Tag: covid-19 crisis

Thomas Cook (India) and group company SOTC Travel Ltd have announced the launch of Private Journeys, a premium offering that provides chauffeured van tours designed for smaller groups of family or friends. Private Journeys covers more than 32 countries, for travel from September at a starting price of Rs 25, 800. Curated by experts, the companies said these exclusive private experiences include both sightseeing and food. Destinations include, France, Italy, Switzerland, Finland, Russia, Romania, Kenya, South Africa, Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Thailand and Vietnam, among others. A guest will have access to premium, private vehicles with English speaking drivers, centrally located four-star ... Read more

For the next seven weeks, Dubai’s residents and visitors can shop, relax, eat and repeat with amazing deals and offers on luxury hotel stays, beachfront adventures and family-fun getaways. Dubai Summer Surprises (DSS), which runs until August 29, is part of Dubai’s annual retail calendar that features major retail-based celebrations, mega sales and exclusive retail experiences and attractions aimed at further enhancing the retail sector. This summer season, Dubai Festivals and Retail Establishment (DFRE) highlights a great selection of unmissable hotel offers that will transform your summer into an unforgettable vacation in the city. The following are the details put ... Read more

Jammu and Kashmir reopened to tourists on Tuesday, allowing only air travellers to enter the territory. The decision to partially reopen the region was taken by the government, which stated that safety guidelines will have to be strictly followed by the tourists. “There will be partial opening of the tourism sector for visitors from outside J&K, limited to tourists arriving by air only,” the government said in a statement. “In the view of the COVID related measures, it was imperative to put in place a protocol to be followed by the tourists as well authorities engaged in the hospitality sector.” ... Read more

The Union Tourism Ministry organised a webinar under its “Dekho Apna Desh” series on the topic ‘Himachal: Around the next bend’ focusing on the beautiful villages, mountains, pristine rivers, culture and heritage of Himachal Pradesh. Himachal Pradesh is a northern Indian state in the Himalayas. It’s home to scenic mountain towns  such as Dalhousie. Host to the Dalai Lama, Himachal Pradesh has a strong Tibetan presence. This is reflected in its Buddhist temples and monasteries, as well as its vibrant Tibetan New Year celebrations. The region is also well known for its trekking, climbing and skiing areas. Swathed by cedar, ... Read more

More than 500 Nicaraguan workers in the tourism and hotel industry, who have lost their jobs due to the Covid-19 health crisis, have been stranded for more than three months in the Cayman Islands,  because of the government’s refusal to allow them their right to return home, says a report by Confidencial, a leading weekly newspaper. “We want to return to our homeland; it is our constitutional right. We are out of work, and we are surviving thanks to the good heart of the government and the people of the Cayman Islands who have been supporting us”, said Earny Atly, ... Read more

Sri Lanka’s second underwater museum has opened, off the Sandy Bay beach in Trincomalee. The island’s first ever underwater museum was inaugurated earlier this year in the Galle Harbour. The museum was built utilizing the manpower of the Sri Lanka Navy. All the statues placed here have been handmade by naval personnel and these unique sculptures have been produced from concrete and eco-friendly materials. The site will promote the formation of corals which will be an added feature with the passage of time. The museum has been set at a depth of around 60ft within an area of 150ft length and ... Read more

Full-service carrier Vistara has announced a set of safety measures for its customers as part of its safe-flying initiative. The “FlyerCode” initiative comes following a survey conducted by the airline recently in which as many as 55% of the respondents expressed fear of exposure while travelling and apprehension about fellow passengers not following health and safety protocols, Vistara said in a release. The airline has urged the customers to follow the set of measures for safe-flying and remain careful, observant, distanced and empathetic, whenever they fly. As part of the FlyerCode, Vistara has urged its customers to provide all their ... Read more

Philippines speaker Alan Peter Cayetano wants the government to ramp up testing among tourism frontliners as the country prepares for reviving domestic tourism. Cayetano cited the need to include tourism in the government’s plan to expand its testing strategy to cover nonmedical frontliners, who are not showing symptoms of the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19). He also urged the Department of Tourism (DoT) to work with the Task Force Test, Trace, Treat and the private sector to accelerate the plan to conduct Covid-19 testing for the workers in key tourist destinations, Manila Times has reported. “An aggressive and sustained Covid-19 testing ... Read more

German flag carrier Lufthansa has announced that it will cut 20% of its leadership positions and 1,000 administrative jobs, in a restructuring plan to cope with the economic fallout of the coronavirus pandemic.  After downsizing the executive board of the Lufthansa parent company, the corporation is now also planning similar actions at its subsidiaries, with Lufthansa Cargo AG, LSG Group, and Lufthansa Aviation Training set to lose one board position each.  The airline said that it would also halve its investment in new aircraft, although it could still add up to 80 new planes by 2023. According to a statement, ... Read more

Haryana is not a hotspot on most people’s tourism maps. But a good look into what Haryana can offer, can draw domestic tourists towards the state. The Ministry of Tourism had organised a webinar on “Haryana: Culture, Cuisine and Tourism” showcasing the rich and varied heritage of Haryana, as part of its Dekho Apna Desh series. The webinar was moderated by Rupinder Brar, Additional Director General,  Ministry Of Tourism and was presented by Rajbir Deswal, a retired IPS officer and practising advocate along with Mahasingh Poonia, Director of cultural youth and Affairs, Kurukshetra University and Ashish Dahiya, a professor at ... Read more

Chhattisgarh Tourism Minister Tamradhwaj Sahu has said the state will concentrate on promoting domestic tourism to overcome the impact of the pandemic on the tourism sector. Accordingly, Chhattisgarh Tourism Board will develop water sports and cafeteria at all the prominent dams and water bodies of the state, Sahu told a meeting of the Board’s directors. The coronavirus crisis has hit the tourism industry the most, the minister said. Now the best bet is to work on the policy of drawing local tourists to the state’s tourism spots, he added. Sahu has asked the Tourism Board officials to work on a ... Read more

Union Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal on Monday said the government will help the travel and tourism industry only if they give recommendations regarding tackling the coronavirus situation. The minister advised the sector to help the Centre in achieving its objective of creating an Atma Nirbhar Bharat, even as the sector is struggling to keep itself alive in the wake of the global pandemic. Before the industry representatives attending the webinar realised what hit them, the minister fired the next salvo. He slammed the industry for its “bad practices” and “wrong doings”, asking it to look within. The officials of the ... Read more

Karnataka Tourism Minister CT Ravi has tested positive for COVID-19. He had given his swab sample for testing twice in this past week. While he tested negative the first time, his second result came back positive. CT Ravi is now the first minister in Karnataka to have tested positive for the novel coronavirus. “Since one test returned negative and one returned positive, I got a third test done today (Sunday). I am waiting for the third umpire’s resolution,” he tweeted. He also went on to add he is asymptomatic and that he did yoga and pranayama on Sunday morning. “I ... Read more

American hospitality major Hilton has stopped operating its Hilton Cape Town hotel from Sunday, after nine years of running it. The property at the Buitengracht Street of Cape Town, will be handed back to its owner, Millat Properties. Hilton had recently announced that it would cut 2,100 jobs – more than a fifth of its corporate staff –  in response to the coronavirus crisis, which has decimated the hospitality industry. “Never in Hilton’s 101-year history has our industry faced a global crisis that brings travel to a virtual standstill,” said CEO Christopher J. Nassetta. In South Africa, leisure accommodation is ... Read more

Etihad Airways, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates, has announced a codeshare agreement with Abu Dhabi’s first low-cost airline, Air Arabia Abu Dhabi. Etihad has placed its ‘EY’ code on Air Arabia Abu Dhabi’s inaugural flight from Abu Dhabi to the Egyptian city of Alexandria July 14, followed by the Nile city of Sohag the next day. The new agreement enables guests to book Etihad flights in conjunction with Air Arabia Abu Dhabi services, connecting its global route network beyond the UAE capital to new airline’s routes. Etihad plans to add further codeshare destinations to the partnership scope ... Read more