Tag: covid-19 crisis

The Czech Republic partially opened its borders to neighbouring states on May 26, but tourism has been slow to catch up. That’s understandable as restrictions are still tight and the list of favoured countries is short. This would mean that the upcoming summer season would not be a fruitful one for tour operators. Prague’s mayor, Zdenek Hrib, says he is hugely concerned about the fate of tourism and pledges full support for the sector and its employees. The enforced pause could offer the city a chance to recover from “over-tourism” that is “eating the city from the inside”. “The impact ... Read more

Kazakhstan will resume flights to six countries, including some holiday hot-spots, starting from mid-June. Flights to Turkey, China, South Korea, Thailand, Georgia, and Japan will resume on June 20 in a safe manner, Kazakhstan Civil Aviation Committee said in a statement. ‘‘The number of flights on international routes will be operated based on existing intergovernmental agreements on air traffic and depend on the commercial loading of aircraft on each route,’’ the statement published on the committee’s website said.  Tickets for these flights will go on sale in accordance with the schedule published on the websites of airlines, Caspian News reported. ... Read more

Air India has reintroduced its Coimbatore-New Delhi flight. The flight will be operated four days a week from June 22. The flight – number 547/548 — will depart from New Delhi at 7.40 am and land in Coimbatore at 11 am. The same flight will leave Coimbatore at noon and land in New Delhi at 3 pm.

In a new initiative to attract international tourists to Telangana, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), Union Ministry for Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF) and Telangana Forest Department are working closely to identify potential vacation spots to form a tourism circuit. The districts where tourism spots are being explored include Sangareddy, Siddipet, Medak, Kamareddy and Adilabad. The USAID, which selected Medak district under its Forest Plus 2.0 to improve greenery in the forest area, has identified immense tourism potential in Telangana. USAID, MoEF and Telangana Forest Department have together roped in a tourism consultant, Deepu Karthikeyan, who ... Read more

The Karnataka government on Wednesday launched caravan tourism, an initiative under which tourists can book a fully-equipped vehicle that will take them places, and also serve as beds for the night. The initiative has been started by the tourism department to revive the sector badly hit by the coronavirus crisis. Each caravan has seats that convert into beds, allowing four people to sleep in one car. The vehicles are equipped with a shower, a modern toilet, a smart television and a music system. They also have a kitchenette that includes a refrigerator, freezer and microwave. The caravan bus has 1,400-watt solar ... Read more

Riaz Ahmad, managing director of Abad Hotels & Resorts, has been in the hospitality sector for many decades, braving umpteen challenges. But even for someone like him, the coronavirus pandemic has presented an unforeseen situation. In this interview he talks about how his company is preparing for the future, keeping the interest of the employees in mind. Often the government ignores the sector as there is a perception that tourism is a business of the wealthy, he says. Excerpts: Q: It’s great to see Abad group reopening its properties across Kerala. How was the lockdown experience at Abad group? What ... Read more

Hilton Hotels is laying off 2,100 employees, or roughly 22% of its corporate workforce, as the pandemic continues to drive down demand for leisure and corporate travel. The hotel chain is also extending the existing furloughs for many of its corporate staff for an additional 90 days, CNN Business has reported. Hilton had announced the initial furloughs, as well as temporary pay cuts for executives, in March. “Never in Hilton’s 101-year history has our industry faced a global crisis that brings travel to a virtual standstill,” CEO Christopher Nassetta said in a press release, adding he was “devastated” by the decision. Covid-19 all ... Read more

Air France plans to serve close to 150 destinations this summer, taking its network to 80% of its usual capacity. By the end of June, the flight schedule will represent 20% of the capacity usually deployed over this period. Subject to the lifting of travel restrictions, the gradual increase in the number of frequencies and destinations will continue, reaching 35% of the flight schedule initially planned in July and 40% in August. Several routes will resume between Paris and the French regions, as well as inter-regional routes, particularly to and from Corsica. The number of services will also be increased to ... Read more

They’ve both got beaches, food, history and sunshine, but two leading tourist destinations are now selling themselves as Europe’s safest as they try to lure the visitors they need to prop up economies fried by the coronavirus. Both Portugal and Greece, which this week opened their doors wider to international visitors, are trumpeting relatively low infection rates and widespread measures to keep the virus in check. And both face financial peril unless they can persuade the tourists to come, CNN says in a detailed report. Portuguese Prime Minister António Costa believes his country remains as attractive as ever, but has ... Read more

Residents of Malta will be given 100 euro (US$112) vouchers by the government to spend in bars, hotels and restaurants in an effort to revitalise the tourist industry, news agency Reuters has reported. Tourism accounts for a quarter of the Mediterranean island’s GDP but it has been at a standstill since mid-March when flights were stopped during the coronavirus emergency. Flights to a small number of countries will resume on July 1 but they exclude big tourism source markets Britain and Italy (except Sicily). Prime Minister Robert Abela said in a statement a monthly wage subsidy of 800 euros per worker ... Read more

India will take a decision on resumption of international passenger flights in July if coronavirus behaves in a “predictable manner” and if the entire aviation ecosystem and state governments are onboard, Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri has said. The country resumed domestic passenger flights from May 25 after a gap of two months amid the coronavirus pandemic. Scheduled international passenger flights, however, continue to remain suspended in India. “I am often asked, when can you start international civil aviation? If you leave it to me, and if the ecosystem works, and if we have the predictability in terms of ... Read more

A new tourist attraction is set to come up in Maharashtra. The state Water Resources Department (WRD) has decided to use 28 acres of unused land in the vicinity of Khadakwasla dam to set up an amusement park, water sports, multipurpose pavilion, a village theme, a restaurant and a resort. The irrigation department has sought proposals from interested organisations to use the land, to be developed as a tourism destination on Built Operate and Transfer (BOT) basis, according to a report in The Indian Express. As per the plan, the basic idea of the proposal is the beautification of Khadakwasla ... Read more

The Assam government is planning to promote ‘Monsoon Tourism’ to woo tourists from across the country, in a move expected to give some impetus to the state’s tourism sector hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic. The trip can be a quick relief for many in the north of India, suffering from the extreme heat. Assam Tourism will promote Chandubi in Kamrup district, Chandrapur in Kamrup metro district and Pabitra and Mayong in Morigaon district as part of the plan. There will be thematic promotional activities about monsoon tourism within and outside Assam. Appropriate packages will be developed, keeping COVID-19 safety ... Read more

The world is today a slow coach. The coronavirus crisis has helped people to stop and think. Tourism destinations worldwide are pausing to reflect on their business models and Amsterdam is one among them. Last year, 19 million tourists visited Amsterdam bringing in more than 6 billion euros ($6.8 billion) in revenue, according to a Bloomberg report. But the city is facing an existential crisis. In a way, Amsterdam has been over-run by tourism. There is no other way to put it. International visitors come into the city in large numbers during peak season and locals often feel side-lined. Not ... Read more

A total of 168 Indian nationals are returning from Maldives today via an Air India flight. The flight will land in two cities – Thiruvananthapuram and Bengaluru. Passengers had started gathering at Male airport since morning and thanked Indian government for its efforts to evacuate the Indian nationals, All India Radio (AIR) said in a report. Another two flights are scheduled in the next two days for Delhi, Kolkata and Bhubaneswar. The repatriation is being carried out in coordination with the Indian High Commission in Male. With this evacuation, over three and half thousand people would be brought back from Maldives ... Read more