Category: News

Domestic air traffic made a minor recovery in July, growing to 21.07 lakh passengers, a 6.1% increase from June, when 19.84 lakh fliers took to the air. Year-on-year, however, the traffic declined 82.3% in July.  In July 2019, 1.19 crore passengers had travelled by air. But here also there is a silver lining. The drop is lower than what was seen in June when the decline was 83.5%, year-on-year, Moneycontrol has reported. The data was released by industry regulator DGCA, on August 13. For the year till July, the industry had a total of 3.72 crore passengers, a drop of ... Read more

SpiceJet has unveiled an automated customer service and check-in facility via WhatsApp. The carrier’s customer service agent called “Ms Pepper” can be accessed by passengers at the mobile number 6000000006, SpiceJet said in a press statement. Earlier, these facilities were available in SpiceJet’s website or mobile application. “WhatsApp “Hi” to Ms Pepper on your way to the airport and she will help you with the mandatory web check-in process without the need to visit SpiceJet’s website and deliver your boarding pass directly to your mobile phone,” it stated. Moreover, the automated agent will solve customer’s queries on WhatsApp, the airline ... Read more

India’s largest crocodile park may have as little as four months before it runs out of funds to feed animals, pay staff and do research, as ticket revenue shrinks after coronavirus lockdowns choked the flow of visitors. Annual sales of about 5 million tickets usually make up roughly half the revenue of the park, located about 40 km from Chennai, but it has been shut since March 16, with no prospect of reopening in sight, says news agency Reuters. The lockdowns during the summer vacation season have cost an estimated ₹1.4 crore ($187,000) as visitors dropped by almost 2.5 million, said ... Read more

The pandemic has dealt a huge blow to tourism-dependent countries like Spain and cities such as Barcelona, one of Europe’s most popular. But now they are seeking to lure visitors back and are also debating the need to change their economic models to tackle a longstanding overcrowding problem, says Reuters. “There’s a total change of strategy,” said Marian Muro, director of Turisme de Barcelona, a public-private consortium, explaining the shift away from general promotion of the city. “Quality is more important than quantity” and a greater respect from visitors to Barcelona’s residents are among the factors behind the city’s more ... Read more

India has signed an air bubble agreement with the Maldives, making it the sixth country in a growing list of places where Indians can travel to.  The first flight to Male will leave from here on August 18. An air bubble between countries allows citizens to travel freely between specified nations without having the need to undergo on-arrival quarantine. India currently hasallowed travel to the US, the UK, Germany, France and Kuwait, and is in talks with Canada for a similar travel arrangement. The agreement with Maldives was inked during a video conference between External Affairs Minister Jaishankar and his Maldives ... Read more

Tel Aviv-Yafo Municipality is extending its efforts to provide creative solutions for residents impacted by the coronavirus outbreak.  With the coronavirus outbreak proving particularly challenging for the cultural sector worldwide, outdoor initiatives are representing almost the sole solution for cultural events.   Last week, Tel Aviv-Yafo Municipality’s Arts and Culture Division, in partnership with municipal companies: Tel Aviv Cinematheque, Expo Tel Aviv and Sport Palaces of Tel Aviv-Yafo invited residents to park up, sit back and enjoy the nostalgia as the city’s famous drive-in theatre was opened. Each movie screening was opened to 200 cars at the Shlomo Group Arena parking lot ... Read more

Emirates airline will resume passenger services to three more destinations in the coming weeks, taking its network to 74 cities.  The Dubai carrier will resume operations to Birmingham (September 1) four times a week, Cebu (August 20) two times a week, and Houston (23 August) three times a week. The addition of Houston will see Emirates resume flights to six US destinations in total, in addition to New York JFK, Washington DC, Boston (15 August), Chicago and Los Angeles, with a total of 27 weekly flights to the country. All inbound and transit passengers arriving to Dubai require a negative ... Read more

The Tourism Authority of Thailand’s (TAT) deputy governor for international marketing, Chattan Kunjara Na Ayudhya, has said there was “no talk of a timeline issued for reopening the country to inbound or outbound leisure travel”. He said he doesn’t expect Thailand to welcome tourists until at least 2021. He noted that discussions about potential re-openings had been very “risk averse”. “The Christmas period, usually the high season, is in jeopardy and I’m looking horribly even to Chinese New Year in February, which is an iffy proposition at best now. Unfortunately, this is not a rosy picture.” Earlier plans for travel ... Read more

Air India has closed down five of its stations in Europe in view of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, namely Vienna, Milan, Madrid, Copenhagen and Stockholm. “In view of #COVID19, Air India (AI) has decided to close down its stations in Vienna, Milan, Madrid, Copenhagen, & Stockholm. AI would immediately initiate action for closure in consultation with local lawyers & advise the timelines by which the stations will be closed,” read a tweet from news agency ANI. According to reports, Air India is likely to cease all future flights to these countries as it was not financially viable for the airline ... Read more

The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) has urged global leaders around the world to save the struggling travel and tourism sector. A joint letter from industry leaders has been sent to British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and nine other heads of state of the G7 group of countries – Germany, Canada, France, Italy, Japan and the US – as well as Australia, South Korea and Spain, the world’s major source markets. If the global leaders fail to come together, WTTC warns there will be “irreversible damage” to the travel and tourism sector, along with rising job losses. Travel and tourism accounts ... Read more

Dubai’s Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM) has extended the deadline for implementation of their sustainability requirements. Titled the “19 Sustainability Requirements and Carbon Calculator”, the requirements look at how a hotel performs across a number of metrics, while the Carbon Calculator looks at a hotel’s carbon footprint in a month. The department announced that the deadline for these practices has been moved forward by 12 months. In a statement, DTCM said the decision will not only help hotels finalise their compliance, but also give them time to focus on recovery amid the pandemic. The 19 Sustainability Requirements include ... Read more

The Federation of Associations in Indian Tourism & Hospitality (FAITH) has requested the Indian government to conduct India Tourism Mart (ITM) at the end of November this year. Subhash Goyal, Honorary General Secretary, FAITH interacted virtually with the Minister of Tourism,  Prahlad Singh Patel, where he proposed multi-step strategies for revival of tourism. These issues were identified to enhance tourism demand while protecting tourism supply in India. According to Goyal, ITM will help in promoting India to tour operators all over the world. “Last two years, we had 250 buyers. This year in the virtual mart, we hope to interact ... Read more

Travel to Italy for non-essential purposes must be avoided due to the current coronavirus situation, the United States Embassy in Italy has announced. The Centre for Disease Control and Prevention has issued a Level 3 Notice for Italy regarding the COVID-19 situation, which also recommends that travellers must avoid trips to Italy unless it’s necessary, SchengenVisaInfo.com reports. “The European Union (EU), which includes Italy, currently prohibits non-essential travel (i.e., tourism) into the EU for residents of most non-European Union countries.  There are exceptions for residents of a few non-EU countries, but they do not currently include United States residents,” the US ... Read more

In its latest series of government decrees issued under Italy’s coronavirus state of emergency, a stimulus package worth 25 billion euros has been included, even as face masks, social distancing and travel restrictions remain in place. Cruise ships will return from August 15, according to a report by The Local.it. The stimulus package looks to extend Italy’s employee furlough scheme and allows taxpayers to defer payments, among other measures. Italy is seeking funds from the European Union to help cover the cost. Face masks compulsory until at least September As expected, the new decree keeps Italy’s rules on face masks ... Read more

The Luxury Collection, part of Marriott International, Inc., today welcomed Al Wathba Desert Resort & Spa to its unique ensemble of iconic hotels, marking the debut of the portfolio in Abu Dhabi. Just a 30-minute drive from the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, Al Wathba Desert Resort & Spa is located deep within the expansive landscape of the UAE capital. With a design reminiscent of a historic desert village, it is an intimate retreat suffused with natural beauty, unique tranquillity, and rare experiences, the hotel chain stated in its press release. “We are delighted to welcome Al Wathba, Desert Resort & ... Read more