The Australian Federation of Travel Agents (AFTA) has welcomed the news that payments under the government’s JobKeeper scheme will be extended for millions of stood-down workers, a report by CMW says. The government has extended the scheme beyond September for an additional six months at a new rate of A$1,200 (US$846.87) a fortnight. The wage […]
Tag Archives: covid-19 crisis
22
Jul
Jul
While tourism businesses have called for more government help, Tourism New Zealand is counting on Kiwis spending more on their domestic travels to help the sector recover from the Covid-19 pandemic. New research commissioned by the tourism board found that cost was one of a number of potential barriers to travel, with more than a […]
India, Interview, Kerala, News, Round Up
Trade bodies need better co-ordination and sustained efforts to make a difference in policy making: Sajan Joseph
21
Jul
Jul
Sajan Joseph, co-founder and CEO of Breakout Hotels, feels trade bodies must be in continuous touch with the government to make a difference in policy making. The associations tend to be in contact with political authorities only during conclaves and when a crisis erupts. He says trade bodies should include people with a wider exposure, […]
Asia, Headlines Slider, News
Sri Lanka relaxes registration criteria for small hotels to secure health certificates
21
Jul
Jul
Sri Lanka’s small hotels which have developed from serving tourists through global booking engines will be given provisional licenses to get Covind-19 health certification to operate when the country opens for tourists in the future, the country’s tourism promotion agency said. The Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA) said about 60% of the industry is […]
21
Jul
Jul
Within 24 hours of the flight ban being lifted on Wednesday, around 1,200 Britons had landed in Greece. By Friday, a reported 200 planes had flown from the UK to the country’s 18 regional airports, according to a report by The Guardian. “Today, we can’t wait to have them,” said Charalambos Varvarigos, the vice-mayor of […]
America, Headlines Slider, News
New Mexico worries about tourists from Arizona and Texas, as many refuse to quarantine
21
Jul
Jul
Like governors in at least 15 states of the USA, New Mexico’s governor Lujan Grisham has ordered out-of-state tourists to self-isolate, citing data that about one in 10 of the state’s spiking COVID-19 cases comes from visitors. According to a Reuters report, enforcing the orders is proving difficult, given the lack of a national plan, […]
Asia, Hotels, News, Top Stories
Thailand’s tourism campaign results in more than 3.6 million hotel bookings
21
Jul
Jul
The number of hotel room bookings under the “Rao Pai Tiew Gun” (Let’s travel together) campaign has reached 3.6 million. The campaign is one of the government’s tourism stimulus measures, providing a 40% discount per night (but not exceeding five nights) to 5 million travellers. Traisuree Taisaranakul, a deputy government spokeswoman, said that travellers are […]
20
Jul
Jul
The Chilika Development Authority (CDA) has constructed a museum near Barkul, on the banks of the Chilika lake, to showcase the marine diversity of Asia’s largest brackish water lagoon. The project has been executed under the National Plan for Conservation of Aquatic Ecosystems (NPCA) of the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) at an investment of […]
20
Jul
Jul
The Japanese government’s plan to revive domestic tourism has run into rough weather, just 48 hours before the launch of its new travel campaign. The campaign, Go To Travel, has been designed to give a helping hand to the pandemic-ravaged tourism industry but policymakers are unable to set details on the contentious subsidy programme with […]
India, Kerala, News, Round Up
V Balaram, one of India’s best known German tour guides, dies of cardiac arrest
20
Jul
Jul
One of India’s pioneering tour guides, V Balaram, passed away today morning due to cardiac arrest. He was 52-years-old. Balaram was a key driving force in popularising the Kerala Tourism brand in its initial days when very few guides could present a holistic view of Kerala and its culture. Balaram was a well-known German speaking […]
20
Jul
Jul
Omran, the investment arm of Oman’s tourism ministry, will end a partnership with Port Investment Ltd (PIL) that entailed redevelopment of the Sultan Qaboos port. Omran will buy the 70% stake it doesn’t already own in Muttrah Tourism Development Co., established to redevelop Sultan Qaboos port for $1 billion, Bloomberg has reported. It will make […]
America, News, Top Stories
Montana coalition seeks improvement of facilities along Yellowstone river to boost tourism
20
Jul
Jul
In an effort to persuade more travellers to visit a portion of Eastern Montana, a coalition is seeking improvement to facilities along a 163-mile stretch of the Yellowstone River between Hysham and the North Dakota border. The 12-member Lower Yellowstone River Coalition — composed of business people, conservationists, politicians and recreation-minded individuals — sees the initiative as a […]
20
Jul
Jul
Saudi Arabia is sticking by its target of attracting 100 million visits by 2030 despite the devastating impact of the coronavirus pandemic on its fledgling tourism sector, Arab News has reported. Saudi Tourism Authority Adviser Mahmoud Abdulhadi said that about a half a million tourism visas had been issued between last autumn and the arrival […]
America, Hotels, News, Top Stories
Jamaica’s tourism minister says entities that do not comply with health protocol will be shut down
20
Jul
Jul
Jamaica’s Minister of Tourism, Edmund Bartlett, has warned that tourism entities that fail to comply with health and safety protocols designed to facilitate the phased reopening of the tourism sector amid the COVID-19 pandemic, will be shut down. Speaking at the Golf View Hotel in Manchester, during a tour of the newly opened South Coast […]
America, Headlines Slider, News
Leaky US border presents new challenge for Canadian tourism even as it feels the “revenue pinch”
20
Jul
Jul
As Canada’s COVID-19 infections and deaths moderate, the explosion of new cases in the United States presents a challenge for Canadian authorities who must deal with both unwanted tourists slipping through the border and legitimate travellers who break the strict quarantine laws. The problem is compounded by a recent jump in crossings. More than 187,000 […]