Category: News

Travellers arriving at airports in the UAE could be among the first passengers in the world to undergo Covid-19 detection by police dogs. K9 sniffer dogs have been stationed at airports across the country to help detect traces of the coronavirus from passenger samples, according to a report by The National. Specially trained dogs at Dubai International Airport are working to track possible infections using swabs gathered from arriving passengers. “An area was dedicated to detect Covid-19 using K9 police dogs at Dubai International Airport,” said Major Salah Al Mazrooei from Dubai Police. “Samples are taken in collaboration with partners ... Read more

The Confederation of Kerala Tourism Industries (CKTI) is seeking urgent financial aid from the government for the survival of the sector that has been ravaged by the coronavirus pandemic. The confederation said the government should take additional measures to help the 15 lakh employees who are directly linked to the travel/tourism/hospitality segment. Meanwhile, following a series of online meetings that saw representation from 35 registered trade associations, CKTI re-elected EM Najeeb as its chairman. The main objective is to ensure survival and then the revival of the industry, CKTI stated in a press release. The tourism sector is the most ... Read more

Europe’s airline and airport associations have written to Prime Ministers, Transport, Health and Home Affairs Ministers across the European Union, Schengen and the UK, stating their concerns over their failure to implement coherent and scientific approaches to travel restrictions. The letter, sent jointly from Airports Council International Europe (ACI Europe), Airlines for Europe (A4E) and the International Air Transport Association (IATA), is highly critical of the introduction of new restrictions relating to selected countries. Many of these restrictions, state the organisations, are inconsistent with the principles laid out by the World Health Organization(WHO) and theEuropean Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC). The aviation sector has been dealt a ... Read more

Air India has announced 12 additional flights from August 18-30 to Canada and Vancouver from Delhi under the 5th phase of the Vande Bharat Mission. Bookings for the flights are now open on the airline’s official website or booking offices. As India is set to begin the fifth phase, more bilateral air bubbles are expected to be announced with more countries. The fourth phase of the Vande Bharat Mission brought back as much as 2.5 lakh Indians from 53 countries around the world. Under phase 4, a total of 1,197 flights have been scheduled so far, including 945 international flights ... Read more

Kuwait’s international airport will resume commercial flights to 20 countries from August 1. The resumption will be carried out in a three-stage re-opening, five months after it suspended operations due to the coronavirus pandemic. Flights will initially cover eight countries in the Middle East, including the UAE, Bahrain, Oman and Lebanon; six in Europe, including the UK, Germany and Switzerland; five in Asia, including Sri Lanka, Pakistan, India and the Philippines; and to Ethiopia as the lone African destination, Kuwait’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said in a statement. The government’s three-stage re-opening took into account the importance of ... Read more

The Indian Government and the State Government of Kerala should be held responsible for their criminal negligence towards the struggling travel and tourism sector, tourism body ATTOI has contended, citing instances of employees committing suicide. While many other countries, both developed and developing, have come forward with plans to support the industry, the Indian government and the state of Kerala have ignored the sector, ATTOI President Vinod CS has said. Even neighbouring countries like Sri Lanka and states such as Himachal Pradesh have given shape to financial packages and benefits for tourism employees, but God’s Own Country hasn’t come to ... Read more

Kerala Tourism will increase its cooperation with other state tourism departments and the Central Government to avoid issues in inter-state travel, said Tourism Minister Kadakampally Surendran on Friday. The Minister said he expects tourists to start visiting Kerala Tourist Places in the next one or two months. He was speaking at the concluding session of the two-day e-Conclave organized by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) with the participation of representatives from various states and the Central Government on the future of tourism. In the first phase, ayurveda, eco-tourism and adventure tourism sectors will be strengthened ... Read more

India’s aviation regulator DGCA on Friday extended the suspension of scheduled international flights to and from the country till August 31. However, this restriction will not apply to international cargo operations and flights specifically approved by the DGCA. “The government has decided to extend the suspension on the scheduled international commercial passenger services to/ from India up to 2359 hours IST of 31st August,” the DGCA said in a statement.  DGCA, on July 3 had extended the ban on international flights until July 31 after it was suspended till July 15. According to senior government officials, the ban was extended ... Read more

Delta is continuing to make it easier for customers to book, change or cancel their travel plans, and to fly comfortably with more space for safer travel. Effective July 30: We’re extending our change-fee waiver to new flights purchased through August 31. We’re offering the ability to rebook travel for up to two years for customers who purchased flights prior to April 17, 2020, that are pending travel through the end of year. We’re implementing automatic seat blocks through at least September 30, which will automatically block seats adjacent to those selected by a customer once a reservation is complete ... Read more

The responsible restart of tourism is underway around the world as growing numbers of destinations ease COVID-19 related travel restrictions and adapt to the new reality. According to the latest analysis from the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), 40% of all destinations worldwide have now eased the restrictions they placed on international tourism in response to COVID-19. The United Nations specialized agency for tourism has been monitoring global responses to the pandemic from the start of the crisis. This latest outlook, recorded on 19 July, is up from 22% of destinations that had eased restrictions on travel by 15 June and the 3% ... Read more

Flight bookings from India to Abu Dhabi, Dubai, and Sharjah will resume from today, Air India has announced. The airline has opened bookings for India-UAE flights on the departure leg of the repatriation flights under the Vande Bharat Mission. The bookings will be open till August 15. Bookings are however open for residence visa holders with ICA or GDRFA approval and a valid Covid-19 PCR test report in the printed form, from a government-approved laboratory. The airline has notified passengers not to travel with expired ICA or GDRFA approvals. Only resident permit passengers with stamped passport copy can book tickets ... Read more

World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) is calling upon Governments around the world to begin a substantial programme of investment to ensure comprehensive testing facilities are implemented at airports, which will help prevent the spread of Covid-19 and see the return of safe travels.  “It is imperative that all airports, catering for international travel, implement globally recognised testing standards for both inbound and outbound passengers,” said Gloria Guevara, WTTC’s President & CEO. “This will provide reassurance to all travellers, maintain ‘air corridors’ between countries, and remove damage and disruption caused by blunt quarantines which massively impact the recovery of the travel ... Read more

Travel firm TUI said it will shut 166 stores in the UK and Ireland in response to the downturn in travel caused by the coronavirus pandemic, Reuters has reported. COVID-19 has wiped out holidays abroad for Europeans for months. Now the threat of a second wave of infections and new restrictions on travel during the usually lucrative summer season are causing more pain in a sector where balance sheets are already strained. TUI’s UK unit was forced to cancel thousands of holidays earlier this week when Britain advised against travel to Spain, bringing back a 14-day quarantine rule for arrivals ... Read more

The Kerala High Court has refused to grant any relief to Johnny Paul Pierce, a 74-year-old US citizen, who had sought extension of his stay in India as he feels safer in Kerala than in America. The high court said that extension of visa tenure of foreign nationals is the exclusive domain of the Government of India. Justice CS Dias observed that a foreign citizen cannot claim fundamental right to reside and settle in India, adding that the power of the Government of India to expel foreigners is absolute and unlimited. Pierce’s visa is valid till January 26, 2025, but ... Read more

Dubai-based carrier Emirates is gearing up for a busy travel period this weekend, for the Eid holiday. Customers are reminded to check the latest travel requirements, and to arrive at the airport at least three hours before their flight departure to avoid any delays. Peak travel is expected to start this evening, with Thursday, July 30, marking the busiest time for departures in Terminal 3. Passengers are encouraged to build in extra time to avoid any delays with expected traffic congestion. Passengers physically checking in at the airport are requested to check in no later than 3 hours prior to departure, ... Read more