Category: Top Stories

A new report has revealed the vital contribution that travel & tourism will make to Asia-Pacific’s economic recovery, once the COVID-19 pandemic has been overcome. The report by the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC), which represents the global travel & tourism private sector, in its annual Economic Impact Report (EIR) shows how big a part the sector played in driving the economy in the region last year. Driven by the continued growth in middle income households, visa facilitation, improved connectivity and government prioritisation of the sector, travel & tourism generated $2,971 billion USD last year towards GDP, or 9.8% ... Read more

British Airways had decided to temporarily suspend more than 30,000 of its cabin crew and ground staff, following the corona virus outbreak. The airline, which has grounded most of its fleet, has been locked in talks with unions for more than a week. BA boss Alex Cruz told staff that a large majority of employees would be suspended for the next two months. He said the government’s job retention scheme would fund 80% of their wages. Explaining the decision, Cruz said: “We need to act now to protect jobs and ensure that BA comes out the other side of this ... Read more

Amid the corona virus pandemic that has grounded a majority of planes across the world, Qatar Airways Cargo has said it has started 19 weekly flights between Doha and India to get goods such as pharmaceutical products using its passenger aircraft. These flights are scheduled to start from Wednesday. “These flights will be in addition to the cargo carrier’s existing freighter services and have been introduced as a result of strong demand for Indian products such as pharmaceuticals and fresh produce,” a press statement by the airline said. The airline will operate freight-only passenger aircraft to Delhi (3 weekly flights), ... Read more

United Airlines is partnering with New York City to provide free round-trip flights for medical volunteers who want to help in the frontline fight against the COVID-19 crisis. The airline is working closely with the Mayor’s Fund to Advance New York City and a network of medical volunteer organizations, including The Society of Critical Care Medicine, to coordinate travel for doctors, nurses and other medical professionals from across the country to help treat patients, in this time of unprecedented need. “Our healthcare workers are heroes, and they need reinforcements,” said New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio. “This generous partnership ... Read more

The Russian government is mulling a complete ban on domestic travel, both by air and rail, in the face of the COVID-19 threat. Further restrictions on all kinds of movements across the country are also being discussed, according to the state-run news agency’s source. From March 27 a ban on international air travel has been in effect, with the exception of special charter flights repatriating Russian citizens, so that the country will have closed all border crossings on March 30. However, no restrictions have so far been imposed on domestic air services and the country’s airlines are continuing to operate ... Read more

Dubai has promised financial assistance for state-owned carrier Emirates as various international airlines look for government bailouts amid the corona virus pandemic. The government will inject new equity into the carrier, one of the world’s leading long-haul airlines, during this “critical period”, Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed Al Maktoum, the crown prince, said in a statement, according a Financial Times report. Dubai is the latest government to intervene in the sector reeling from the coronavirus pandemic. The global airline industry will burn through $61bn of their cash reserves during the second quarter of this year, according to the latest forecast from ... Read more

Qatar Airways, one of the world’s most premium airlines, has said that there will be a temporary staff reduction of 40% at Hamad International Airport due to the coronavirus pandemic. Reductions occurred across various areas including food and beverage, retail and ground staff, Bloomberg said in a report, quoting a spokesman. The move is being made as a short-term response in light of the reduction in passenger numbers through the airport. Affected staff will either be working at home, on leave or taking unpaid leave, just not physically in the airport, the spokesman said. Airlines are among the hardest hit ... Read more

The Asia Pacific Travel Retail Association (APTRA) is calling on governments in over 45 countries across the region to support 320,000 local and front-line employees working in the duty free and travel retail industry. APTRA has said the various national governments in the Asia Pacific region should look to include the duty free and travel retail industry in the same financial support packages as airlines, airports and maritime industries. This $36bn industry is at risk of being overlooked by politicians as they devise financial rescue measures to cope with the COVID-19 crisis, APTRA said. Airport Retail and commercial services, including ... Read more

The Association of Tourism Trade Organisations India (ATTOI) has conducted a virtual members conference, and said various tourism stakeholders should reach out to tourists who had previously visited the state, in order to rekindle connections. As one of the key members of ATTOI, Baby Mathew said that over time thousands and thousands of tourists have visited Kerala. If hotels and resorts can reach out to them via e-mail or any other suitable platform just to enquire about their well-being, that would be a great gesture. This is a time to keep up marketing efforts and keep in touch with guests. ... Read more

Air Canada has said that it has begun using its cargo division aircraft to operate cargo-only flights to Europe, with other flights planned for Latin America and South America. The aircraft on these flights carry no passengers but move time-sensitive shipments, including medical supplies to combat COVID-19, and goods to support the global economy. “Air Canada Cargo has long served as a vital link in global supply chains and with the disruption arising from the COVID-19 pandemic our capabilities are more important than ever. Although we have announced very significant temporary capacity reductions and our passenger flights are largely dedicated ... Read more

Alaska Airlines has announced plans to reduce its flight schedule for April and May by approximately 70% following historic and unprecedented falloff in demand related to the COVID-19 outbreak across the U.S. and beyond. Flight schedules for June and beyond will be based on demand, but it is our expectation that reductions will be substantial for at least the next several months. As a result of the outbreak, government leaders across the country have appropriately encouraged social distancing and discouraged or restricted travel. As a result, Alaska – like other airlines – is seeing demand reductions of more than 80%. ... Read more

Mahindra, chairman of Mahindra Group, has offered to convert Mahindra Holiday Resorts as temporary health care facilities. “Going by various reports from epidemiologists, it is highly likely that India is already in stage-3 of transmission. Cases could rise exponentially with millions of casualties, putting a huge strain on medical infrastructure,” Mahindra said in a series of tweets. He further said, “A lockdown over the next few weeks will help flatten the curve and moderate the peak pressure on medical care. However, we need to create scores of temporary hospitals and we have a scarcity of ventilators.” Mahindra plans to make ... Read more

Foreign nationals who have visited one of the countries mentioned below in the past 14 days cannot enter the United States, the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDCP) has said. The countries mentioned in the list are China, Iran, Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Monaco, San Marino, Vatican City, United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland. American citizens, lawful permanent residents and their families, who have been in one of these countries will be allowed to enter the United States but ... Read more

If you are traveling to Mumbai for a meeting, think again.  All offices in Mumbai and a few other cities in Maharashtra will be closed till March 31 to fight the spread of the corona virus, chief minister Uddhav Thackeray said on Friday. Only essential services will operate in Mumbai, Pune, Pimpri Chinchwad and Nagpur, the Chief Minister said as the number of cases in Maharashtra climbed to 52. He asked employers not to stop employee salaries. “Crises will come and go but don’t stop your humanity,” said Uddhav Thackeray. He also said stopping public transport would be the “last ... Read more

Uber has suspended its shared ‘Uber Pool’ class of rides, the company has said. The Uber Pool option would match up to three passengers together in one vehicle based on their destination. But the service is now seen as risky, with the spread of the corona virus. Uber Rides and Platforms Vice President Andrew Macdonald said that the company’s “goal is to help flatten the curve on community spread in the cities we serve” through suspension of the service. Its competitor Lyft has also announced that it would be “pausing shared ride options” across all markets where it offers them.