Category: News

Greek tourism is off to a great start. More than 230 flights landed in Greece on Wednesday, as the country reopened to tourists after four months of lockdown. According to the Hellenic Civil Aviation Administration (HCAA), Athens and Crete’s Heraklion airports had the most arrivals with 69 and 54 respectively, followed by Thessaloniki (23), Corfu (21), Chania (16), Rhodes (14), Mykonos (10), Kos (eight), Santorini (four), Skiathos, Aktio, Kefalonia, Samos (two each), and lastly, Kalamata Paros, and Karpathos (one each). Heraklion airport welcomed its first full flight from Hannover with live traditional Cretan music, Greek Travel Pages (GTP) reported. The island is expecting some ... Read more

Thailand has announced a new initiative “Rao Thieu Duaykan” (We Tour Together), created as a stimulus for domestic tourism. From July 15, Thai citizens can apply for a government subsidy to cover part of their hotel and dining expenses when travelling outside their home provinces. Those interested in the programme can participate through the Pao Tang app from July 15. Tourism operators can join now itself. About 22.4 billion baht will be used to fund the programme which will run until October. The money will subsidise five million hotel nights, with taxpayer money covering 40% of hotel rates up to ... Read more

Singapore’s Changi Airport is trialling and implementing a range of new anti-virus measures as it prepares for a gradual resumption of flights in the post Covid-19 outbreak world. Proximity touch check-in kiosks coated with anti-microbial disinfectants, new acrylic screens for counter staff, autonomous cleaning robots with misting attachments, and contactless toilets are just some of the measures, Bloomberg reports. One of the world’s busiest airports for international passenger traffic, Changi like most of its global peers has been brought to an almost complete standstill by the virus outbreak, which has decimated the tourism industry. In the first tentative steps toward ... Read more

India will begin phase-4 of its repatriation mission this Friday, with over 912 flights scheduled over six weeks. Private airlines will play a major role, with IndiGo operating 457 flights and GoAir chipping in with 41 flights. This phase is the biggest so far, but will focus on fewer countries, with flights from only 17 nations. In this phase, Air India will focus almost exclusively on long-haul destinations, leaving shorter routes to Air India Express and private carriers. Long-haul destinations include flights to Australia, the UK, the US, Ukraine, Canada, and Kenya. These flights will operate between July 3 and ... Read more

More than 250 hotels in Goa will throw open their doors on Thursday after the government granted permission to resume operation, the state’s Tourism Minister Manohar Ajgaonkar has said. Hotels in Goa had been shut since March, when the lockdown was announced to contain the spread of Covid-19. The Goa government had sought applications from hotel operators who were willing to reopen with a declaration that they will abide by the standard operating procedures. “The hotels will be allowed to start from Thursday. Those who want to travel to Goa can do so. Hotel bookings should be done prior to ... Read more

Mexico’s oldest legacy airline, Aeromexico, has said that it has filed for Chapter 11 reorganization, a form of bankruptcy in which the carrier can keep operating while its debts and obligations are sorted out. The airline said “this legal process will not interrupt the airline’s operations” and that all tickets, reservations and bonus points would continue to be honoured, news agency AP has reported. Like many airlines throughout the world, Aeromexico has been squeezed by a decline in travel due to the coronavirus pandemic. Aeromexico General Director Andrés Conesa said “the COVID-19 pandemic has had an unprecedented impact on the ... Read more

Abu Dhabi-based Etihad Airways will add 15 more destinations shortly, which will include some major cities across the Indian subcontinent. “Throughout July, we’re planning to operate flights to more than 40 worldwide destinations. We continue to work closely with the UAE government and global aviation authorities to increase our network in the future,” the UAE carrier said on its website. Athens, Greece, was the latest destination it added, taking the total number of international flights being flown by Etihad through June to 25 destinations. Khaleej Times reported that from July 16, the carrier will be adding the Indian cities of ... Read more

The Mobile City Council on Tuesday approved the creation of the much awaited Mobile Tourism Improvement District (MTID) – the first in Alabama. Mobile is a port city on Alabama’s Gulf Coast. Visit Mobile, the city’s convention and visitors’ bureau, will implement MTID’s marketing initiatives. The city said it will increase its allocation to Visit Mobile for marketing purposes. The initiative will kick-off from today. “The Tourism Improvement District creates a significant platform to position Mobile as a top tourist destination,” said David Clark, Visit Mobile president and CEO. “Congratulations to our lodging partners for seven years of hard work ... Read more

Goa’s Ports Minister Michael Lobo has said that Chief Minister Pramod Sawant would soon ask the bars in the state to be reopened. “Restaurants have opened. But no one seems to be visiting restaurants because their attached bars are shut,” Lobo said.  “Most people like to have a beer with their food or a peg before going to sleep,” he said. The opening of the bars would, in turn, boost the local economy, which has been stricken by the Covid-19 pandemic, the minister added. Lobo, after a meeting with the Chief Minister in Panaji, said that until the Covid-19 situation ... Read more

The European Union on Tuesday extended a ban on travellers from the United States, India and most other countries, citing epidemiological factors for the decision. The countries were chosen based on certain criteria, including that the number of new cases over a 14-day period had to be “close to order below the EU average.” The countries also needed to have a “stable or decreasing trend of new cases over this period.” The UK will be treated as part of the EU, according to the Council, until the end of the year. The UK currently has a mandatory quarantine period of 14 ... Read more

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