Tag: covid-19 crisis

Shillong now has another tourism attraction in arsenal. Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad Sangma has inaugurated a set of Orchid Log Houses overlooking the beautiful hills of Mawdiangdiang. The tourism project is funded under the Swadesh Darshan initiative of the Ministry of Tourism. Mawdiangdiang is located 6 km from Shillong towards the east. The Meghalaya government expects that the canopy walkway and the log houses will be a sought-after tourist attraction even as the state is planning to formulate a novel tourism strategy to attract high-end domestic tourists. In the wake of the COVID-19 situation when foreign travel is still likely to ... Read more

Although Karnataka has cleared its new tourism policy (2020-25), for the district of Chikkamagaluru a separate policy is being formulated, to address the growing concerns of environmentalists and conservationists. The hill district with just a population of 12 lakh receives a tourist footfall of 85 lakhs annually. In the wake of rampant violations — construction of resorts, roads, exploitation of water resources in ecologically fragile areas and spoilage of hills ranges by irresponsible tourists — the need for a separate tourism policy was felt, New Indian Express said in a report. Efforts have begun to frame guidelines so as to make ... Read more

Lithuania is looking to attract tourists from Germany, Italy, France, the United Kingdom, Japan and China to boost revenues and is taking proactive steps to spread awareness. Keliauk Lietuvoje (Lithuania Travel), a national tourism promotion agency, has opened search for representatives in these countries for initiating tourism marketing services. The aim of tourism marketing services would be to raise the profile of Lithuania as a country attractive for tourists and to boost incoming tourist flows, the agency told news wire BNS. According to the Central Procurement Portal, the agency signed contracts with Milan-registered Aigo (257,100 euros, ex-VAT), Travel Link Market ... Read more

Expedition cruise specialists Rainforest Cruises has announced conservation-themed Amazon River Cruises in Peru, this year. Guests will have the rare opportunity to participate in critical pink river dolphin research and raise their awareness of conservation issues in the region, said Rustourismnews in a report. Two voyages aboard the Zafiro vessel will be hosted by the Rainforest Trust to promote conservation awareness. A representative from the charity will lead the cruise and guests will have the opportunity to learn about their initiatives and hear from guest speakers from the local Amazon Rescue Centre (CREA) about their conservation efforts, with a special focus on ... Read more

North Macedonia’s Minister of Economy Kreshnik Bekteshi has said the country has outlined a set of measures to support tourism amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Bekteshi declared that the support of local tourism, which is one of the most affected sectors by the coronavirus crisis, is the main priority for the Ministry of Economy. “Given that the hotel industry is most affected by the crisis, we will encourage activities related to training, conferences, and seminars in hotels. Events and conferences will be co-financed by 50% of the costs or up to 30,000 Macedonian Denar (about 549 US dollars) per applicant,” Bekteshi ... Read more

The King Hussein International Airport has resumed domestic flights between Aqaba and Amman after flights were shut down due to travel restrictions to contain the spread of the coronavirus pandemic. General Manager of Aqaba Airports Company (AAC) Nasser Majali told the Jordan News Agency, Petra, that the airport’s preparedness was “completely in accordance with the requirements and approvals of the Jordan Civil Aviation Regulatory Commission”. He said that arrangements have been made for the arrival and departure of domestic flights operated by local airlines, including Royal Jordanian, Jordan Aviation and Fly Jordan, stressing that the airport will “stringently adhere” to ... Read more

The US government has restricted charter flights from India, accusing it of “unfair and discriminatory practices” by violating a treaty governing aviation between the two countries, Bloomberg has reported. Air India has been making flights to repatriate its citizens during the travel disruptions caused by the Covid-19 outbreak, but also has been selling tickets to the public, the US Department of Transportation alleged. At the same time, US airlines have been prohibited from flying to India by aviation regulators there, the department said in its order. The situation “creates a competitive disadvantage for US carriers,” the agency said in a ... Read more

Delhi’s mango lovers are a disappointed lot. The annual mango festival organised by Delhi Tourism will not be organised this year at Dilli Haat, due to the coronavirus pandemic. Instead, a virtual edition of the mango festival will be organised to reminisce the previous years’ festivals. Over the years, Delhi Tourism’s annual mango festival has seen a wide variety of the fruit available for the visitors, drawing tourists from even outside the state. The festival has also been giving unique names to the fruits. Over the years, they have been named after famous actors, sportspersons and politicians, including Vidya Balan, Salman ... Read more

Guam is looking to open itself to tourists from July. The Guam Visitors Bureau is courting potential tourists from Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and other markets, but acknowledges that Guam has no control over other countries’ decisions to again allow their citizens to travel abroad or lift their 14-day quarantine requirements, or when airlines will resume their flights. Guam is a US island territory in Micronesia, in the Western Pacific. It’s distinguished by tropical beaches and ancient latte-stone pillars and has a distinct Spanish colonial heritage. Recognizing challenges to reviving the island’s main industry, The Guam Daily Post queried lawmakers on how ... Read more

The Ayush Department, which is into promoting alternative medicine systems in India, has introduced new schemes through its Ayur Raksha clinics to spread the message of ayurveda. The schemes – Swasthyam, Sukhayushyam, Punarjani, and Amritham – will be promoted through the clinics in government run ayurvedic institutions. Swasthyam is focussed on reducing the intake of medicines to focus on daily routine, seasonal routines, good food, and moderate exercise for physical and mental health Sukhayushyam is focussed on the health of the elderly. Medicines should not leave them sapped of energy but be able to boost their immunity. They should also ... Read more

Several organizations in Latvia’s tourism sector have sent an open letter to the European Commission (EC), drawing attention to the difficult situation in the sector, as well as the lack of government support. “In Latvia’s tourism sector, which accounts for almost 5% of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP), there is currently no indication that the situation is likely to improve. On the contrary, it is deteriorating every day,” said the representatives of the various organizations. According to them, Latvian tourism and hospitality companies are currently in a worse situation than they were during the 1998 Russian financial crisis and the financial ... Read more

Bermuda is reopening its doors to all visitors from July 1, Forbes has reported. Located only 650 miles off the coast of North Carolina, Bermuda is ready to welcome even American guests, who are restricted from entering several other countries. But there are, of course, conditions to be met. Travellers need to have a negative COVID-19 test done within 72 hours of their flight, wear face masks and practice social distancing at their departure airport and in the flight, and upon arrival undergo another coronavirus test at the airport or their accommodation and quarantine until the results are in. Temperature ... Read more

Myanmar is expecting to restart domestic tourism in the third quarter of this year, an official from the Ministry of Hotels and Tourism told Xinhua on Saturday. Under the COVID-19 Tourism Relief Plan recently launched by the ministry, domestic tourism will resume soon to help the tourism sector recover. The tourism ministry and Religious Affairs and Culture Ministry are in talks to reopen the pagodas and cultural sites so as to restart domestic tourism very soon. By the fourth quarter of this year, Myanmar will restart travel with neighbouring countries such as Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam and Thailand, the official said. ... Read more

The Uttarakhand government will prepare an action plan for the tourism sector, hit badly by the Covid-19 lockdown. Chief minister Trivendra Singh Rawat has instructed officials to prepare an action plan for tourism, via an online meeting over the weekend. Ashwini Lohani, advisor to the Chardham Devasthanam Board and Subhash Goyal, general secretary of the Federation of Associations in Indian Tourism and Hospitality (FAITH) were present during the meeting. “There is a need to encourage tourism apart from the peak tourist period, especially in places located on the travel route. Suggestions of pilgrims and locals should also be obtained on ... Read more

Egypt’s tourism ministry is scrapping tourist visa fees for the governorates of South Sinai, Marsa Matrouh and the Red Sea until October 31, in a move meant to encourage tourists back to the country. Khaled El Enani, Minister of Tourism and Antiquities, stated that the Ministry of Interior has issued a new decision to abolish the fees for all citizens visiting Egypt in only the three governorates mentioned above. El Enani conducted a visit to the governorates, to some of the hotels and their airports, deeming them more suitable for touristic activities than condensed and crowded cities, especially during the ... Read more