Tag Archives: corona virus crisis

Spain will reopen to foreign tourists from July, as unemployment rises

Peniscola castle spain

Spain will reopen to overseas tourists from July, the country’s prime minister has announced, pledging that the government will guarantee the safety of visitors and locals as the country emerges from one of Europe’s strictest coronavirus lockdowns. Prime minister Pedro Sanchez said a €3bn (£2.7bn) minimum basic income scheme to help families, most affected by […]

Portugal declares that it’s open for tourism

Serra da Arrábida Natural Park portugal

Portugal has said that it’s ready to welcome tourists, expressing confidence that its public health care system can take care of the tourists. Portugal’s foreign minister Augusto Santos Silva has said no quarantine will be imposed on people arriving by plane. He said that “minimal health controls,” which he did not specify, will be enforced […]

Air conditioning not allowed in cabs, says Kerala’s health advisory for drivers and passengers

Taxis

Ever since the World Health organisation has declared COVID-19 as a pandemic, Kerala has been taking all measures to contain the outbreak through strict surveillance and infection control measures. In order to reduce the risk of transmission of COVID among the drivers and passengers the following advisory is issued: Drivers & crew The drivers and […]

AHLA and Google team up to meet demands from healthcare workers

AHLA

The American Hotel and Lodging Association (AHLA) has announced a new collaboration with Google to expand the industry’s efforts to meet the continued demand from first responders and healthcare workers for accommodation in hotel rooms. This joint effort comes two months after the launch of American Hotel & Lodging Association’s (AHLA) ‘Hospitality for Hope’ an […]

Domestic flights resume in India, as more states come on board

flights

Indian skies opened up for domestic passenger services from today after a hiatus of two months due to coronavirus-induced lockdown across India. Indigo’s Delhi-Pune and Mumbai-Patna flights were among the first to take off. Most of the states in India have given a go ahead for flight services from Monday. The two distinct exceptions are […]

Japan looks at novel ways to boost tourism, may even subsidise holidays to lure travellers

japan

There are talks in Japan about subsiding holidays of international travellers, to draw them in. Japan has witnessed the worst passenger arrival numbers in its history due to the pandemic, and is looking at ways to restart tourism. In fact, the Japan Tourism Agency has proposed paying foreigners half the cost of taking a holiday […]

US National Parks in reopening phase, as lockdown restrictions ease

yellow stone national park

US National Parks is in a structured reopening phase after the coronavirus outbreak shuttered the areas. Although wildlife was certainly enjoying the freedom to roam uninhibited, there is now a plan to restore visitor access. The US Travel Association said providing visitor access to these parks, was a welcome move. Association President and CEO Roger […]

India plans to commence international flights before August

flights

India will try to restart a good number of international flights before August, civil aviation minister Hardeep Singh Puri has said. “I can’t put a date on it (restarting international flights). But if somebody says can it be done by August or September, my response would be why not earlier, depending on the situation.” “I […]

Director Padmarajan’s movie locations are treasure houses of travel memories

Renowned Malayalam film director P Padmarajan would have turned 65 years of age on May 23, if fate hadn’t snatched him away so early. Born in 1945 in Kerala’s Alappuzha district, Padmarajan is widely regarded as one of Malayalam cinema’s best ever directors. Along with KG George and Bharathan, Padmarajan formed a formidable trio responsible […]

Bengaluru airport becomes “contactless” zone, right from parking to boarding

bengaluru airport

‘Contactless’ would be the buzzword at the Kempegowda International Airport, Bengaluru, when operations resume from May 25.  In an effort to protect passengers and staff from the risk of COVID-19 transmission, Bangalore International Airport Limited (BIAL) has introduced a parking-to-boarding contactless journey at the airport.  With greater emphasis on minimum touch and minimum exposure between […]

Beaches get busy in US, as Americans break free from coronavirus lockdown

USA beaches

Beaches in the United States are bustling with travellers, as the country heads into the long Memorial Day holiday weekend. After more than two months of coronavirus lockdowns that kept Americans homebound, the beach-area traffic has tripled compared to the low point in mid-April. According to a report by Reuters, traffic in some areas is […]

New Zealand moots 4-day work week to encourage domestic tourism

New Zealand

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has come up with a four-day work week plan to encourage domestic travel, in a bid to boost the tourism sector in the country. Ardern raised the potential of a shortened work week and more flexibility around leave in the workplace after meeting with local officials and tourism operators […]

Greece tourism to reopen on June 15, with direct flights from July

Greece tourism

Greece, one of the most popular holiday destinations in the world, has said June 15 will be the official start date of the tourism season. While announcing the date in an address to the nation, the Greek prime minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, said the tourist season has been delayed by the global coronavirus pandemic and that […]

Ritz Carlton Bali launches exclusive offer to welcome guests back

The Ritz Carlton Bali

One of the world’s most luxurious properties, The Ritz Carlton Bali, has launched an exclusive offer to be booked before June 15, 2020 for stays until May 31, 2021. Priced from IDR2,750,000 including tax and service per room per night, this special offer includes accommodation in a Sawangan Junior Suite with extensive daily buffet breakfast […]

California’s tourism industry nosedives, as pandemic devastates economy

california beach

Californian tourism has been on a growth curve for more than a decade. However, the coronavirus outbreak seems to have put the brakes on it. Tourism Economics projects California will lose $72.1 billion in state-wide travel related spending in 2020. It has also found the pandemic will affect 613,000 California jobs by the end of […]