Category Archives: News

Dubai airport to change on-arrival PCR test rule

dubai airport

Dubai-based airline Emirates has said that on-arrival polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests will be mandatory only for passengers from specific countries, starting August 1. The airline has issued a list of 29 such countries, Gulf News reports. These countries include India, Brazil, Bangladesh, Egypt, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Kazakhstan, Nigeria, Pakistan, Russia, Philippines, South Africa, Sri […]

Thanks to “Work From Hotel” offers, the US hospitality sector is buzzing

hotel workspace

Leisure travel to downtown Los Angeles has sagged during the coronavirus pandemic, but guest rooms at the 94-year-old Hotel Figueroa are hot commodities as always. These days, however, most guests are locals taking day trips from home so they can work. A special program titled Work Perks aims to reposition some of the hotel’s 268 rooms as […]

British Airways owner, IAG, gets $955 million from Amex deal

british airways

British Airways-owner International Airlines Group (IAG) has said that American Express would pay it 750 million pounds ($955 million) to renew their partnership, providing a welcome boost to the airline’s finances at a time when it is burning through cash. Since lockdowns have eased, flying has restarted, but pressure remains on airline companies like IAG […]

Fly an empty A380 to nowhere, keep trainee pilots certified

Airbus A380 cabin

Airlines are taking extreme measures to survive the pandemic, with Asiana Airlines Inc. flying the world’s biggest commercial plane more than 20 times, going nowhere and carrying no passengers, just to keep trainee pilots certified, Bloomberg has said. Keeping crew flight-ready is one of the challenges carriers face as they grapple with the unprecedented crisis […]

Want to work from a beach? Welcome to Barbados

barbados tourism

Imagine working under swaying palm trees, with a drink in hand, looking into the sea? Classy restaurants and golf courses can be seen at a distance, for your consideration. Water sports and massages can come in handy too, when you need some break at work. Is it for real? Yes it is. Welcome to Barbados. Like […]

Consortium raises $100 million to revive Jet Airways

jet airways

A consortium of Flight Simulation Technique Centre, Big Charter and Imperial Capital Investments LLC has reportedly secured $100 million that will be pumped into Jet Airways in order to revive the defunct airline. The consortium is one of the two bidders that submitted resolution plans for Jet Airways earlier this week. Lenders had shortlisted it, along with […]

Germany to make coronavirus tests mandatory for all travellers

colonge germany

Germany has decided to ask all travellers to go through compulsory coronavirus testing before entering the country. “We are checking whether it is legally possible to make someone do a test, because it would be an encroachment on freedom,” Health Minister Jens Spahn told a local radio channel. Compared to the rest of the European countries, […]

FICCI’s virtual Tourism Conclave to discuss way forward for travel sector

FICCI

Prahlad Singh Patel, India’s Minister of State for Tourism and Culture, will inaugurate the two-day ‘FICCI Tourism Conclave’ on July 29. The conclave is being organised with a vision to bring together global thought leaders and key policy makers from the travel & tourism industry under one virtual platform to ideate, interact and share knowledge. The […]

Norway tells Tom Cruise, ‘Mission Possible’

norway tourism

The Norwegian government will make an exception for Tom Cruise and his crew to shoot parts of his latest “Mission: Impossible” movie in Norway this autumn without imposing quarantine requirements, says a Reuters report. Production of the seventh and eighth instalments of Paramount Pictures’ lucrative action movie franchise was halted in February due to the […]

With domestic travel in a lull, Maharashtra urged to open malls

Banganga Tank maharastra

In an effort to save jobs of around 50 lakh people and encourage domestic travel, the Shopping Centres Association of India (SCAI) has written to Maharashtra Tourism Minister Aaditya Thackeray to reopen malls which have remained shut since March due to the pandemic. Covid-19 has affected 3.47 lakh people and claimed 12,854 lives in the […]

Bulgaria looks to provide tourism vouchers to promote domestic travel

Kardzhali Dam bulgaria

Bulgaria’s new Tourism Minister, Mariana Nikolova, has said the country’s resorts, tourist attractions, rich history and natural beauty need advertising as safe and secure destinations for vacationing. Today, people working in tourism need the support of the state as is done in all European countries, she said, according to a report by Novinite. “I take on the Ministry […]

SpiceJet gets picked to fly to the UK as India’s scheduled carrier

spice jet airlines

SpiceJet has been designated as “India’s scheduled carrier” to operate flight services to the UK from India, the Gurugram-based no-frills airline said in a regulatory filing on Friday. The announcement came just one day after it was picked to fly on India-US routes by the governments of the two countries under the bilateral air services pact, […]

India missing from Switzerland’s tourism radar

Switzerland

With the panic surrounding the Covid-19 pandemic starting to subside in Europe, Switzerland has opened its doors for global tourism, but not for India. From July 20, in tune with European Union guidelines, Switzerland lifted restrictions for travellers from 21 countries apart from European nations. But India — currently ranking third on the world Corona […]

Travel returns to normal in New Zealand

new zealand tourism

New Zealanders got out in force around the country during the school holidays, with some areas enjoying a boost of more than 50% in domestic tourist numbers compared to last year, according to a report by New Zealand Herald. New data shows the number of New Zealanders outside of their home region peaked at 550,000 […]

Italy introduces holiday bonus to revive domestic travel

marmore falls italy

As coronavirus fears continue to ravage Italy’s tourism industry – despite the country’s extraordinary cultural heritage – the government is subsidising some of its citizens to go on holiday in their home country, according to a report by France 24. Italy was one of the first countries to reopen its borders to European Union (EU) tourists in June. Nevertheless, tourism is […]