Category: News

Various tourism associations in Malaysia are hoping that Putrajaya will reach an agreement with neighbouring Singapore and Brunei allowing unrestricted travel between the countries in order to boost local tourism, according to a report by Free Malaysia Today. Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents (Matta) president Tan Kok Liang said domestic tourism alone was not enough to sustain the industry, and that opening the border with Singapore could help boost business. “Singapore is the top market for arrivals to Malaysia. We can start with business travel and move into leisure travel,” he told Free Malaysia Today (FMT), pointing out ... 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

The fifth edition of the Music Tourism Convention, originally scheduled for this September in Cleveland, Mississippi, has been postponed until 2021. Due to the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic, event hosts Visit Mississippi, the city of Cleveland and Music Cities Events decided to move the dates of the convention to Sept 29 – Oct 2, 2021. The event will feature tourism organizations, the music and events industry and academics from around the world. “We’ve looked at all of the factors created by COVID-19 which are impacting this year’s event, and have decided alongside our partners that we need to postpone to ensure ... 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

Domestic tourists generated most of the tourism traffic in Slovenia in May when the country eased certain coronavirus restrictions on some tourist activities, See News has reported. In April, the coronavirus pandemic brought the Slovenian tourism to a halt, with the sector registering no new tourist arrivals. In May, domestic tourists generated over 13,000 arrivals and some 25,000 overnight stays versus 3,800 arrivals and some 14,000 overnight stays made by foreign tourists, the statistical office said in a statement. Thus, tourist arrivals and overnight stays in May represented only 4% of the traffic recorded in May 2019. Most of the foreign ... 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

Italy has reassured visitors that it is ready to welcome them back having announced new safety guidelines for tourists. The Italian tourist board (ENIT) has published new protocols, which include wearing a face mask in enclosed spaces, providing hand sanitisers and applying one-metre social distancing rules in all public areas, including restaurants and hotels, Travel Weekly has reported. British tourists have been allowed to visit Italy with no quarantine measures on arrival from July 3, although quarantine measures still remain in place on return to the UK – with a review due on June 29 that could see air bridges ... Read more

The Ministry of Tourism as part of its Dekho Apna Desh webinar series featured ‘Vedic Food and Spices of India’, in an attempt to showcase ancient culinary wisdom. Two renowned chefs, Rajeev Goyal and chef Gautam, held centre stage. While Rajeev Goyal is a culinary tourism expert and the president of India Food Tourism Org, the first of its kind food tour company in India, chef Gautam has been closely associated with some of the leading premium brands such as Radisson, Oberoi before heading to the Beverly Hills in the US. From adding a sprig of tulsi in the water ... Read more

The Uttarakhand government is trying to generate more employment opportunities for the youth of the state, by starting an online registration facility under the Veer Chandra Singh Garhwali Tourism Self-Employment Scheme. Under the scheme, the beneficiary can purchase buses/electric buses to operate on state routes and avail 50% subsidy or up to Rs 15 lakhs for the purchase of the bus. This self-employment scheme has been provided to the people of Uttarakhand state and the buses will be operated only on the designated routes of the Uttarakhand Transport Corporation. Along with this, it will also be mandatory that all such ... Read more

A new interactive has been designed to help Canadians navigate travelling in a world still plagued by the COVID-19 pandemic. Created by the Canadian Travel and Tourism Roundtable with the goal of promoting safe travel and “to help save the summer travel season,” the map allows users to enter where they’re travelling from, as well as their province of residence – at which point it will indicate where all they’re currently allowed to visit.  Quebec residents travelling from Quebec, for example, are allowed to visit British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatoon, and Ontario, as indicated by a green colour on the map. Manitoba and ... Read more

Thailand Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha called on fellow ASEAN members to begin discussion about reopening certain limited lines of interregional travel, to begin the recovery from the pandemic’s impact on the regional economy. The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is a regional grouping that promotes economic, political, and security cooperation among its ten members: Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam   No specific time was mentioned around when such discussions would take place, but it was a significant first step to begin deeper discussions, as many ASEAN nations now have low to no active ... Read more

Losses suffered by Malaysia’s tourism sector has amounted to around RM45 billion, during the first half of this year. Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Nancy Shukri said tourism is one of the economic sectors hit the hardest by coronavirus, and is expected to be the last to recover. To fight the issue and to assist local tourism stakeholders, Nancy said a grant known as Galakan Melancong Malaysia (GAMELAN) will be extended, primarily for domestic promotion and marketing activities. “The ministry has also introduced a Special Fund for Tourism or SFT that supports the development of small and medium ... Read more

Foreign holidays are back on the cards in the UK after Prime Minister Boris Johnson admitted he will lift coronavirus travel curbs. The UK Government is still in talks with countries in a bid to persuade them not to quarantine UK tourists when they arrive, the Mirror reports. Favourites including France, Spain, and Greece, are among the destinations as quarantine restrictions are lifted for people returning from those countries. However, it remains unclear whether British nationals could be forced into self-isolation as they begin their holidays. An official announcement is expected next week when the Prime Minister is expected to confirm deals for “air bridges” ... Read more

The Australian tourism sector is expected to cop a $55 billion hit over the next financial year amid uncertainty over the reopening of state borders and the assumption that international travel bans will remain until July 2021. Tourism expenditure is forecast to fall from $138.5 billion in 2019 to $83.8 billion. The prediction comes from a report in May by the Australian Trade and Investment Commission seen by The Sun-Herald and The Sunday Age. It assumes international travel bans will remain until at least July 2021 but state border restrictions will be lifted. The economic impact could be even worse if internal travel restrictions ... Read more