Tag: corona virus crisis

Jamaica, which reopened its borders to international travellers on June 15, is looking to scale up tourism back to pre-coronavirus levels. Like many Caribbean islands, Jamaica’s economy is heavily dependent on tourism, accounting for 35% of GDP and 120,000 jobs. The country’s tourism sector saw record breaking growth in 2019, but hopes of repeating that this year was put on hold when the coronavirus pandemic halted travel globally, Travel Market Report said. As the country once again begins to welcome visitors, it’s with a rigorous and thorough set of protocols in place to protect workers and guests. Jamaica’s Director of ... Read more

Aruba has announced that the country will welcome tourists from the Caribbean (with the exception of Dominican Republic and Haiti), Europe, and Canada from July 1. Visitors from the United States will be allowed from July 10. Official opening dates for other markets, including South America and Central America are yet to be determined. The decision to reopen borders, which were closed due to COVID-19 restrictions in early-March, was made in conjunction with the Department of Health, taking into consideration the ongoing guidance from the World Health Organization (WHO) and Centre for Disease Control (CDC) in the United States. “The safety ... Read more

Raj Gopaal Iyer, CEO of UDS Group of Hotels, believes Kerala should have the right marketing strategies to showcase medical and leisure tourism. The state government should come up with a proper agenda/plan to submit before the Central government, thereby helping employees retain their jobs, he says. But the biggest problem he believes is the poor air connectivity to Thiruvananthapuram, with tourists ending up spending more on airfare than accommodation. Excerpts: Q: When we spoke a few weeks ago, the coronavirus crisis was on its ascendency. But now we are in a phase where the virus is spreading at an ... Read more

Earlier this week, Garuda Indonesia had announced that its flight attendants will forego wearing face masks, thereby attempting to go in a completely different direction to that of every other airline in the world. However, on Friday, the flag carrier said it is scrapping the plan. Garuda’s boss Irfan Setiaputra had previously announced that the airline was considering face shields as an alternative to masks to ensure that customers could see the facial expressions of the cabin crew. On Friday, however, Irfan said face shields “will not replace face masks but will complement them instead”. “We are evaluating the most ... Read more

Cambodia has imposed one of the toughest entry requirements of any country in the world, by imposing a hefty amount as Covid-19 fees. In its latest bulletin, the Foreign Office of Cambodia (FCO) has stated that foreign travellers must pay a $3,000 deposit as “COVID-19 service charges” at the airport upon their arrival. This “coronavirus deposit” can be paid in cash or by credit card. The FCO further said that after deductions have been made for services, the remaining deposit will be returned. But those deductions may be costly, especially if another passenger on the same flight happens to test positive for ... Read more

Machu Picchu, the jewel of Peruvian tourism, is all set to reopen in July. But there will be restrictions on the number of visitors. Given the need for social distancing and other measures to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, only 675 visitors will be allowed in each day – one-quarter the usual number, Jean Paul Benavente, governor of the Cusco region said. Guides will lead tours of only seven visitors, and people will be required to wear masks. The July reopening is linked to a lifting of national confinement measures in place since March 16, online news agency MercoPress ... Read more

Foreigners returned to Iceland this week, after a hiatus imposed by the Covid-19 outbreak, in a welcome sign for an island nation whose economy is reliant on tourism. The visitors receive free coronavirus tests directly upon arrival. “We are very pleased with how well it has gone so far,” Jonlaug Heimisdottir, the health official who is overseeing the programme, told Bloomberg in a telephone interview. If the test is negative, visitors are free to enjoy Iceland with no restrictions. As of this coming weekend, they could head straight from the airport to the steaming waters of the Blue Lagoon, just ... Read more

The Uttar Pradesh government is all set to upgrade facilities at Pilibhit Tiger Reserve (PTR) in order to attract more tourists in the coming years. One gate would be constructed at the junction point of Pilibhit-Basti national highway, the second one would be near Mustafabad forest guest house and the third on the Pilibhit-Mahof forest range road, IANS said in a report. After repairs of tourist huts at Chuka are completed, UP tourism and PTR officials would finalize 3-4 picturesque sites around the place to develop into tourist destinations with state-of-the-art facilities. This venture would ensure compliance of National Tiger ... Read more

Kenya is set to make a major change in the way it markets its tourism products, by shifting from the traditional television and print media to digital and social media. Kenya Tourism Board (KTB) on Thursday hosted a webinar that brought together sectoral players to discuss the importance and gains that would be accrued, by utilising the digital space to market destinations, according to a report by The Star. Players said the use of social media marketing is overdue and has been reinforced by how COVID-19 has disrupted the tourism industry in the last three months. Betty Radier, chief executive ... Read more

The MC Road in Kerala is one of the crucial pathways that lead to many tourist destinations including eco-tourism centres, waterfalls, popular resorts and religious destinations. However, it has also been accident prone. The Kerala government has now decided to take steps to make it accident free. It has initiated a new Rs 147 crore project aimed at safety, on this 80km stretch. The safe corridor demonstration on MC Road is part of the ongoing World Bank-aided Kerala State Transport Project (KSTP) that was commissioned by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. The busy two-lane, two-way corridor spread over Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam and ... Read more

According to a study by HES-SO Valais institute, Swiss tourism could lose up to CHF8.7 billion ($9.2 billion) in 2020, pushing almost a quarter of businesses to the brink of bankruptcy. “The effects in the short term are already terrible,” says Véronique Kanel, spokesperson for Swiss Tourism, the organisation responsible for promoting Switzerland’s tourism industry. “And the forecasts for summer remain very cautious, with an occupancy rate of 24% for the hotel sector and 42% for other holiday accommodation.” The impact is expected to vary from region to region across the country, according to a report by Swiss Info. Deserted ... Read more

The Himachal Pradesh government has decided to reopen businesses, including restaurants and hotels, as part of ‘Unlock 1.0’, but the state’s hotel and tourism sector stakeholders are not looking at commencing operations immediately. The industry has decided to keep out of business until at least September, given that the inter-state borders, the principal gateway to Himachal, are still closed for tourists and outsiders. It is also concerned about operational safety. Kullu-Manali, the state’s tourism hotspot, has been hit badly due to the coronavirus crisis. The impact has been so widespread that more than 100,000 people have been rendered jobless in ... Read more

Air India Express is inviting applications from Indian citizens fulfilling requirements as on June 1, 2020, for the posts of manager (finance) grade M-4 and manager (finance) grade M-3. The jobs are located in Mumbai. Manager Finance Grade M-4 There are three posts available. Qualifications required: CA with minimum 10 years of post-qualification experience in the finance department of a large organization. Experience in finalisation, consolidation of accounts, tax audit and knowledge of SAP accounting system are musts. Exposure in coordinating with the government, audit exposure in managing and overseeing the daily operations of the accounting department, handling revenue accounting ... Read more

India’s global tourist destination Taj Mahal, which witnessed a daily footfall of thousands of people, now stands secluded after it was shut to the public exactly three months ago due to the COVID-19-induced lockdown, an IANS report has said. Taj Mahal is Uttar Pradesh’s main attraction and a major source of revenue for the state’s tourism industry. According to the Archaeological Survey of India, as many as 15,000 to 20,000 foreigners and Indians used to visit the historical site daily. Superintendent Archaeologist, Vasant Kumar Swarnkar, told IANS that foreign tourists were charged Rs 1,300 each while domestic tourists paid Rs ... Read more

Two more repatriation flights to Goa will leave from Dubai on June 21 and 25 respectively, Air India has announced. Special flights that will depart Dubai at 12 noon will arrive at the Dabolim airport in Goa at 4.40pm. The flights are being operated as part of the Vande Bharat Mission to repatriate stranded Indians from the UAE, said a spokesperson of Air India. Both flights will be ferrying 149 passengers each and priority will be given to those registered for repatriation with the Indian missions in the UAE, said Gulf News in a report. The first direct repatriation flight to Goa ... Read more