs, while flights from Male’ to Doha will take off at 2000hrs and land at 2245hrs. “We are excited to resume scheduled flights to the very popular tourist destination of Malé, Maldives. We are even more delighted to ... Read more

With many tourists putting a halt on travelling, the economy in the state of Nebraska has been affected. During crane season, boardwalks and pathways surrounding Rowe Sanctuary are normally packed, but due to COVID-19 this year, they haven’t seen the number of visitors they normally would, Nebraska TV reports. “Well during crane season, you’d normally see 25 to 30 thousand through the door in six weeks,” said the Director for the Audubon Center at Rowe Sanctuary Bill Taddicken. As COVID-19 swept the nation, Taddicken said they were barely open for one week before having to shut down. “It’s been a ... Read more

Hungary will introduce international travel restrictions and tighten its border controls from today, as an effort to prevent a new wave of the Coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19), the head of the Prime Minister’s Office, Gergely Gulyás has announced. Gulyás has stressed that Hungary must prevent the virus from being imported from abroad, clarifying that there will not be any additional restrictive rules within the country, reports SchengenVisaInfo.com. “Hungary is today among the safest countries in Europe. But given new outbreaks around the world, the government is putting the health and safety of Hungarians foremost and is doing everything possible to prevent the ... Read more

Sri Lanka’s Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA) is gearing up to set up branches across the island that will improve the services extended.  Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA) Chairperson Kimarli Fernando said that plans are afoot to have SLTDA branches in each of the provinces so that the needs and requirements of tourists are well looked after, Mirror Business has reported. “In the past, provinces worked separately, but now we are looking at an ‘all of the country’ approach for tourism. For this we are working closely with the provinces and the relevant authorities.  So far, the support extended for ... Read more

As Michigan hits its peak tourism months, owners of resorts and restaurants are saying a quiet prayer. They have immense concerns on what lies ahead and many say they have one goal for 2020: survival. According to a report by CBS News, many tourism entrepreneurs are still optimistic about the summer, although business was down in June compared to last year. A few of them are finding it difficult to budget their business without knowing what’s ahead. “Everybody knows this will not be a year to thrive, it’ll be a year simply to survive as a business,” said Dave Lorenz, ... Read more

Air Arabia Abu Dhabi, the capital’s first low-cost carrier, on Tuesday marked the inauguration of its operations with its first flight to Alexandria in Egypt. A second Air Arabia Abu Dhabi flight will operate from the UAE’s capital to the Nile city of Sohag today. The new airline has started its operations with two Airbus A320 aircraft based at Abu Dhabi International Airport, offering the same value-for-money product and services provided by Sharjah-based Air Arabia. The airline was formed following an agreement by Etihad Airways and Air Arabia to establish an independent joint venture company that will operate as a ... Read more

Hotel Association of India (HAI), the apex body of the hotel industry in India, has said it will wholeheartedly support Jammu & Kashmir’s further development as a tourism destination. At the recently concluded India Global Week, KB Kachru, Vice President, Hotel Association of India and Chairman Emeritus and Principal Advisor South Asia, Radisson Hotel Group called on investors to consider J&K for their new ventures citing good returns based on promising infrastructure and in the Union Territory.  The India Global Week 2020 was recently inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and witnessed the presence of several luminaries from across the ... Read more

More than 500 Nicaraguan workers in the tourism and hotel industry, who have lost their jobs due to the Covid-19 health crisis, have been stranded for more than three months in the Cayman Islands,  because of the government’s refusal to allow them their right to return home, says a report by Confidencial, a leading weekly newspaper. “We want to return to our homeland; it is our constitutional right. We are out of work, and we are surviving thanks to the good heart of the government and the people of the Cayman Islands who have been supporting us”, said Earny Atly, ... Read more