Category: News

Hilton has announced that all its hotels in China have officially resumed operations. Each hotel has implemented strict anti-epidemic measures to ensure the health and safety of guests and employees, the hospitality major said. Hilton said it has also made adjustments to policies and operations in order to meet the needs of guests and the community at large, during this time. “Today, I am thrilled to announce that all Hilton hotels in Chinese mainland have officially resumed operations,” said Qian Jin, Area President, Hilton Greater China and Mongolia. About 150 Hilton hotels were closed for bookings after the pandemic turned ... Read more

Delta Air Lines plans to boost the number of flights it will restore to service in June and July, to allow for spacing among passengers as demand increases. “Once we get close to 60% on an individual route, that’ll be the trigger for us to add more planes into the system,” Chief Executive Officer Ed Bastian said Wednesday on Fox Business News. The carrier will add 200 flights in June and may add as many as 300 in July, he said. Just two days earlier, the US airline had said it planned to add 100 flights next month. The airline’s ... Read more

Qatar Airways has introduced new flight protocols due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and its crew will now be equipped with full-body gear. “Cabin crew will wear disposable, full body protective gear during flights while passengers must wear face coverings,” the airline stated in a press release. Other changes include serving meals on a tray in lieu of a table set up in business class, individually wrapped cutlery, sealed meals (standard protocol in economy already), and large bottles of hand sanitizer which will be placed in the galleys. To comply with social distancing requirements, there are no more “social areas” on ... Read more

US carriers JetBlue Airways and United Airlines have announced fresh safety measures aimed at restoring confidence in travel, as several executives pointed to signs of domestic demand improving. A Reuters report said that American states are starting to reopen and airlines expect an increase in domestic travel over the extended holiday weekend for Memorial Day on May 25. While data shows only a small fraction of recent flights were more than 70% full, there may soon be full or near-full planes, said Airlines for America, a trade group representing major U.S. airlines. The group launched a public awareness campaign called ... Read more

Intersight Tours and Travels has invited articles on the unknown and unexplored tourist destinations and experiences of Kerala. The write-ups can be about hill stations, beaches, waterfalls, islands, village sights, valleys, etc which are unknown to the public. The articles can be either in English or in Malayalam and there is no restriction on the length of the articles. The name of the place, story behind the name, accessibility, two/four wheel drive details, accommodation facilities, details of nearby tourist attractions, contact details including the phone numbers, email ID, website etc. can be included. Resorts and homestays in unexplored destinations and ... Read more

The Association of Tourism Trade Organisations India (ATTOI) has urged the Prime Minister and Finance Minister to address the concerns of the Indian tourism industry without delay. Tourism, hospitality and health care sectors were expecting immediate relief measures as part of the government’s ₹20 lakh crore stimulus package. These industries were badly hit by the pandemic and hence were looking forward to some support. “But there has been no stimulus for tour operators, hotels, resorts or ayurveda hospitals who have to bear the salaries and maintenance costs even when shut,” ATTOI president Vinod CS said. The government’s lack of empathy ... Read more

Indian domestic flight services would begin from Monday in a “calibrated manner”, laying the ground for gradual resumption of scheduled commercial flight operations. “Domestic civil aviation operations will recommence in a calibrated manner from Monday. All airports and air carriers are being informed to be ready for operations from May 25. Standard operating procedures (SOPs) for passenger movement are also being separately issued by the Ministry of Civil Aviation,” Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri tweeted. All domestic passenger flight operations have been suspended for the 54-day lockdown period that began on March 25. However, cargo flights, medical evacuation flights and ... Read more

Kerala Tourism has stated that hotels accommodating non-resident Keralites (NRKs) on paid quarantine will have to follow the standard operating procedure (SOP) as detailed below: PRE- REQUISITES AND CONDITIONS • The guests willing for paid quarantine should register themselves with the online portal designed for paid quarantine hotel bookings. The details of persons shall also be provided. • The guest should not be having any symptoms at the time of checking in at the hotel • Only family members who have travelled with them would be allowed to share the hotel room. • The guests should be willing to abide ... Read more

Maharashtra has set up a task force for revival and growth of the tourism sector in the medium to long term, state tourism and environment minister Aditya Thackeray has said. The state government wants to develop Maharashtra as a tourism positive state, the minister said. “We have to take Maharashtra ahead, pitch it to the world. I am really keen that Maharashtra will be the first to declare and deliver something for the hotel industry,” the minister said while addressing various concerns of the hospitality industry. A collaborative approach from all the stakeholders is required for revival and growth of ... Read more

Eleven European Union (EU) member states have agreed on a set of principles to ensure freedom of safe travel, in the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic. The agreement was announced following a videoconference that took place between the ministers of foreign affairs of Bulgaria, Cyprus, Spain, Croatia, Germany, Greece, Italy, Malta, Portugal, Austria and Slovenia. “Freedom of movement and travelling across Europe is a fundamental part of the European project,” the ministers said in a joint statement. In accordance with the guidelines announced recently by the European Commission for restoring tourism and transport in the post-Covid-19 period, the ministers’ agreement focuses on a phased and ... Read more

Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa has assured hotel representatives that his government will consider granting approval for reopening hotels in the next three days, where they can start dine-in services with limited customers at a time. Many hoteliers met the CM in Bengaluru on Tuesday and threatened to start pushcart service on footpaths if the government does not allow them to restart full-fledged services. The hoteliers said they are ready to take up all measures including sanitising, wearing of masks and other precautions. In Karnataka, there are about 50,000 hotels including darshinis, of which 15,000 are in Bengaluru alone. According to ... Read more

The domestic flight operations in India will resume once the state governments are ready to open airports, civil aviation minister Hardeep Singh Puri said on Tuesday. The Centre alone cannot make a decision in this regard, Puri added. “It is not up to Centre alone to decide on resuming domestic flights. In the spirit of cooperative federalism, the state governments where these flights will take off and land should be ready to allow civil aviation operations,” said Puri on social-networking platform Twitter. Commercial flight operations in the country have been suspended since March 25 when the government first imposed a ... Read more

Fortune Hotels, a member of ITC’s hotel group, has announced the launch of a comprehensive safety and hygiene programme for guests and associates. Termed ‘Safe Stays at Fortune Hotels’, the initiative revolves around safety and hygiene protocol, from pre-arrival to check-out. This programme is set on 10 pillars of safety and hygiene that will be diligently implemented across its hotels as they re-open/commence operations. The programme comprises an all-encompassing protocol and best practice adherence around 10 key pillars namely- deep cleaned & sanitized rooms, safe public spaces, social distancing for hospitality, F&B hygiene and safe handling procedures, safe meetings, hygiene ... Read more

The Federation of Hotel and Restaurant Associations of India (FHRAI) has criticised the stimulus package announced by the government, completing ignoring the concerns of the hospitality sector. “I am really shocked that tourism and hospitality was completely ignored despite PM Modi mentioning hospitality as one of the five pillars in his speech. We don’t know what was the criteria of importance. Is space programme more important than tourism? We had made 20 representations to the Department of Tourism and Ministry of tourism but not even one has been considered,” said Gurbaxish Singh Kohli, Vice-President, FHRAI (Federation of Hotel & Restaurant ... Read more

Cambodia is hoping that Chinese tourists will drive its tourism growth when the world is cleared of the COVID-19 pandemic, the country’s tourism minister Thong Khon has said. Khon said the COVID-19 pandemic has made a deep impact on the country’s tourism business. However, he was optimistic that Chinese tourists would support the kingdom’s tourism growth when the coronavirus crisis ends. The minister said mutual help and trust between the two countries in the fight against COVID-19 has deepened bilateral ties. China has become the largest source of foreign tourists to Cambodia since 2017. Cambodia’s tourism industry, with revenues of ... Read more