Tag: covid-19 pandemic

Emirates plans to restore services to six more destinations from July 15 to August 15, bringing the carrier’s network to 58 cities. The Dubai-based carrier plans to resume flights to Geneva from July 15, Los Angeles from July 22, Dar es Salaam from August 1, Prague and Sao Paulo from August 2 and Boston from August 15. “We’ve seen an uptick in customer interest and demand since the announcement of Dubai’s re-opening, and also with the increased travel options that we offer as we gradually re-establish our network connectivity,” says chief commercial officer Adnan Kazim. “We continue to work closely with ... Read more

The Croatian authorities have decided to open their borders for all travellers who intend to enter the country for business, tourism, or other personal reasons, including Americans. Despite the EU-wide entry ban on United States citizens, Croatia (a non-Schengen EU Member State), has taken the matter on its own hands and opened the borders to all EU/EEA nationals and individuals holding permanent residence in the EU/EEA countries, and more. According to a notice of the US Embassy in Zagreb, published in its official website, all third-country nationals have been eligible to enter Croatia since July 1.“All other foreign nationals, including ... Read more

The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) has called upon all travellers to don protective face masks to show they ‘wear to care’. As countries transition from lockdowns to reopening their borders, the wearing of face masks helps signal the return of safer travels, while also providing personal protection for users as well as those around them. WTTC’s call favouring mandatory mask wearing comes from evidence that countries which are recovering faster from COVID-19 are those where the use of face masks have been widely enforced and encouraged. Following medical guidance from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, WTTC advised ... Read more

Etihad Airways on Friday said it will operate a limited number of special flights from six Indian cities to Abu Dhabi between July 12 and July 26 for eligible passengers. The airline said it will operate services to Abu Dhabi from Bengaluru, Chennai, Kochi, Delhi, Hyderabad and Mumbai. “Eligible passengers include UAE nationals and residents as well as people with relevant UAE entry approvals from India. All passengers must have ICA approval from the government of Abu Dhabi before they travel and will not be permitted to check-in without the necessary approvals,” the airline said in its press release. ICA ... Read more

The Leela Palaces, Hotels and Resorts has been voted the World’s Best Hotel Brand by Travel + Leisure, USA World’s Best Awards Survey, 2020. Owned by Brookfield Asset Management, The Leela hospitality brand is best known for its cuisine and artisanal craft and is rooted in its offering of India’s rich heritage to the world. This accolade is a recognition of the brand’s consistency in pursuing excellence and an affirmation of its commitment towards curating authentic luxury experiences with the graciousness of Indian hospitality, the hotel said. In the same survey, The Leela Palace Udaipur gained top honours as the #1 Resort ... Read more

AirAsia Group CEO Tony Fernandes on Thursday said the low-cost airline can bounce back to profitability next year, but that it will look to raise 2 billion ringgit ($469 million) in the next six months to be in a “very comfortable” position. In an interview with Nikkei Asian Review, Fernandes expressed confidence that AirAsia can overcome heavy losses brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. The Malaysia-based company said earlier on Thursday that it was working to raise more than 1 billion ringgit ($234 million). Air Asia gave details of its plans after its shares fell sharply on Wednesday following a ... Read more

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has urged the International Energy Agency (IEA) to prioritise investments in sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) to help power aviation’s contribution to the post-COVID-19 recovery. The call comes on the eve of the IEA Clean Energy Transitions Summit, which will meet virtually to debate moves towards a low-carbon future. In a statement on Thursday, IATA also emphasised the aviation industry’s commitment to its emissions reduction goals. “The world must ‘build back better’ from the COVID-19 crisis with attention focused on investment in carbon reduction technologies and in SAF, which will create jobs at this critical ... Read more

India Tourism Development Corporation (ITDC), a public sector undertaking, under the aegis of the Ministry of Tourism, has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi, to implement preventive measures against Covid-19 infections. ITDC wants to provide a safe, hygienic and healthy environment to guests and staff across its hotels and offices and is looking to lay down a relevant protocol in association with AIIMS. To take the initiative forward an advisory board will be formed consisting of representatives from AIIMS, ITDC or representatives from any other organisation to provide inputs on designing and developing the ... Read more

The Maldives President has sacked the country’s Tourism Minister Ali Waheed, after female employees in his office accused him of sexual offences, news agency Associated Press reported on Thursday. President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih had called for the resignation of Ali Waheed and then sacked him after he failed to step down on his own, presidential spokesman Ibrahim Hood said. Police confirmed receiving complaints of sexual misconduct by Waheed. An archipelago state in the Indian Ocean, Maldives is known for its luxury tourist resort islands.  The development has come at a time, when Maldives is preparing to reopen to international visitors ... Read more

Air India and Air India Express have confirmed that it will operate repatriation flights to the UAE to fetch stranded citizens from the country. The Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) said that the repatriation flights will commence from July 12 and will go on till July 26. An agreement for the same has been signed between the civil aviation authorities of the two countries, putting an end to the long traumatic wait for hundreds of Indians, Khaleej Times has reported. Many are currently stranded in India since March when both the UAE and India closed their airspaces to curb the ... Read more

Uttarakhand has decided to allow tourists from other states provided they bring along a Covid-19 negative medical report taken not more than 72 hours before their arrival. The tourists will not be quarantined on their arrival in the state. However, till further orders, the Char Dham Yatra will remain closed for them as only residents of Uttarakhand are allowed to undertake this pilgrimage in a regulated manner. The State’s Tourism and Culture minister Satpal Maharaj said, “We welcome tourists from other states to the Devbhoomi. We hope each tourist will bring the Covid-19 negative test report and enjoy the beautiful ... Read more

Etihad Airways has partnered with Sitata, a Canadian travel risk management company, to launch an interactive travel map on etihad.com, the airline’s official website. Etihad Airways’ guests now have easy access to a comprehensive overview of the situation relating to COVID-19 at each destination in the airline’s network. The travel map uses advanced computer algorithms to detect new travel information globally, which is swiftly updated on its portal. The system also relies on announcements and updates published on official government websites and reputable media channels. The information is vetted by Sitata’s team of editors and continuously updated as and when new ... Read more

Spain’s tourism industry has been in a difficult situation ever since the coronavirus crisis began, which led to a near global lockdown and travel restrictions. While travel is now permitted within the European Union and Schengen Area, it remains heavily restricted for citizens of countries outside the EU. The so-called “Golden Mile” between Puerto Banús and Marbella, on Spain’s Costa del Sol, has been left without its typical visitors this summer: tourists from the Middle East and Russia. The image of the Spanish port filled with yachts and glamorous foreigners is distinctly missing, El Pais has reported. Tourists from these countries ... Read more

The Tata group is the only bidder in the fray for national carrier Air India with just a month left for the final bidding date. The Tata group, which already has a footprint in the airlines business, has shown interest in acquiring Air India, which at one point of time was under the Tata umbrella, news agency IANS has reported. The other bidders will be known in due course as globally airlines are under severe stress due to the Covid-19 pandemic and the resultant disruptions on air travel and tourism. The Tata group is likely to go ahead with the ... Read more

In an effort to help the ravaged tourism sector, India has decided to develop existing lighthouses across the country and turn them into travel destinations. The Ministry of Shipping has identified 194 lighthouses for the purpose. The ministry will also step up efforts to identify lighthouses which are more than 100 years old, news agency PTI has reported. A high-level meeting was called by Union Minister of Shipping, Mansukh Mandaviya, to take stock of the preparations to develop these lighthouses. The move to develop the selected lighthouses will not only boost tourism in these areas but also provide people an ... Read more