Tag: corona virus crisis

India will begin phase-4 of its repatriation mission this Friday, with over 912 flights scheduled over six weeks. Private airlines will play a major role, with IndiGo operating 457 flights and GoAir chipping in with 41 flights. This phase is the biggest so far, but will focus on fewer countries, with flights from only 17 nations. In this phase, Air India will focus almost exclusively on long-haul destinations, leaving shorter routes to Air India Express and private carriers. Long-haul destinations include flights to Australia, the UK, the US, Ukraine, Canada, and Kenya. These flights will operate between July 3 and ... Read more

More than 250 hotels in Goa will throw open their doors on Thursday after the government granted permission to resume operation, the state’s Tourism Minister Manohar Ajgaonkar has said. Hotels in Goa had been shut since March, when the lockdown was announced to contain the spread of Covid-19. The Goa government had sought applications from hotel operators who were willing to reopen with a declaration that they will abide by the standard operating procedures. “The hotels will be allowed to start from Thursday. Those who want to travel to Goa can do so. Hotel bookings should be done prior to ... Read more

Mexico’s oldest legacy airline, Aeromexico, has said that it has filed for Chapter 11 reorganization, a form of bankruptcy in which the carrier can keep operating while its debts and obligations are sorted out. The airline said “this legal process will not interrupt the airline’s operations” and that all tickets, reservations and bonus points would continue to be honoured, news agency AP has reported. Like many airlines throughout the world, Aeromexico has been squeezed by a decline in travel due to the coronavirus pandemic. Aeromexico General Director Andrés Conesa said “the COVID-19 pandemic has had an unprecedented impact on the ... Read more

Abu Dhabi-based Etihad Airways will add 15 more destinations shortly, which will include some major cities across the Indian subcontinent. “Throughout July, we’re planning to operate flights to more than 40 worldwide destinations. We continue to work closely with the UAE government and global aviation authorities to increase our network in the future,” the UAE carrier said on its website. Athens, Greece, was the latest destination it added, taking the total number of international flights being flown by Etihad through June to 25 destinations. Khaleej Times reported that from July 16, the carrier will be adding the Indian cities of ... Read more

The Mobile City Council on Tuesday approved the creation of the much awaited Mobile Tourism Improvement District (MTID) – the first in Alabama. Mobile is a port city on Alabama’s Gulf Coast. Visit Mobile, the city’s convention and visitors’ bureau, will implement MTID’s marketing initiatives. The city said it will increase its allocation to Visit Mobile for marketing purposes. The initiative will kick-off from today. “The Tourism Improvement District creates a significant platform to position Mobile as a top tourist destination,” said David Clark, Visit Mobile president and CEO. “Congratulations to our lodging partners for seven years of hard work ... Read more

Goa’s Ports Minister Michael Lobo has said that Chief Minister Pramod Sawant would soon ask the bars in the state to be reopened. “Restaurants have opened. But no one seems to be visiting restaurants because their attached bars are shut,” Lobo said.  “Most people like to have a beer with their food or a peg before going to sleep,” he said. The opening of the bars would, in turn, boost the local economy, which has been stricken by the Covid-19 pandemic, the minister added. Lobo, after a meeting with the Chief Minister in Panaji, said that until the Covid-19 situation ... Read more

The European Union on Tuesday extended a ban on travellers from the United States, India and most other countries, citing epidemiological factors for the decision. The countries were chosen based on certain criteria, including that the number of new cases over a 14-day period had to be “close to order below the EU average.” The countries also needed to have a “stable or decreasing trend of new cases over this period.” The UK will be treated as part of the EU, according to the Council, until the end of the year. The UK currently has a mandatory quarantine period of 14 ... Read more

Singapore has announced the gradual reopening of its tourism sector from today. In the initial phase, 13 attractions will be allowed to resume operations. Universal Studios Singapore, Madame Tussauds, Singapore Zoo, Bounce, Flower Dome at Gardens by the Bay, Jurong Bird Park, River Safari, Zero Latency, Art Science Museum, Casino at Marina Bay Sands and Resorts World Sentosa, S.E.A. Aquarium, and Sands Sky Park and Observation Deck will reopen their doors for visitors in the first phase. In the beginning, most attractions will be restricted to no more than 25% of their operating capacity at one time. Access to the ... Read more

Egypt has announced it will reopen its seaside resorts from today. The areas opening up are southern Sinai, where the resorts of Sharm el-Sheikh and Dahab are located, Red Sea province, home to the Hurghada and Marsa Alam resorts, and Marsa Matrouh on the Mediterranean. The cabinet has said that international flights will be allowed to enter the country from July 1, while foreign tourists will be permitted at the resorts least affected by Covid-19. Tourists coming to Egypt will now be required to submit a valid health insurance policy to Egyptian airport authorities as part of measures to limit the coronavirus spread. ... Read more

Malta is reopening its tourism from today, allowing visitors from 20 plus nations to enter the country without an isolation period. Restrictions on all other flight destinations will be lifted on July 15. The Prime Minister of Malta, Robert Abela, announced that Malta’s International Airport too will resume commercial passenger flights from today.   Malta is an archipelago in the central Mediterranean between Sicily and the North African coast. It’s a nation known for historic sites related to a succession of rulers including the Romans, Moors, Knights of Saint John, French and British. It is also famous for its numerous fortresses, megalithic temples and ... Read more

The Fern Hotels & Resorts, one of India’s leading hotel chains, is looking to partner with standalone hotels and enter into management contracts, Param Kannampilly, the Chairman & Managing Director of the company has said. Explaining the benefits of associating with the company he said, “We have a robust sales and marketing network with a pan-India presence, so the association will help individual hotels grow their corporate, MICE and leisure business in these uncertain times”. “We can look into the possibility of tie-ups under our Fern, Zinc and Beacon brands depending upon the property,” he added. Providing details of the newly announced ... Read more

Two prominent Taj hotels in south Mumbai have received threat calls from Pakistan, with the caller threatening to carry out a terror attack similar to the 26/11 attacks. Security has been heightened at both the hotels following the calls. The Taj Mahal Palace in Colaba and the Taj Lands End in Bandra received calls on their landline phones. The police said they are in the process of identifying the caller. Both the hotels are extremely popular with both domestic and international tourists, but are currently closed due to the coronavirus outbreak. Police said that the first threat call was made ... Read more

The Maharashtra state government has now restricted extensive movement within the Mumbai Metropolitan Region, which has seen an unprecedented spike in COVID-19 cases in the past month. In Mumbai, city police have stopped allowing people to move beyond a 2-km periphery from their homes. On Monday, while extending lockdown restrictions till July 31 under ‘Mission Begins Again’ initiative, the government has asked people in Mumbai, Thane, Navi Mumbai and other cities to use only neighbourhood markets and barred them from travelling long distance for shopping non-essential items. Violations will invite police action. Chief secretary Ajoy Mehta issued an order on ... Read more

The European Union is edging toward finalising a list of countries whose citizens will be allowed to enter Europe again in coming days, with Americans almost certain to be excluded in the short term due to the number of U.S. coronavirus cases. Spain’s foreign minister said that the list could contain 15 countries that are not EU members and whose citizens would be allowed to visit from July 1. EU diplomats confirmed that the list would be made public on Tuesday. The diplomats spoke on condition of anonymity to the news agency Associated Press (AP) because the procedure is ongoing ... Read more

As part of the Dekho Apna Desh webinar series, the Ministry of Tourism introduced a session on  “Unlocking Travel & Tourism Safely & Responsibly during Covid”. The webinar was moderated by  Rupinder Brar, ADG, Ministry Of Tourism and was presented by  Dr Sandeep Bhalla, Director of Public Health Foundation of India, Dr Sanjeev Kumar Singh, Chief Medical Superintendent of Amrita Institute of Medical & Sciences Research Centre at Kochi, Dr Paridhi Mody, Programme Officer of Public Health Foundation of India. As countries around the globe including India are now gradually opening up trade and industries including travel & tourism, bringing ... Read more