Category: News

Radisson has announced the opening of its new property near the Atlanta Airport. The hotel named Radisson Hotel Atlanta Airport is located just minutes from the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) and a short drive from downtown Atlanta. Guests can enjoy access to a complimentary 24-hour airport shuttle, unique dining experiences at the hotel’s onsite restaurant, ample meeting space and modern amenities. With the health, safety and security of guests and team members as its utmost priority, the hotel has begun implementing the Radisson Hotels Safety Protocol program. “We couldn’t be prouder to open this incredible hotel near one of the ... Read more

The Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand (CAAT) will enforce a new rule requiring all passengers, even on Thai-owned chartered flights or special flights transitioning through Thailand to have a valid Covid-19 clearance certificate, the Bangkok Post has reported. CAAT has prohibited all transit flights with Covid-19 infected passengers following China’s temporary ban of two Thai registered airlines after several passengers tested positive upon arrival in China. In both cases the flights only transited through Bangkok, and no passengers disembarked. The carriers, Thai AirAsia X and Thai Lion Air, were flying from Jakarta and Kuala Lumpur earlier this month and reportedly stopped ... Read more

Visiting the Himalayas has to be the pinnacle of tourism in India, for its sheer magical and unique feel. It’s almost an out-of-body experience. The Ministry of Tourism titled recently conducted a webinar on ‘Trekking in the Himalayas: Magical Experiences’ highlighting the potential of tourism in the Indian Himalayan mountain. In the Indian Himalayas, one can see the pristine natural environment, snow-covered thick pine forests and numerous hidden surprises that can enthral and captivate trekkers from all over the world and across age groups and fitness levels. Exploring the myriad trails, engaging with the friendly local villagers and taking in ... Read more

The Commonwealth of Dominica is reopening its borders to foreign visitors starting August 7. Denise Charles, the minister of tourism, said all travellers are required to abide by new travel protocols while entering the country. Firstly, tourists and nationals must obtain a negative COVID-19 test (PCR) result recorded 24 to 72 hours before arriving in Dominica. Then, they need to complete an online questionnaire at least 24 hours in advance. Upon arrival, they will undergo a series of checks, including a rapid screening test. Should the passenger present any signals deemed unsafe, such as a positive test result, they will be quarantined at a government facility ... Read more

Air India on Friday said its financial situation is very challenging due to the coronavirus pandemic and its leave-without-pay (LWP) scheme for employees is a “win-win” situation for them as well as the management. The national carrier, in a press statement, said the scheme primarily enables employees to proceed on LWP “on voluntary basis”. The airline had issued an internal order earlier this week asking its departmental heads and regional directors to identify employees, based on various factors like efficiency, health and redundancy, who will be sent on compulsory LWP for up to five years. “Air India is in a ... Read more

By George Scaria, President, Tourism Professionals Club The travel and tourism industry has been the worst-hit sector across the globe, during the  Covid-19 pandemic. The sector is a major contributor to India’s tax kitty, representing over 8% of the country’s GDP. It is also the second largest contributor to foreign exchange earnings. With regard to Kerala, the industry’s GDP contribution is nearly 10%. Until March 2020, India used to boast that the tourism Industry takes care of around 12% of the total employment opportunities in the country. Unfortunately, these numbers became the biggest pain-point during the pandemic as the sector started ... Read more

The Madras High Court has directed Oyo Hotels & Homes to respond to a breach of contract case filed by Hotel Sakthi Park before its next hearing on August 12. The hotel, which is located 100 km south of Chennai, had filed a case against Oyo in the Madras High Court on July 10 for non-payment of minimum guarantee. The case was filed under Section 9 of the Arbitration and Conciliation Act, 1996. The hotel is now seeking relief and is requesting for a compensation of Rs 75 lakh from Oyo Hotels & Homes. The company was in a contract with Oyo ... Read more

Kenya’s cabinet secretary for tourism, Najib Balala, has urged industry players to make tourism more affordable for domestic and international travellers.  Balala made the remarks in an interview with local television channel, Citizen, where he lamented the high cost of tourism in the East African country. “This is the problem I have with the industry. We have overpriced ourselves. And if you look at Kenya – people come here once in a lifetime. Why do we have to get people once in a lifetime? Because it is very expensive to come to Kenya,” he said. Balala noted that the high ... Read more

British Airways has said it will retire all of its Boeing 747s as it suffers from the sharp travel downturn. The airline is the world’s largest operator of the jumbo jets, with 31 of them in the fleet. “It is with great sadness that we can confirm we are proposing to retire our entire 747 fleet with immediate effect,” a British Airways (BA) spokesman told the BBC. “It is unlikely our magnificent ‘queen of the skies’ will ever operate commercial services for British Airways again due to the downturn in travel caused by the Covid-19 global pandemic,” the spokesman added. BA, ... Read more

ITC Hotels has announced a tie-up with food aggregator Zomato to deliver dishes from its restaurants to those craving a taste of Dal Bukhara and other ITC specialities. ‘Gourmet Couch by ITC Hotels’ is the chain’s most recent culinary offering that encompasses exclusively curated menus from ITC Hotels’ signature brands, delivered to the guest’s residence under stringent safety protocol.  Anil Chadha, COO, ITC Hotels said, “ITC Hotels has always showcased the finest culinary traditions through its globally acclaimed signature brands. However, in a world where change is the order of the day, it has been our endeavour to ensure our patrons ... Read more

The government plans to begin a contentious travel initiative next week as planned, despite a resurgence in new coronavirus cases, by excluding hardest-hit Tokyo from the campaign. Trips by residents of Tokyo and journeys to and from the capital will be ineligible for the government’s subsidy program, which will begin on Wednesday in a bid to spur domestic travel, tourism minister Kazuyoshi Akaba told reporters. “We will commence the campaign, as we ask both the lodging industry and travellers to take measures to prevent the spread of the virus in the remaining 46 prefectures,” Akaba said. The government plans to ... Read more

The Goa Pradesh Congress Committee (GPCC) has charged tourism minister Manohar Ajgaonkar for allowing COVID-19 positive tourists into Goa. A press statement issued by GPCC general secretary Amarnath Panjikar said tourists have been allowed entry into the state illegally.  “The tourism minister is solely responsible for COVID-19 positive tourists coming to Goa with bogus addresses,” Panjikar said. “The irresponsible act of the tourism minister to open the doors of Goa has now resulted in additional pressure being put on the health workers as well as the police force in tracing these COVID-19 infected tourists,” he alleged. He stated that many ... Read more

Thailand’s medical tourism and wellness programs will go ahead despite the controversy swirling around two Covid-19 cases this week – in Bangkok and in Rayong. The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) spokesman Dr Taweesin Visanuyothin says the Ministry of Public Health will announce a list of hospitals that pass its criteria next week, and the first group of medical tourists will be allowed to land in Thailand within the next 2 weeks. He says the program will be operated under strict guidelines, including ensuring general patients are safe and visitors are not allowed to enter public areas. The visitors, ... Read more

Helge Braun, who has coordinated Germany’s fight against the pandemic from the start, said the government is considering limiting travel in and out of areas that see a sudden, unexplained surge in Covid-19 cases. “Our measures are appropriate to prevent a second big wave,” Braun told The Associated Press (AP) during an interview at the Chancellery in Berlin. “But this requires us to stay the course, not get careless in our measures, and maintain our respect for the virus.” Germans have watched in horror as cases in the United States, Brazil and elsewhere surged long after Germany flattened its own curve ... Read more

In an effort to restrict the spread of the coronavirus during travel, the Indian Railways has rolled out a prototype of what it calls the first ‘Post COVID Coach’. The new railway coach is designed to reduce the odds of someone getting infected by the virus  during a train journey, by adding hands-free amenities to reduce surface contact.  It has been designed at the Rail Coach Factory in Kapurthala, Punjab. “Sustaining the ruthless fight against Covid-19, Indian Railways’ production unit, Rail Coach Factory, Kapurthala, has developed a Post Covid Coach to fight Covid 19. This post Covid coach has design ... Read more