Category: News

Only 30 hotels have applied to the Goa Tourism Department for permission to reopen, as the state prepares itself to restart tourism. “We have received around 30 applications from various hotels as of now. We will scrutinise these and after the government takes a call, we will allow them to open,” Director (Tourism) Menino D’Souza has said. The number of applications is low, considering the state is home to several hundreds of hotels and home stays. The state’s hospitality sector has seen many people lose their jobs due to the pandemic, and many of the hotels are not in any ... Read more

Hotels in Darjeeling, probably Bengal’s top tourist destination, have decided to down their shutters indefinitely from July 1. Though the West Bengal government has allowed the reopening of hotels and restaurants from June 8, the Darjeeling Hotel Owners’ Association says it is not feasible to operate with only a few tourists arriving due to the pandemic. The decision may affect the livelihood of 10,000 families associated with the industry in the hill station and its outskirts. There are 380 hotels in Darjeeling town and its outskirts that accommodate nearly 4.5 lakh tourists every year. “We do not see any tourist ... Read more

To ensure that visitors feel safe while eating out, restaurants need to take several measures to make them feel comfortable and at ease, post lockdown. Towards this the Ministry of Tourism has laid out procedures to be followed by   restaurants and dining facilities in other accommodation units. Restaurants in containment zones shall remain closed. Only those outside containment zones will be allowed to open. Takeaways to be encouraged, instead of dine-In. Persons above 65 years of age, persons with comorbidities, pregnant women and children below the age of 10 years are advised to stay at home, except for essential and ... Read more

Sagara Beach Resort, Kovalam, will be open to guests from today. The popular beach resort was closed in line with the directions from the government, in order to control the spread of the coronavirus pandemic. Sagara’s managing director, R Sisupalan, said it was meaningless to shut business activities for a long time. “So, we have decided to move slowly. We will promote ayurveda to boost immunity of our guests,” he said. Sagara Beach Resort is adjacent to the Light House at the southern end of Kovalam Beach. It overlooks and shares the Light House beach, the southernmost and most popular ... Read more

“Every rising sun brings us closer to when we can see each other again,” states a new video released by Dubai Tourism. The one-minute video, runs you through the various strategies implemented in Dubai during the last three months, ranging from curfews, the sterilisation of roads, and enforcing social distancing to limit the spread of COVID-19. “We will welcome you with open doors. We will make your journey extraordinary. We said we needed a moment, and it will only be a moment more. We will see you soon,” said Dubai Tourism in the video. There are reports that Dubai could ... Read more

When will Chinese tourists return? That’s the question foremost on the minds of south-east and far-east destinations. Asian tourism has been ravaged by the pandemic and Chinese tourists, regarded as the largest spenders in the region, hold the key to recovery. According to South China Morning Post, clues can be gleaned from observing how movement resumes within the Middle Kingdom, and the early signs are positive. On May 28, The Economist reported that some 115 million Chinese tourists travelled during the Labour Day holiday, from May 1 to 5, “a healthy 60% of last year’s number”. Travel data platform ForwardKeys ... Read more

With lockdowns beginning to ease, many countries are starting to think about how to restart tourism, a vital economic engine. Even so, international tourist numbers could fall by up to 80% in 2020, according to the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO). But, in a normal pre-coronavirus year, which were the most visited destinations? France is the world’s number one destination for international tourists, according to the most recent figures from UNWTO. Almost 90 million people visited the country in 2018. Spain isn’t far behind, with over 82 million visitors. The United States, China and Italy complete the top five. ... Read more

The coronavirus pandemic may have affected plenty of events and festivities this year, but the Salzburg Festival announced on Tuesday that it would go ahead with it in August. The festival, showcasing the finest classical music and opera production, will be a shorter event than usual. The plan was to have an expansive celebration of its centennial, with more than 200 performances over 44 days. Now it has been curtailed to 90 performances over 30 days. Seven opera productions have been reduced to two. “The world usually looks to us for artistic reasons,” Helga Rabl-Stadler, the festival’s president, said. “This ... Read more

The Saudi Tourism Authority (STA) is looking to prepare one of the world’s longest recreational tourist paths – stretching 1,835 km – as part of its ambitious drive to promote domestic tourism. The path would connect the kingdom’s south with the north through the western region, starting from Abha and reaching Tabuk, passing through Al-Baha, Taif, Jeddah, Rabigh Economic City, Yanbu and Umluj or vice versa, said a report in Saudi Gazette. The path is meant only for families and the duration of a single trip will take about two weeks for each family, it said. The path includes shopping ... Read more

Air India will operate special flights to India from June 15-30, for Indians stranded in Europe. The bookings will begin today at 8 am GMT (1.30 pm IST). This is under the third phase of Vande Bharat Mission. “Please note that the applicant should be registered with the local Indian Embassy/High Commission,” Air India tweeted. Many passengers, however, may not be able to book domestic tickets to their home states. The High Commission of India, London, has said all passengers who wish to travel to any destination in India may travel to Delhi. However, passengers will have to undergo quarantine ... Read more

A major organisation in the tourism trade has raised concerns over the high price of tickets for domestic air travel, saying it will make it hard for the sector to recover. Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents (Matta) president Tan Kok Liang told Free Malaysia Today (FMT) that the impact would be felt on domestic tourism involving air travel, such as between Peninsular Malaysia and East Malaysia. “Sabah and Sarawak depend significantly on domestic tourists from Peninsular Malaysia,” he said. He proposed that the governments of the two states waive some travel restrictions so as to encourage tourism despite ... Read more

The Centre and state governments should leverage India’s massive network of heritage sites as a tool for development and employment generation by providing improved services to domestic and international tourists, a NITI Aayog report suggested. Each Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) site should be a profit centre, NITI Aayog said. “Food and beverage revenues are not leveraged to the extent possible, and sites with already heavy footfalls are losing a massive opportunity. Lease, rental and revenue sharing models are used globally in this respect and the same can be mirrored here,” noted the working group report on ‘Improving Heritage Management ... Read more

Hiring declined by 61% in May due to the nationwide lockdown to contain COVID-19 pandemic, a study has said. This is the second consecutive month in which more than 60% decline in hiring has occurred. Recruitment fell to 910 job postings in May compared to 2,346 in the same month last year, according to the study by NaukriJobSpeak Index, which is a monthly index that calculates and records hiring activities based on the job listings on Naukri.com. The report further revealed that the decline in hiring is led by industries like hospitality, travel, and aviation (91%), retail (87%), auto ancillary ... Read more

Given the current COVID-19 outbreak, it is important that all hotels, restaurants and other hospitality units take suitable measures to restrict any further transmission of the virus while providing accommodation and other tourist services post lockdown, the Ministry of Tourism has said. The guidelines aim to minimise all possible physical contacts between a staff and guests and maintain social distancing and other preventive and safety measures against COVID-19. It also tries to make the traceability of the guests easier, in case a situation in future warrants so. These guidelines will apply to Bed and Breakfast (B&B), Homestay and Farmstay units. ... Read more

Vietnam’s biggest island, Phu Quoc, will be reopening soon as it undergoes a trial run as part of the country’s initiative to restart tourism. Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Trinh Thi Thuy has confirmed that the ministry has been working on a plan to bring back foreign tourists into selected islands, including Phu Quoc. Vietnam has been praised worldwide for its management of COVID-19 as the country only has 26 reported cases and zero death. Moreover, there has been no community transmission in the last 49 days. However, the ministry is not complacent and has developed a set ... Read more