Category: News

Bermuda is reopening its doors to all visitors from July 1, Forbes has reported. Located only 650 miles off the coast of North Carolina, Bermuda is ready to welcome even American guests, who are restricted from entering several other countries. But there are, of course, conditions to be met. Travellers need to have a negative COVID-19 test done within 72 hours of their flight, wear face masks and practice social distancing at their departure airport and in the flight, and upon arrival undergo another coronavirus test at the airport or their accommodation and quarantine until the results are in. Temperature ... Read more

Myanmar is expecting to restart domestic tourism in the third quarter of this year, an official from the Ministry of Hotels and Tourism told Xinhua on Saturday. Under the COVID-19 Tourism Relief Plan recently launched by the ministry, domestic tourism will resume soon to help the tourism sector recover. The tourism ministry and Religious Affairs and Culture Ministry are in talks to reopen the pagodas and cultural sites so as to restart domestic tourism very soon. By the fourth quarter of this year, Myanmar will restart travel with neighbouring countries such as Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam and Thailand, the official said. ... Read more

The Uttarakhand government will prepare an action plan for the tourism sector, hit badly by the Covid-19 lockdown. Chief minister Trivendra Singh Rawat has instructed officials to prepare an action plan for tourism, via an online meeting over the weekend. Ashwini Lohani, advisor to the Chardham Devasthanam Board and Subhash Goyal, general secretary of the Federation of Associations in Indian Tourism and Hospitality (FAITH) were present during the meeting. “There is a need to encourage tourism apart from the peak tourist period, especially in places located on the travel route. Suggestions of pilgrims and locals should also be obtained on ... Read more

Egypt’s tourism ministry is scrapping tourist visa fees for the governorates of South Sinai, Marsa Matrouh and the Red Sea until October 31, in a move meant to encourage tourists back to the country. Khaled El Enani, Minister of Tourism and Antiquities, stated that the Ministry of Interior has issued a new decision to abolish the fees for all citizens visiting Egypt in only the three governorates mentioned above. El Enani conducted a visit to the governorates, to some of the hotels and their airports, deeming them more suitable for touristic activities than condensed and crowded cities, especially during the ... Read more

Dubai will begin allowing tourists in from July 7 and citizens and residents can resume outbound travel from June 23, the Dubai Media Office said on Sunday. Here are the new guidelines for air travel, according to the Dubai Media Office. DUBAI CITIZENS AND RESIDENTS ALLOWED TO TRAVEL ABROAD FROM JUNE 23 Citizens and residents are allowed to travel to any foreign destination, according to measures taken by countries regarding foreign arrivals. • Travelers bear full responsibility for their actions and for checking the COVID-19 situation of the country they wish to visit, as well as self-monitoring any symptoms they may ... Read more

With planes grounded and most tourism on hold during the coronavirus pandemic, one Taiwanese airport has come up with a unique solution to help citizens get their travel fix. Taipei’s Songshan airport will give 90 people the chance to take a tour of their airport and relive the experience of going through immigration, boarding a plane and then disembarking and returning home, CNN has reported. “Can’t leave (Taiwan), then pretend to go abroad at Songshan,” a flier posted to the airport’s website read. Songshan is the smaller of Taipei’s two international airports and is located in the centre of the ... Read more

The Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) has launched a new “Holiday at Home” campaign, with the  aim of encouraging residents to be a tourist of their own city and rediscover the beauty of Hong Kong with a new perspective.  HKTB Chairman Y K Pang said: “Due to the continued stringent travel restrictions and quarantine measures implemented by the Hong Kong Government and other governments around the world, the number of visitor arrivals to Hong Kong remains at a very low level. Provisional data show only around 8,100 arrivals in May, nearly a 100% decrease year on year. The HKTB’s strategy ... Read more

Air India has introduced a “shorter working week scheme” under which its permanent employees, except pilots and cabin crew members, can opt to work for three days a week at 60% salary. This measure has been introduced in order to improve the airline’s cash flow position amid the coronavirus pandemic, news agency PTI has said. “The permanent employee who opts for such a scheme can avail this for a period of one year,” according to the airline’s senior officials. The pandemic has impacted the aviation industry significantly, and all airlines in India have taken steps like slashing salaries of employees ... Read more

Sky watchers along a narrow band from West Africa to the Arabian Peninsula, India and southern China will witness the most dramatic “ring of fire” solar eclipse to shadow the Earth in years on Sunday. Annular eclipses occur when the Moon – passing between Earth and the Sun – is not quite close enough to our planet to completely obscure sunlight, leaving a thin ring of the solar disc visible. They occur every year or two, and can only be seen from a narrow pathway across the planet. The full eclipse will be visible somewhere on Earth for just under ... Read more

Tour operators in Tanzania have unveiled a private, state-of-the-art, waiting lounge at Kilimanjaro International Airport (KIA) as they seek to offer holidaymakers “a hassle-free welcome”. Tanzanian authorities have reopened its skies for international passenger flights from June 1, 2020, becoming the first country in the East African community to welcome tourists. Isack Kamwelwe, the Minister for Works, Transport and Communications, said in a statement that business, humanitarian, diplomatic, emergency and other special flights were allowed to land, take off and fly across the country’s skies as it was before. He said the opening of the skies followed an announcement by President John ... Read more

To showcase the north-east region of India, which is a largely unexplored destination for both domestic and foreign travellers, the Ministry of Tourism’s Dekho Apna Desh webinar “Northeast India for the immersive traveller” offered an attractive virtual tour to four north-eastern states namely Nagaland, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam and Sikkim. The presenters spoke about the unexplored destinations, tribes, festivals, crafts, culture of the local people to convey the message that north east’s speciality is not only hills but there is a lot more to explore and experience. Some of the wonders and experiences that North East India offers to travellers which ... Read more

The Dominican Republic will reopen for tourism starting July 1 as part of the fourth phase of its reopening plan. The multi-step plan saw shopping centres reopen in late May and the reinstatement of private transportation company operations on June 3. Phase four includes resuming international tourism, as well as the reopening of hotels, airports, gyms and restaurants. The Association of Hotels and Tourism of the Dominican Republic has confirmed a series of sanitization and cleaning measures will be in place for reopening. Upon reopening, hotels will be required to adhere to “strict protocols to offer a clean, safe environment, promote social ... Read more

Rwanda has slashed gorilla permit fees by 60-80% as the government endeavours to revive the tourism sector adversely hit by the Covid-19 pandemic. Mountain gorilla trekking in Volcanoes National Park will now cost foreign nationals $500, while Rwandan citizens and foreign residents will pay $200, down from $1,400. The new price regime is valid until December 31. The decision was announced after a Cabinet meeting, chaired by President Paul Kagame. Rwanda has agreed to resume tourism activities after more than three months of inactivity due to the coronavirus lockdown. “Domestic tourism and international tourism for visitors travelling with charter flights ... Read more

The island nation of Fiji has said that uncertainties remain over its tourism industry and it will be difficult to pinpoint when the sector will revive, news agency Xinhua has reported. According to Fiji Broadcasting Corporation (FBC), the country’s Minister for Commerce, Trade, Tourism and Transport Faiyaz Siddiq Koya said that it is impossible to forecast when the travel industry will begin to rally against the impact of COVID-19. “There is so much uncertainty. There’s no time-frame that the government could give to say we can open on this date,” he said. With borders staying closed and flights grounded, even ... Read more

Zimbabwe has decided to allow tour operators and hoteliers to enter the Victoria Falls National Park to take footage of the falls, for marketing purposes. The falls is said to be the largest curtain of falling water in the world and is shared between Zambia and Zimbabwe. Victoria Falls, a world heritage site, was closed from early April ever since the outbreak of the pandemic. The Victoria Falls is a town in western Zimbabwe and a gateway to the massive waterfall of the same name. Here, the Zambezi river plummets over a cliff before flowing through a series of gorges. ... Read more