Category: Top Stories

The Aruba Tourism Authority has announced a new destination booking policy for couples dreaming of booking a 2021 wedding or honeymoon.  Couples can now book their event of a lifetime with the participating hotel or resort venues of their choice with confidence, knowing their special occasion can be postponed due to COVID-19 pandemic issues, by providing a 30-day notice period. As part of Aruba’s ‘Happily Ever After Guarantee’ program, weddings and honeymoons booked for 2021 can be postponed for up to a year from the original event date.  “With nearly 316 million people under lockdown in the U.S. alone, the travel and weddings industry ... Read more

The number of foreign tourists in Thailand may plunge by almost two-thirds to 14 million this year. This will be the lowest level in 14 years, as the coronavirus pandemic hits global travel, according to estimates from the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), a Reuters report said. The TAT now predicts only 14 million to 16 million foreign visitors this year, sharply down from 33.8 million projected in March. Last year’s foreign arrivals were a record 39.8 million. Tourism is crucial to Thailand as spending from foreign tourists amounted to 1.93 trillion baht ($59.98 billion), or 11% of GDP last ... Read more

The airline and travel industries are adopting novel measures to build confidence among travellers. CarTrawler, a Dublin based mobility solutions provider, has come up with a report about the various ways in which the companies are trying to drive up confidence among consumers. Airlines, hotels, vacation rentals, car hires, airport transfers, and sightseeing companies are already making decisions to ensure the safety of their customers, the report said. This confidence will be built in layers, and here are some of the examples provided in the report: Emirates prohibits large carry-on bags in an effort to reduce congestion in the aisles ... Read more

The Civil Aviation Ministry has come out with a draft standard operating procedure (SOP) for commencing commercial passenger services in the country, that will make travelling safer but more tedious. The passengers will need to show the `green status’ on their Aarogya Setu app, go through temperature checks, do web check-in and fill up a detailed questionnaire, if the draft is approved. One of the key recommendations is not to allow cabin baggage in the aircraft. The passengers will also have to reach airport at least two hours before the flight departure. The draft SOP has also mooted having the ... Read more

Sri Lanka has further extended the validity period of all visas for foreigners until June 11, and has advised getting it endorsed before the period lapses. The previous extension granted on April 1 will lapse on May 12. “Applicants shall pay the relevant visa fee and get the visa endorsed in the passport by securing an appointment via https://eservices.immigration.gov.lk/vs/home.php on or before June 11,” the immigration department said. Foreigners experiencing difficulties in booking their appointments online have been advised to contact +94070710050 between 9 am and 4 pm. Reports suggest that there are more than 10,000 tourists in Sri Lanka, ... Read more

Colombia’s national airline, Avianca, has filed for bankruptcy protection in a US court. The carrier is the second-largest in Latin America, but its passenger operations have been grounded since March because of coronavirus. It said the pandemic had cut more than 80% of its income, and it was struggling with high fixed costs. If it fails to come out of bankruptcy, Avianca will be the first major airline to go under amid the pandemic. In a statement, the firm said it had filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in a court in New York. The process postpones a US company’s ... Read more

Georgia is setting the goal of becoming the first country to open its doors to foreign tourists starting July 1 after months of lockdown due to the coronavirus pandemic. It’s welcoming international travellers with a new slogan – ‘Georgia – Safe Destination!’. Georgia will resume domestic tourism starting June 15 and will receive international tourists starting July 1. “We will do this by creating a safe corridor on land borders with our neighbouring countries, as well as by bilateral negotiations with countries that are interesting for us in terms of tourism”, said Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia when presented a ... Read more

Thousands of employees at a hospital in the epicentre of America’s fight against the coronavirus are being rewarded for their hard work, CNN has reported. More than 4,000 hospital staff — including doctors, physician assistants, nurses, and facilities and food service teams — at NYC Health + Hospitals/Elmhurst were surprised with a three-night complimentary vacation, Hyatt and American Airlines have announced. The two companies collaborated to treat the frontline workers with free round trip flights on American Airlines to Hyatt hotels in select destinations across the US and Caribbean “to help them recharge and reconnect with their loved ones” once ... Read more

Airlines for America (A4A), the industry trade organization for the leading US airlines, announced that its member carriers are supporting the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) to begin checking the temperature of the traveling public and customer-facing employees as long as necessary during the COVID-19 public health crisis. Temperature checks are one of several public health measures recommended by the CDC amid the COVID-19 pandemic and will add an extra layer of protection for passengers as well as airline and airport employees. Temperature checks also will provide additional public confidence that is critical to relaunching air travel and our nation’s economy. ... Read more

Russian tour operators are expecting tourists for New Year celebrations. “For the fourth year in a row, we will be arranging New Year’s tours. This year, these groups have not yet been cancelled, so we and our partners hope that these trips will take place,” says Igor Kuzmin, a tour operator. The period from April to October (traditionally high season for inbound tourism in Russia) is usually in greatest demand. Trips are planned by tourists from Taiwan, Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand, and Singapore for this period. Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin has extended for an indefinite period the ban on the entry ... Read more

The Ministry of Tourism has set up a new fund under the Champion Sector in Services Scheme (CSSS) to encourage MICE operators to bring more conferences and seminars to India. The MICE (Meetings, incentives, conferences, exhibitions) operators will now be able to avail financial incentives in the form of GST reimbursements. The incentive would be made available for a period of three years. A prior approval from the Ministry will be required to avail these incentives along with a no-objection certificate from the concerned travel trade association. The Ministry has made India Convention Promotion Bureau (ICPB) as the nodal agency ... Read more

Besides being colonized by the Portuguese, Goa has a fascinating historical past, which dates back further to the 3rd century BC. A prominent part of the Mauryan Empire, Goa enjoyed prime importance because of its natural harbours and wide river base. Only in 1987 did Goa get the status of an independent state and the regional language Konkani was recognized as one of India’s official languages. Despite the multi-cultural influences on Goa, the state still boasts of a distinctive culture, which makes the destination an affable one. Fairs and festivals in Goa are really a refreshing experience for the town ... Read more

Five international air transport and tourism bodies have launched an appeal to international financial institutions, country development partners and international donors to support Africa’s travel & tourism sector which employs some 24.6 million people on the African continent. Without urgent funding, the COVID-19 crisis could see a collapse of the sector in Africa, taking with it millions of jobs. The sector contributes $169 billion to Africa’s economy combined, representing 7.1% of the continent’s GDP. The request is being made by the International Air Transport Association (IATA), the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) of the United Nations, the World Travel & Tourism ... Read more

Goa will have to reinvent its tourism profile and go back to the pristine 1960s, in a bid to get the industry back on its feet, Tourism Minister Manohar Ajgaonkar said on Thursday. Speaking to reporters outside Chief Minister Pramod Sawant’s official residence in Panaji, Ajgaonkar said that the state would only focus on “wealthy tourists” and stay away from budget tourism in the future. “We have to recreate the Goa of the 1960s to kickstart our tourism again. In 1960s, Goa was beautiful and now in 2020 it is very different with more than 8 million visiting tourists,” the ... Read more

The Shanghai Disneyland has decided to open again, for the benefit of tourists. During the initial reopening phase, the park will operate with additional procedures and limited attendance. The Shanghai Disney Resort (SDR) has announced that the Shanghai Disneyland theme park will officially reopen to the public on May 11. The initial park reopening will demonstrate a deliberate approach, drawing on the experience from the successful reopening of Disneytown, Wishing Star Park and Shanghai Disneyland Hotel in early March, implemented with enhanced health and safety measures. During this initial reopening phase, the park will institute new measures and procedures, including ... Read more