Category: News

Air India has closed down five of its stations in Europe in view of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, namely Vienna, Milan, Madrid, Copenhagen and Stockholm. “In view of #COVID19, Air India (AI) has decided to close down its stations in Vienna, Milan, Madrid, Copenhagen, & Stockholm. AI would immediately initiate action for closure in consultation with local lawyers & advise the timelines by which the stations will be closed,” read a tweet from news agency ANI. According to reports, Air India is likely to cease all future flights to these countries as it was not financially viable for the airline ... Read more

The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) has urged global leaders around the world to save the struggling travel and tourism sector. A joint letter from industry leaders has been sent to British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and nine other heads of state of the G7 group of countries – Germany, Canada, France, Italy, Japan and the US – as well as Australia, South Korea and Spain, the world’s major source markets. If the global leaders fail to come together, WTTC warns there will be “irreversible damage” to the travel and tourism sector, along with rising job losses. Travel and tourism accounts ... Read more

Dubai’s Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM) has extended the deadline for implementation of their sustainability requirements. Titled the “19 Sustainability Requirements and Carbon Calculator”, the requirements look at how a hotel performs across a number of metrics, while the Carbon Calculator looks at a hotel’s carbon footprint in a month. The department announced that the deadline for these practices has been moved forward by 12 months. In a statement, DTCM said the decision will not only help hotels finalise their compliance, but also give them time to focus on recovery amid the pandemic. The 19 Sustainability Requirements include ... Read more

The Federation of Associations in Indian Tourism & Hospitality (FAITH) has requested the Indian government to conduct India Tourism Mart (ITM) at the end of November this year. Subhash Goyal, Honorary General Secretary, FAITH interacted virtually with the Minister of Tourism,  Prahlad Singh Patel, where he proposed multi-step strategies for revival of tourism. These issues were identified to enhance tourism demand while protecting tourism supply in India. According to Goyal, ITM will help in promoting India to tour operators all over the world. “Last two years, we had 250 buyers. This year in the virtual mart, we hope to interact ... Read more

Travel to Italy for non-essential purposes must be avoided due to the current coronavirus situation, the United States Embassy in Italy has announced. The Centre for Disease Control and Prevention has issued a Level 3 Notice for Italy regarding the COVID-19 situation, which also recommends that travellers must avoid trips to Italy unless it’s necessary, SchengenVisaInfo.com reports. “The European Union (EU), which includes Italy, currently prohibits non-essential travel (i.e., tourism) into the EU for residents of most non-European Union countries.  There are exceptions for residents of a few non-EU countries, but they do not currently include United States residents,” the US ... Read more

In its latest series of government decrees issued under Italy’s coronavirus state of emergency, a stimulus package worth 25 billion euros has been included, even as face masks, social distancing and travel restrictions remain in place. Cruise ships will return from August 15, according to a report by The Local.it. The stimulus package looks to extend Italy’s employee furlough scheme and allows taxpayers to defer payments, among other measures. Italy is seeking funds from the European Union to help cover the cost. Face masks compulsory until at least September As expected, the new decree keeps Italy’s rules on face masks ... Read more

The Luxury Collection, part of Marriott International, Inc., today welcomed Al Wathba Desert Resort & Spa to its unique ensemble of iconic hotels, marking the debut of the portfolio in Abu Dhabi. Just a 30-minute drive from the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, Al Wathba Desert Resort & Spa is located deep within the expansive landscape of the UAE capital. With a design reminiscent of a historic desert village, it is an intimate retreat suffused with natural beauty, unique tranquillity, and rare experiences, the hotel chain stated in its press release. “We are delighted to welcome Al Wathba, Desert Resort & ... Read more

KT Corp., South Korea’s largest telecommunications company, will develop virtual reality (VR) entertainment service for air passengers jointly with Jin Air and Hanjin Information Systems & Telecommunications (HIST). KT signed an agreement with Jin Air, the only widebody low-cost carrier operation in South Korea, and HIST for the new VR service optimized for air safety, security and other special in-flight needs. The nation’s top telecom company will provide its VR service platform, Super VR, for Jin Air passengers to access to its massive immersive media content. “We can enjoy a new experience of entertainment based on VR contents not just at home or places ... Read more

It’s believed billions of dollars are currently tied up in unused holiday credits and yet-to-be issued refunds, and customers are not happy. The issue has become so heated the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has been forced to develop a series of guidelines for travel agents dealing with coronavirus-related cancellations after record numbers of complaints from holidaymakers. In the six months to the end of June this year, the ACCC received a total of 14,768 complaints related to cancelled travel, a more than five-fold increase on the same time last year, ABC News has reported. Most of the work ... Read more

The Wadia Group-owned GoAir has been put on cash-and-carry (pay as you fly) mode by the Airports Authority of India (AAI) over the pending dues. GoAir is the third such airline to go on this mode, after Air India and SpiceJet. GoAir has said there will be no impact on its flight operations. The Airports Authority of India’s letter dated August 10 stated the authority has put “GoAir on cash-and- carry mode for all AAI airports across the country from Tuesday (00:01hrs of August 11)”. GoAir is engaged in constructive discussions with AAI and would like to assure our customers ... Read more

As many as 25 hotels managed by The Fern Hotels & Resorts, India’s leading environmentally sensitive hotel chain, have received the TripAdvisor Travelers Choice 2020 Badge. Noshir A Marfatia, Senior Vice President – Sales and Marketing, of The Fern Hotels & Resorts said that Amanora The Fern, Pune has received the TripAdvisor Travelers Choice 2020 Best of the Best Award, placing it in the top 1% of the world’s best hotels.  “The greatest part of this achievement is that it is the recognition of our guests on our products, services and standards that have won us this accolade,” he said. “And our hotels across the country ... Read more

Britain’s Heathrow Airport renewed its call for COVID-19 testing at airports on Tuesday as it reported an 88% plunge in July passenger numbers due to ongoing restrictions on travel which it said were strangling the UK economy. Heathrow, which is owned by a group of investors including Spain’s Ferrovial, the Qatar Investment Authority and China Investment Corp, said 60% of Heathrow’s route network remained grounded, requiring passengers to quarantine for 14 days on arrival, says a Reuters report. Despite thousands of Britons holidaying overseas after months of lockdown, the government has already reimposed quarantine on arrivals from Spain, Luxembourg, Belgium, ... Read more

Indian nationals with any type of valid UAE visas can now travel to the country, India’s Ambassador to the UAE has said. Taking to Twitter, Ambassador Pavan Kapoor referred to an Indian Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) notification, “as per which both Indian and UAE airlines” can carry Indian nationals holding any type of visa from India to the UAE, Khaleej Times has reported. Previously, only residency visa holders were allowed to travel to UAE on flights operated under  India’s repatriation mission called Vande Bharat. This development means UAE residents of Indian nationality who were stranded in India can now ... Read more

Abdenabi Nouidi sold his favourite horse for USD 150 to help feed the others on the team that pulls tourists in carriages through the buzzing streets of Marrakech. Still, he’s worried about the future of the rest of the horses. The prospect of starvation looms for carriage horses and other animals normally used in Morocco’s tourist mecca, since visitors have vanished during the coronavirus pandemic, says a report by the Associated Press. The Society for the Protection of Animals Abroad, or SPANA, says hundreds of Morocco’s carriage horses and donkeys are threatened amid the collapsing tourism industry. They are among ... Read more

Maldives’ five eco-tourism zones, to be built with grant assistance from India, have been launched. The contract award ceremony was held on Monday as part of Delhi’s neighbourhood first policy. As the implementing agency for these projects, Addu City Council (Maldives), is responsible for steering the entire project cycle including tendering, tender-evaluation, award of contracts, monitoring and execution of the projects. Addu is a city in Maldives that consists of the inhabited islands of the southernmost atoll of the archipelago. It is the second largest urban area in Maldives. The five eco-tourism zones, under this project, will come up in ... Read more