Tag: corona virus crisis

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

French Polynesia’s president Edouard Fritch plans to go to Paris next month in an effort to secure loans amounting to $525 million to deal with the Covid-19 crisis. In an address to the assembly, Fritch said $375 million would be sought for the running of the territory whose tourist industry was crippled by the virus outbreak. He said $US150 million was needed for the social security agency CPS. Fritch stressed the need to open up for tourism, citing the plight of Bora Bora whose 10,000 inhabitants have been hardest hit. He said its employees in the tourism sector missed out ... Read more

Morocco’s minister of tourism Nadia Fettah said the country was committed to extending  cooperation with their “brotherly Arab countries” in the field of tourism. During a virtual meeting, Fettah said Morocco is keen to reinforce “joint Arab action” and consolidate the “distinguished relations” between Arab countries, Morocco World News said in a report. The Moroccan minister also emphasized the importance of solidarity and joint action among Arab countries to preserve the resilience of the tourism sector amid the current global crises.  The Arab League, the World Tourism Organization, and Arab and regional organizations must support the tourism sector and mitigate ... Read more

Pranayama will help us in building immunity and curing respiratory illnesses, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said. Addressing the nation on Yoga Day 2020, Modi emphasised the benefits of yoga and how it is helping the world in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic. “Yoga is helping us in this fight against this pandemic. The pranayama will help us in building immunity and resolving respiratory illnesses,” he said. Highlighting the importance of exercises, PM Modi requested citizens to make yoga a part of their regular life. “All of us are doing yoga at home with the family. International Day of Yoga ... Read more

Tomorrow is International Day of Yoga. The mass performance of the Common Yoga Protocol (CYP) – one of the most popular Yoga programmes across the world – will remain at the heart of the International Day of Yoga (IDY) like always, but this year it will be observed in a non-congregative manner. Yoga is an invaluable ancient Indian practice with numerous benefits to both physical and mental health. Given the context of the current COVID-19 pandemic including restrictions on the movement of people and a slowdown in economic activity, the benefits offered by Yoga have become especially important for physical ... Read more

To boost domestic tourism in India, safety and hygiene at travel destinations will be important,  tourism minister Prahlad Singh Patel has said. Tourists want to ensure that the places where he is staying, eating and travelling are safe and sanitized, he said. All over the world, with the lockdown being enforced and flights being halted, places that mainly rely on tourism for their revenue have been suffering. Moreover, the hesitation of most people regarding the sanitization of the destinations is also a major hurdle. In an interaction with the Indian Express, he said India needs to show a new spirit ... Read more

Luxembourg Prime Minister Xavier Bettel has promised free vouchers for tourists for a one-night stay in the country. All citizens and workers from the border regions above 16 years of age can benefit from the deal. Soon, the 700,000 vouchers will be on their way. Each will be worth 50 euros. Their validity will be until the end of the year. The money cannot be spent on meals or activities but can be combined within one family or a couple – for example, two persons can combine and have 100 euros deducted on their accommodation invoice for one night. The ... Read more

Costa Rica’s government will halt reopening the country’s economy due to an increase in the number of coronavirus cases over recent days, a senior official said on Friday. The Central American nation which has already lost 100,000 jobs due to the pandemic, and this decision will hit the economy hard. “These are not numbers to think that nothing is wrong and that we can continue with the reopening,” Health Minister Daniel Salas said during a news conference. Over the last 24 hours, Costa Rica has registered a record 119 new coronavirus infections, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to ... Read more

Denmark will further open its borders to countries with an “acceptable level” of coronavirus infections, softening travel restrictions that were set until August 31. Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen has said that the government will set criteria that will allow travel to and from certain countries. There are however no details or explanation yet regarding what the “objective criteria” are. “It will make it easier to continuously open (borders) for entry and exit and still have control over the situation at home,” Frederiksen said. On June 15, Denmark began reopening its borders to tourists from Germany, Norway and Iceland. It also allows ... Read more

Monaco is slowly opening up its tourist points to travellers, after reopening its borders on June 15. Monaco, officially the Principality of Monaco, is a sovereign city-state, country, and microstate on the French Riviera in Western Europe. The Tourist and Convention Authority’s information points, located on Boulevard des Moulins and at the train station, are once again welcoming visitors to the Principality. To respect social distancing measures implemented by the Prince’s Government, tourists will be able to consult digital brochures online and via QR Codes. The French Riviera, which includes the Principality of Monaco, Nice and the Alpes-Maritimes region, along ... Read more

Israel has said that travellers coming in from Greece will not have to partake in the 14-day Covid-19 quarantine. Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu  met with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakisis to discuss reopening tourism between the two countries, setting August 1 as the date to open the borders.  “We are thrilled that we have been able to set a date for resuming international tourism, beginning with Greece,” said Asaf Zamir, Isreal’s Minister of Tourism. “This is an important development for the citizens of our two countries and a critical step in restoring the travel industry around the globe, helping to position us ... Read more