Category: Top Stories

Air Arabia, the Sharjah-based low-cost airline, has opened regular passenger flight bookings on its online reservation portal with effect from June 1. The move has made the aviation sector sit up and take note, as this was not expected to happen so quickly. The airline had earlier mentioned on its website that the flights are suspended until May 30. Any passenger can now book the flight by visiting the Air Arabia website to destinations including Karachi and Peshawar in Pakistan; Mumbai, Delhi, Trivandrum in India; Dhaka in Bangladesh; Beirut, Lebanon; Cairo, Egypt; Moscow, Russia; and some other European and Eastern ... Read more

The Himachal Pradesh government has decided to waive off electricity charges for a period of six months, in a major relief to the travel and hospitality sector in the state. The move is expected to provide a relief of around Rs 15 crore. The excise and taxation license fee would also be waived off, the government said. A decision to this effect was taken in the Cabinet meeting chaired by chief minister Jairam Thakur. A presentation was made in the Cabinet regarding steps taken for economic revival and economic reforms to be initiated by the state government after lockdown. Several ... Read more

Norwegian Cruise Line, the world’s third-largest cruise operator, has warned there is “substantial doubt” that it will be able to continue in the industry, following the severe impact of the corona virus pandemic on travel. The company, which is listed on the New York stock market, said: “Covid-19 has had, and is expected to continue to have, a significant impact on our financial condition and operations, which adversely affects our ability to obtain acceptable financing.” In a filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Norwegian said the difficulties it had experienced arranging emergency funding had “raised substantial doubt ... Read more

Punjab may not be on top of the chart for many of  the domestic Indian travellers, but the sheer variety of attractions that it offers is difficult to match. Let’s look at some of the destinations you may want to visit in Punjab. There are very few places in India that can match Punjab for its historical significance and religious landmarks. The Ministry of Tourism conducted a webinar on ‘Punjab – Beyond the brochure’ as part of its Dekho Apna Desh series to highlight its uniqueness. ·     The Majha region of Punjab covers the area between Beas and Ravi rivers, including the area on the north of Sutlej, after ... Read more

When the aviation sector finally gets to operate globally – though no one knows when that would be – there could be some remarkable changes in the way we fly. Here are some of the possibilities: ·     Most likely you will be wearing a mask ·     Middle seats will be empty ·     Many short haul flights may not have cabin service ·     The flight attendant will also be wearing a mask ·     Queue at immigration will take longer to clear ·     Social distancing at every stage ·     Border control will have mandatory swab tests ·     Quarantine will be a norm, even if you test negative at the airport ... Read more

Virtual guided tours are picking up steam this year. As no one can really go out and experience a real vacation due to the epidemic, many online tour companies are creating virtual tourism experiences. One such company is the online tour company Walks, which has put together a selection of `Tours from Home’ offered by expert guides, chefs and storytellers. But while Stephen Oddo, the CEO and founder of Walks, was happy to find a way to provide small income source to some of the company’s tour guides as well as a way to keep brand awareness high, he also ... Read more

Puerto Rico is trying out innovative methods to keep tourists interested. Discover Puerto Rico has been aiming to keep their destination in the thoughts of past and potentially new visitors through videos and Instagram live sessions, and is now looking to take the next step. It is taking virtual experiences of the island a step further by launching live guided tours with Google Earth. In working with Discover Puerto Rico, Jorge Montalvo, founder of Patria Tours, will host a series of three live guided tours kicking off the week of Sunday, May 3 through Saturday, May 9. Starting in timing ... Read more

In the first half of April, a New York Times article wrote on a couple stranded in Maldives on a “never-ending honeymoon”. They are still stuck there along with hundreds of other tourists, as flights have been cancelled. “There is nowhere to go. The couple reign like benign yet captive sovereigns over their islet. The days are long and lazy. They sleep in, snorkel, lounge by the pool, repeat,” the NYT wrote. It may sound like fun to get stranded in a tropical paradise like Maldives, but the tourists are running short of funds. In an interview to CNN, Ali ... Read more

Goa would like to open its doors to tourism once the lock-down gets lifted on May 17, state Chief Minister Pramod Sawant has said. “After May 17 we would like to welcome tourists, if the central guidelines allow it. We are waiting for the central guidelines. Goa is coronavirus-free and that’s a positive thing,” Sawant said. The Chief Minister said that there was a buzz in the tourism industry, with Goa being declared coronavirus-free. Sawant said the state government would request the Centre for a bailout package for the tourism industry, which is one of the worst-hit due to the ... Read more

For many millions of people around the world, tourism is so much more than a leisure activity. Tourism gives them the chance to make a living. To earn not just a wage, but also dignity and equality. Tourism jobs also empower people and provide a chance to have a stake in their own societies – often for the first time. This is what is at risk right now, UNWTO has said. The International Labor Organization, a fellow UN agency of UNWTO, has raised the alarm: As many as 1.6 billion individuals worldwide could be affected by a loss of working ... Read more

Chinese tourism is back in action and ready to welcome tourists from all over the world. About 70% of China’s tourist attractions reopened on Thursday itself, according to China’s Ministry of Culture and Tourism. More sites including the Forbidden City in Beijing, reopened on Friday, news agency Reuters has reported. Staff at the entrance to the Gubei Water Town checked visitors’ temperatures and health tracking codes. And inside, they directed tourists to stand one metre apart and stores used ropes to keep large crowds from forming. Everyone wore masks. Room bookings also picked up since Thursday after Beijing and nearby ... Read more

California governor Gavin Newsom ordered all beaches and state parks in Orange County to temporarily close, after images in the news showed crowds gathering on beaches violating the state’s physical distancing rules. Beaches and all state parks in California will be closed, effective Friday, May 1. Activity seen on only a few beaches threatened the progress California has made in battling coronavirus, the governor said Thursday. “Specific issues on some of those beaches raised alarm bells,” Newsom said. The vast majority of coastlines saw people following the statewide orders, he said. But the “density, the volume of people, concentrated space, ... Read more

Greece is looking to reopen the country to tourists from July onwards, as it looks to kick-start its economy again after being hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic. Tourism accounts for up to 12% of Greece’s GDP, with revenues of $20 billion in 2019. Greece went under lockdown on March 23 and is looking to lift restrictions from Monday, while hotels will be allowed to reopen on June 1. Greece is regarded as one of the most preferred travel destinations in the world. “We do want people to come to Greece,” Tourism Minister Harry Theoharis said in an interview with ... Read more

Tawang, the picturesque tourist destination in Arunachal Pradesh, has launched an app that can be used for online registration of persons entering the district after the lock-down is lifted. An official communication from the state said that the app, developed by the district administration at Tawang, would help officials at entry gates fill up the details of the persons entering the district. The same will be directly fed to the server installed in district headquarters. Through this the officials at the headquarters would have direct information about the people entering Tawang. Besides minimising the manpower required for collecting information, the ... Read more

Switzerland Tourism, while encouraging travelers across the world to stay home and stay safe, has launched a new campaign — #dreamnowtravellater — to keep hope afloat in travelers across the world, giving them something to look forward to when the pandemic is finally behind us. Under normal circumstances, most of us right now would be diligently planning our summer vacations this year, but these are not normal times. As the COVID-19 pandemic spreads across major parts of the world, many countries are doing what they can to keep their citizens safe. Restrictions on domestic and global travel is one of ... Read more