Tag: covid-19 crisis

Will the state government’s move, allowing for deferment of fixed electricity charges for a period of six months, help the hospitality industry? The sector had asked for a waiver of fixed charges, but that demand was not met. Tourismnewslive.com quizzed a number of leading industry players about this, seeking their comments. Over to their views. Chacko Paul – Managing Director -The Travancore Heritage Chowara & Lepondy, Pondicherry Hospitality industry is one of the highest tax generating as well as the biggest provider of jobs. But it is also the worst affected sector due to this Covid-19 pandemic. In this present ... Read more

California governor Gavin Newsom ordered all beaches and state parks in Orange County to temporarily close, after images in the news showed crowds gathering on beaches violating the state’s physical distancing rules. Beaches and all state parks in California will be closed, effective Friday, May 1. Activity seen on only a few beaches threatened the progress California has made in battling coronavirus, the governor said Thursday. “Specific issues on some of those beaches raised alarm bells,” Newsom said. The vast majority of coastlines saw people following the statewide orders, he said. But the “density, the volume of people, concentrated space, ... Read more

Greece is looking to reopen the country to tourists from July onwards, as it looks to kick-start its economy again after being hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic. Tourism accounts for up to 12% of Greece’s GDP, with revenues of $20 billion in 2019. Greece went under lockdown on March 23 and is looking to lift restrictions from Monday, while hotels will be allowed to reopen on June 1. Greece is regarded as one of the most preferred travel destinations in the world. “We do want people to come to Greece,” Tourism Minister Harry Theoharis said in an interview with ... Read more

Switzerland Tourism, while encouraging travelers across the world to stay home and stay safe, has launched a new campaign — #dreamnowtravellater — to keep hope afloat in travelers across the world, giving them something to look forward to when the pandemic is finally behind us. Under normal circumstances, most of us right now would be diligently planning our summer vacations this year, but these are not normal times. As the COVID-19 pandemic spreads across major parts of the world, many countries are doing what they can to keep their citizens safe. Restrictions on domestic and global travel is one of ... Read more

Switzerland has thanked Kerala for enabling the repatriation of its citizens along with other European nationals in a seamless manner. On Saturday, April 25th, over 160 Swiss citizens and residents as well European nationals had boarded a Swiss flight from Kochi to Zurich, after being stuck in Kerala for many days due to the COVID-19 crisis. In a letter written to chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan, the Consul General of Switzerland, Sebastien Hug said, “I would like to express my deepest gratitude for the great support given by the government of Kerala for ensuring a safe and smooth repatriation. In particular, ... Read more

British deputy high commissioner Jeremy Pilmore-Bedford has thanked the Kerala government for the assistance and support given for the repatriation of British nationals who were stranded in Kerala due to the coronavirus crisis. The relief flight was a complicated one and involved the aircraft first landing to pick up passengers in Thiruvananthapuram before flying to Kochi to pick up a larger group from there. “We also moved large numbers of passengers to the airports from various locations from across Kerala as well as from locations in Tamil Nadu close to Kochi and Thiruvananthapuram,” Bedford said in a letter to chief ... Read more

The latest data from United Nations’ specialised agency for tourism, UNWTO, shows that all destinations now have travel restrictions in place. Of these, 83% have had Covid-19 related restrictions for four or more weeks already. UNWTO Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili said: “Tourism has shown its commitment to putting people first. Our sector can also lead the way in driving recovery. This research on global travel restrictions will help support the timely and responsible implementation of exit strategies, allowing destinations to ease or lift travel restrictions when it is safe to do so. This way, the social and economic benefits that tourism ... Read more

Lock-down restrictions should be lifted in places relatively unaffected by the coronavirus so that India’s economy revives, ATTOI President Vinod CS said on Tuesday. “After May 3, complete shutdown may not be possible. We have to locate the hotspots and isolate those areas. Rest of the places should be allowed to function as usual,” he said, concerned about how the various industries across the country are facing a huge setback. He felt that the focus should be on preventing community transmission in affected areas. The affected and relatively unaffected areas have to be demarcated while maintaining access control. “Complete lockdown ... Read more

Come July, Dubai hopes to reopen itself for tourists. After having halted arrivals last month to contain the coronavirus pandemic, the economic hub wants to encourage travel for business and leisure by July or latest by September. The process will be gradual and could be delayed until September, depending on global trends, Helal Al Marri, director general of Dubai’s Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing, said in an interview with Bloomberg TV on Tuesday. Many countries remain closed and it’s more about the bilateral discussions, Al Marri said. Is it going to be July when things start slowly opening up? ... Read more

The Union Tourism Ministry has launched a new webinar series called ”Dekho Apna Desh” to provide in-depth information on several destinations and the expanse of the culture and heritage of India. The first webinar touched upon the long history of Delhi. It was titled “City of Cities — Delhi”s Personal Diary”, the ministry said. The webinar will be available in the public domain soon. The official links of the Ministry’s social media handles, IncredibleIndia on Instagram and Facebook, will feature the webinars. Union Minister for Tourism and Culture Prahlad Singh Patel said, “The series of webinars will be an on-going ... Read more

A new report has revealed the vital contribution that travel & tourism will make to Asia-Pacific’s economic recovery, once the COVID-19 pandemic has been overcome. The report by the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC), which represents the global travel & tourism private sector, in its annual Economic Impact Report (EIR) shows how big a part the sector played in driving the economy in the region last year. Driven by the continued growth in middle income households, visa facilitation, improved connectivity and government prioritisation of the sector, travel & tourism generated $2,971 billion USD last year towards GDP, or 9.8% ... Read more

United Airlines is partnering with New York City to provide free round-trip flights for medical volunteers who want to help in the frontline fight against the COVID-19 crisis. The airline is working closely with the Mayor’s Fund to Advance New York City and a network of medical volunteer organizations, including The Society of Critical Care Medicine, to coordinate travel for doctors, nurses and other medical professionals from across the country to help treat patients, in this time of unprecedented need. “Our healthcare workers are heroes, and they need reinforcements,” said New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio. “This generous partnership ... Read more