Tag: covid-19 pandemic

Singapore has announced the gradual reopening of its tourism sector from today. In the initial phase, 13 attractions will be allowed to resume operations. Universal Studios Singapore, Madame Tussauds, Singapore Zoo, Bounce, Flower Dome at Gardens by the Bay, Jurong Bird Park, River Safari, Zero Latency, Art Science Museum, Casino at Marina Bay Sands and Resorts World Sentosa, S.E.A. Aquarium, and Sands Sky Park and Observation Deck will reopen their doors for visitors in the first phase. In the beginning, most attractions will be restricted to no more than 25% of their operating capacity at one time. Access to the ... Read more

Egypt has announced it will reopen its seaside resorts from today. The areas opening up are southern Sinai, where the resorts of Sharm el-Sheikh and Dahab are located, Red Sea province, home to the Hurghada and Marsa Alam resorts, and Marsa Matrouh on the Mediterranean. The cabinet has said that international flights will be allowed to enter the country from July 1, while foreign tourists will be permitted at the resorts least affected by Covid-19. Tourists coming to Egypt will now be required to submit a valid health insurance policy to Egyptian airport authorities as part of measures to limit the coronavirus spread. ... Read more

Malta is reopening its tourism from today, allowing visitors from 20 plus nations to enter the country without an isolation period. Restrictions on all other flight destinations will be lifted on July 15. The Prime Minister of Malta, Robert Abela, announced that Malta’s International Airport too will resume commercial passenger flights from today.   Malta is an archipelago in the central Mediterranean between Sicily and the North African coast. It’s a nation known for historic sites related to a succession of rulers including the Romans, Moors, Knights of Saint John, French and British. It is also famous for its numerous fortresses, megalithic temples and ... Read more

Kerala Tourism secretary Rani George has said the state government is working on reviving the tourism sector with special focus on ayurveda, adventure and houseboat tourism. Addressing an interactive virtual session organized by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI), she said, “SOPs for these areas are already prepared and will soon be circulated to the industry for implementation.” “The Kerala government has been proactive in preventing COVID-19 in the state. We will be focusing on promoting Kerala as a safe and hygienic destination for prospective tourists,” Rani George added. Baby Mathew, President, Kerala Travel Mart Society ... Read more

India’s largest domestic carrier IndiGo on Tuesday introduced an additional 5.5 days of “leave without pay” per month for its pilots, effective July. IndiGo had implemented one to five days of leave without pay in May. The new move will effectively take the total number of “no pay days” to ten. The carrier has also implemented fresh salary cuts for some of the pilots. “There will also be a salary revision for under training transition captains and transition first officers and that would be communicated by the HR team,” the airline stated. The airline will review the leave without pay ... Read more

The Maharashtra state government has now restricted extensive movement within the Mumbai Metropolitan Region, which has seen an unprecedented spike in COVID-19 cases in the past month. In Mumbai, city police have stopped allowing people to move beyond a 2-km periphery from their homes. On Monday, while extending lockdown restrictions till July 31 under ‘Mission Begins Again’ initiative, the government has asked people in Mumbai, Thane, Navi Mumbai and other cities to use only neighbourhood markets and barred them from travelling long distance for shopping non-essential items. Violations will invite police action. Chief secretary Ajoy Mehta issued an order on ... Read more

The European Union is edging toward finalising a list of countries whose citizens will be allowed to enter Europe again in coming days, with Americans almost certain to be excluded in the short term due to the number of U.S. coronavirus cases. Spain’s foreign minister said that the list could contain 15 countries that are not EU members and whose citizens would be allowed to visit from July 1. EU diplomats confirmed that the list would be made public on Tuesday. The diplomats spoke on condition of anonymity to the news agency Associated Press (AP) because the procedure is ongoing ... Read more

As part of the Dekho Apna Desh webinar series, the Ministry of Tourism introduced a session on  “Unlocking Travel & Tourism Safely & Responsibly during Covid”. The webinar was moderated by  Rupinder Brar, ADG, Ministry Of Tourism and was presented by  Dr Sandeep Bhalla, Director of Public Health Foundation of India, Dr Sanjeev Kumar Singh, Chief Medical Superintendent of Amrita Institute of Medical & Sciences Research Centre at Kochi, Dr Paridhi Mody, Programme Officer of Public Health Foundation of India. As countries around the globe including India are now gradually opening up trade and industries including travel & tourism, bringing ... Read more

Greece will not be accepting direct flights from the UK and Sweden until July 15, it was announced on Monday. The announcement followed a meeting chaired by Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, ahead of Greece reopening airports to international flights on Wednesday, July 1. Regarding which non-European Union travellers will be allowed entry as of July 1, Greece intends to follow the list expected to be released soon by European officials, a statement by the PM’s press office said. The list will include the countries whose travellers will be allowed in when the EU’s external borders are reopened on July 1, Greek ... Read more

The Bahamas Ministry of Tourism & Aviation is preparing for the phase-2 of reopening, starting July 1, which allows for the resumption of international travel. All travellers visiting The Bahamas beginning July 1, must: Present a COVID-19 RT-PCR Negative (Swab) Test. Those arriving between July 1-7 must present results less than ten (10) days old. Those arriving after July 7 must present results less than seven (7) days old. Select individuals will not be required to provide a test: Children under two (2) Children between 3-10, if state or county of residence does not administer tests under that age. Parents or guardians must provide proof of testing restriction ... Read more

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has come on board to facilitate the development of a roadmap towards ‘Building a Safer and Resilient Tourism Sector in Sri Lanka: Post COVID-19’, to better assess the rapidly evolving pandemic and its crippling impact on the tourism sector.   This national roadmap is intended to catalyse the development of a framework to support the development of a new Strategic Plan and Vision for tourism 2021-2024. The first in a series of  consultations with development partners convened under the theme; ‘Putting People First: Building a more Resilient Tourism Sector in Sri Lanka’ was held on ... Read more

The Singapore Tourism Board (STB) said on Sunday that tourism businesses in Singapore will be permitted to resume operations in stages from July 1, starting with 13 attractions. STB will also allow domestic tour operators to begin submitting their applications to resume operations. This is part of the resumption of activities in Phase 2 after the circuit breaker, STB said. The following attractions, including selected components in the two integrated resorts (IRs), have submitted their reopening proposals. The Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI) and STB have carefully assessed their proposals and will allow them to reopen from July 1. The attraction ... Read more

Now’s the time to start dreaming of an escape to New South Wales’ wine country, the Hunter Valley – a place where world-famous wineries, acclaimed restaurants, delicious local produce and luxurious hideaways await. Surrounded by magnificent natural beauty, and only two hours from Sydney, the Hunter Valley is an unrivalled destination that has delighted since vines first thrived in the 1820s. With more cellar doors than any other wine region in Australia, one of the great pleasures of wine tasting here is the incredible breadth of flavour and character. While Hunter Valley semillon and shiraz have long been world-famous, guests will also sip distinctive and innovative wines, from ... Read more

Cyprus has temporarily reduced VAT charges from 9% to 5% for hotels, restaurants and taxi transport. The move is intended to support the tourism industry with a boost in revenues – but the reduction is not likely to be passed on to the customer, the Cyprus Mail has reported. The rate reduction will be applicable for the period from July 1, 2020 to January 10, 2021. The change only applies to the following services, according to Deloitte Cyprus: a)       Accommodation in hotels, tourist accommodation and similar areas, including the provision of holiday accommodation b)      Restaurant and catering services. c)       Transport of passengers and ... Read more

Kerala Tourism, which is banking on domestic tourism in the wake of the ban on international air travel, has a hurdle to cross. The district of Thiruvananthapuram, which is home to quite a few travel destinations including the likes of Kovalam, Shangumugham and the Sree Padmanabhaswamy temple, has become a Covid-19 hotspot.   Tourism Minister Kadakampally Surendran has expressed anxiety over the transmission of coronavirus in Thiruvananthapuram, especially within the city. He stated that the current situation does not demand closing down the city but the residents must adhere to the guidelines issued by the government. With the coronavirus community transmission ... Read more