Category: Asia

Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) one of the apex bodies in Global Tourism, teamed up with GIZ has organized a virtual training program via Zoom for Sri Lanka Tourism on four days including 12, 13, 24, and 25 November 2020. Sri Lanka’s long-standing proud membership induced PATA’s collaboration with GIZ to sponsor two global experts Tourism Crisis Management Expert John Bailey and Global Tourism Marketing Guru Damian Cook, in training Sri Lanka’s Tourism’s key personnel from Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority, Sri Lank Tourism Promotion Bureau, Sri Lanka Institute of Tourism & Hotel Management and Sri Lanka Convention Bureau, entirely ... Read more

Adapting to the new normal of the global travel and tourism industry, due to the ongoing COVID 19 pandemic, Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau has established a strategic initiative to connect with the latest technology, and bring the amazing experiences and world-renowned tourist attractions that the country has to offer, in collaboration with leading wildlife experts. This process is carried out under the continuous guidance of Ms. Kimarli Fernando, Chairperson, Sri Lanka Tourism, encouraging both local and international travelers, wildlife enthusiasts to experience the natural and cultural resources on a virtual basis, mostly on social media platforms, within the comfort ... Read more

Nepal Tourism is planning to have a phased out reopening strategy for tourism activities in the country. Starting with Everest climbing the authorities plan to extend the activities without compromising on the health and safety aspects. Speaking on the re-opening strategy Mr. Dhananjay Regmi, Chief Executive Officer, Nepal Tourism said “If we open whole Nepal at a time, then maybe it will give a wrong message to the world that we are not very much concerned about their health. So what we did, we first started the climbing, and then we opened this with trekking together from October 1st, and ... Read more

Despite the pandemic, recent research says that China will still be the number one source market for international tourism. According to quantitative research of China Outbound Tourism Research Institute, China will reclaim its top position in 2020 with 18 million Chinese international trips, most of which however happened in January, representing about 10% of the number for 2019. Travelers from mainland China can be expected to be responsible for more than a million border crossings, with Macao as the main destination. A number of other countries in Asia welcome Chinese visitors again, including Thailand, Laos, Japan, Singapore, and others. Chinese citizens within ... Read more

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi along with his counterpart Lotay Tshering from Bhutan launched phase two of the RuPay card in Bhutan on Friday the 20th NOV2020. At the online launch function of the card, Prime Minister Modi announced that RuPay cards issued by the Bhutan National Bank can be used at ATMs for INR 1 lakh and for INR 20 lakh at point-of-sale terminals. This will allow Bhutanese cardholders to access the RuPay network in India. The Rupay Card Phase I was launched in August last year during Modi’s state visit to Bhutan. The RuPay card is an Indian ... Read more

Under the prevailing circumstances, one would not get surprised if Hong Kong, the world’s most visited city is termed as a “Bus Cemetry”.  Scores of tour buses and coaches lying idle, in the parking lots are gathering dust at the container port of northern Hong Kong. These coaches have been staying off the road and lying idle for more than 10 months since the government authorities have put a stop on non-resident arrivals into the city due to the Covid-19 virus scare. By end of November, things are expected to turn even worse as the Government would be putting brakes ... Read more

Foreign visitors to  Singapore would now be able to purchase COVID-19 insurance cover up to the tune of 30,000 Singapore dollars during their stay in the country. The important announcement was made on behalf of the Emerging Stronger Taskforce Alliance for Action on Enabling Safe and Innovative Visitor Experiences. A joint statement made by the Changi Airport Group (CAG) and the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) says that three insurance companies viz AIG Asia Pacific Insurance, Chubb Insurance Singapore Limited, and HL Assurance,  have come out with travel insurance products which would cover coronavirus related expenses incurred by the travellers and ... Read more

Recovery in China’s domestic tourism sector is picking up pace thanks to the summer holiday travel rush, CGTN has reported. Shanghai students are back on campus and the World Expo Museum is finally getting a break. In July and August, the museum welcomed 60,000 tourists, a big jump from previous months. Tourists still need to book in advance to visit, but that hasn’t stopped them from coming. And most of the visitors are young local students, the CGTN report said. “We saw an obvious increase. In July and August, we were seeing 1,500 or 1,800 every day, 15 or 20 ... Read more

Azerbaijan Tourism Board (ATB), the national promotion body designed to support the growth of Azerbaijan’s tourism industry, will host its biggest virtual travel trade event in October. Titled “Travel Business Azerbaijan Online” (TBA 2020), the event will be held on October 14, 2020. The online event will bring together local and international tourism professionals, in order to forge partnerships and profitable business deals, Azerbaijan Tourism Board said in a statement. The event aims to bring together 300 buyers from China and South-East Asia, Russia and CIS countries, India and South Asia, Europe, and GCC countries to establish direct communication while also ... Read more

Sri Lanka will implement a short-term action plan to revive the country’s tourism industry which has been badly hit by the Covid-19 pandemic, Tourism Minister Prasanna Ranatunga said on Monday. He said the government will allocate nearly $1 million over the next four months to revive tourism and the short-term action plan was being finalized, reports Xinhua news agency. Under the plan, 12 new tourist attraction sites identified in several districts would be developed while community tourist villages would also be developed, IANS said in a report. Ranatunga said the action plan will also be taken to modernize the Negombo, ... Read more

The Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL) has decided to extend the debt moratorium for the country’s crisis-hit tourism sector by another six months. A debt moratorium on capital and interest for Sri Lanka’s tourism sector which was initiated in April 2019 in the wake of the Easter attacks and expected to expire on September 30, has been extended until March 31 2021, Xinhua news agency quoted the CBSL as saying. The CBSL requested licensed commercial banks and licensed specialized banks to provide moratoriums following representations made by the Ministry of Tourism and in light of the ongoing effects of the pandemic on tourism-related businesses, ... Read more

China’s biggest airlines could provide some much-needed encouragement for an aviation industry starved of good news when they report earnings later this week, Bloomberg has reported. While the coronavirus will still likely saddle Air China Ltd, China Eastern Airlines Corp. and China Southern Airlines Co. with losses for the latest quarter, financial statements from the so-called Big 3 may point to a nascent recovery in in air travel thanks to demand in their vast domestic market. July traffic figures were promising, with passenger numbers for the three airlines rising about 25% from June as travel within China picked up, said the ... Read more

Avani Hotels & Resorts has officially opened its latest resort and the first in Thailand’s southern beach town of Krabi – the Avani Ao Nang Cliff Krabi Resort. Centrally located, the resort boasts stunning views of limestone formations rising up from the Andaman Sea. Just steps away from local cafes and bars, as well as the ever-popular Ao Nang Night Market, visitors can immerse themselves in the bustling social scene while still being able to enjoy Ao Nang’s natural beauty, the resort said in a press statement. The contemporary 178 guest rooms and villas reflect Krabi’s natural landscape and are ... Read more

Wary of recurring coronavirus waves, Malaysia may keep its borders closed to international tourists until the second quarter of next year, the minister responsible for the travel sector said in an interview with Nikkei Asian Review. Nancy Shukri, the minister of tourism, arts and culture, said the government is now re-drafting a “green” list of countries deemed safe from the virus, as a first step. “We initially had a list of countries to be allowed in, but then we saw the second and third waves of coronavirus in some of these countries,” she told the Nikkei Asian Review. “So, we ... Read more

With the coronavirus pandemic dealing a severe blow to Malaysia’s tourism sector and domestic travellers unable to revive the industry, the country’s tourism ministry has welcomed the government’s decision to launch travel “green zones” for foreigners, says a report by Arab News. “We’ve always been consistent in our approach of asking the government to review international borders,” Tan Kok Liang, president of the Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents (MATTA), told Arab News, adding that the green zones are “most welcome.” Domestic travel, despite several efforts taken by MATTA, is not enough to “regenerate sustainable revenues streams” for the ... Read more