Tag: covid-19 crisis

All leading industry associations representing the Indian tourism sector have expressed shock over the central government’s position of not addressing any of its concerns in the economic stimulus package, though the sector is in a standstill ravaged by the epidemic. Key industry body, the Federation of Associations in Indian Tourism and Hospitality (FAITH), said the Indian tourism industry is deeply taken aback by the fact that none of its concerns have been addressed by the government in its economic stimulus package. “Indian tourism industry has gone into a state of disbelief and shock. It was looking forward to a deep ... Read more

Greece is getting ready to present its overall plan for reviving tourism in the post Covid-19 era. This will commence with the announcement of the health protocols for safe operation of air, ferry and road transport in Greece, government spokesman Stelios Petsas has said. The government is drawing up a plan to deal with the impact of coronavirus pandemic, aiming to cushion, as much as possible, the “inevitably large” losses expected for this year’s tourism season. Petsas said the goal was to make the most of the “new common framework” with the guidelines and recommendations presented by the European Commission. ... Read more

By Maneesha Ajit Is our hospitality sector pet ready? In a post Covid environment what measures do we adopt to ensure that our pets are safe and healthy while staying at a hotel or resort? Do we have enough number of trained staff members who can meet the demands of a family travelling with pets? Make no mistake, the lockdown period has been a testing time for pets too. It’s not just us who are feeling the frustration. Though WHO had refuted claims of animals transmitting the disease a lot of unfortunate incidents have surfaced. But on the bright side, ... Read more

The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) has designated Spanish football legend and World Cup winner Iker Casillas as its special ambassador for responsible tourism. In a virtual ceremony announcing his appointment, the goalkeeper pledged to promote the universal benefits of tourism. The Secretary-General of the World Tourism Organization, Zurab Pololikashvili, presented Casillas with a special plaque and thanked him for supporting tourism at a critical time when the sector has taken a hard hit and millions of jobs could be lost. Pololikashvili said: “Sport and tourism foster the best of humanity. They promote the shared values of solidarity, teamwork and excellence. ... Read more

The French government will join forces with the tourism industry to build an Internet site aimed winning back customers from U.S. online travel giants such as Airbnb Inc. and Booking Holdings Inc. Bloomberg has reported that the initiative is part of government-led stimulus package to revive tourism in one of the world’s top destinations as hotels, restaurants, theme parks as well as travel sites and tour operators are among the hardest hits by lockdowns and restrictions to fight the global coronavirus pandemic. “This sector has been very much de-intermediated by the large U.S. platforms, Airbnb, Booking.com,” Eric Lombard, the head ... Read more

The European Commission has come up with a set of  guidelines and recommendations to help member states gradually lift travel restrictions and allow tourism businesses to reopen, after months of lockdown, while respecting necessary health precautions. The Commission’s guidance aims to offer people the chance to get some well-needed rest, relaxation and fresh air. As soon as the health situation allows, people should be able to catch up with friends and family, in their own EU country or across borders, with all the safety and precautionary measures needed in place. The package also aims to help the EU tourism sector recover ... Read more

About 70% of OYO’s hotels in China have reopened. The Indian hospitality firm is witnessing a slow rise in bookings in China, which is its second largest global market after India. OYO is present right across China in most of its prominent locations. It has 500,000 rooms in China, contributing 32% of OYO’s global revenue. The company said: “We have seen a consistent rise in occupancy in the last five weeks. We are witnessing over 50% occupancy rates in South China in comparison to North China.” OYO currently has plans in place to open the remaining hotels over the next ... Read more

Today we are taking you to the land of bisibele bath, coffee, silk and Mysore Pak. It’s also the land of brave Queen Rani Chennamma also known as Kittur Chennamma of the princely state of Kittur who led an armed rebellion against the East India Company. Yes, we are taking a trip to Mysuru. We probably know enough of the Mysore Palace and the Brindavan Gardens, and hence we are not going into it. Today what we are going to bring to you is a joint initiative between the ministry of tourism and another government institution the National Institute of ... Read more

Hawaii will discourage tourists from visiting its vacation hotspots till end of June. The coronavirus related stay-at-home measures will continue up until that period, state governor David Ige has said. The current 14-day mandatory quarantine for everyone traveling into the state, which began in March, will certainly be extended until the end of next month, Ige said in an online question-and-answer session late on Thursday. Tourism is a big part of Hawaii’s economy – more than 10.4 million visitors came to the islands last year, supporting some 216,000 jobs in a population of around 1.4 million, a Reuters report said. ... Read more

China’s COVID-19 lockdown has ended, and travel is tentatively restarting. In this article, McKinsey looks at how the country has recovered so far, what Chinese travellers think about their future travel, and how industry players are responding to these trends. Countries and regions around the globe are gradually moving past the peak of the pandemic. We hope that China’s experience can shed light on what other countries can—and cannot—expect for their own travel recoveries. How tourism in China is restarting Mainland China’s lockdown is over; new domestic reported cases of COVID-19 are practically zero. Businesses remain cautious, but almost all offices, ... Read more

Dubai Tourism has come out with detailed guidelines for the tourism and hospitality sectors to safeguard travellers. It has said large outdoor tourism activities involving more than five people, sports events, parties, hotel amenities like swimming pools, spas, sauna, gyms and prayer rooms will not be permitted. All outdoor activities involving less than five persons are allowed. Water sports activities, boat and bike rentals, jet skis and sky diving are permitted, in a controlled environment. Public beaches are still closed, except for tourism activities as mentioned. Food and beverages are allowed, but restaurants, cafes and foot stands need to follow ... Read more

France has decided to pump in €18 billion (US$19 billion) to support its tourism sector, in one of the biggest relief packages the industry has seen across the globe. The tourism sector has been hammered by the COVID-19 crisis, resulting in worldwide shutdown of beaches, leisure attractions and hotels. Businesses with just 20 employees and €2 million in annual revenue in the tourism, hotel and restaurant sector will also be able to tap a solidarity fund until the end of the year, to receive grants of up to €10,000. Nearly 90 million foreign tourists had visited France in 2019, making ... Read more

National carrier Air India has said that it will operate flights to 32 countries to bring back stranded Indians. “Reservation for travel from India to select destinations in the USA, UK, Australia and to Frankfurt, Paris and Singapore has commenced from 1700 hrs on May 14 on the website,” a statement from the carrier said. Union Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri has said that under the second phase as many as 30,000 Indians will be returning to India – which is almost double of the 14,800 Indians – which was the target number in the first phase. “In 1st phase ... Read more

Emirates is all set to operate scheduled flights to Chicago, Frankfurt, London, Madrid, Melbourne, Milan, Paris, Sydney and Toronto from May 21. “We are pleased to resume scheduled passenger services to these destinations, providing more options for customers to travel from the UAE to these cities,” Adel Al Redha, Emirates’ chief operating officer said. As several of the destinations currently have travel bans and other entry restrictions in place, the airlines says it will only accept passengers who meet the criteria for entering their destination country. “We have implemented additional measures with the relevant authorities in respect to social distancing ... Read more

The airline and travel industries are adopting novel measures to build confidence among travellers. CarTrawler, a Dublin based mobility solutions provider, has come up with a report about the various ways in which the companies are trying to drive up confidence among consumers. Airlines, hotels, vacation rentals, car hires, airport transfers, and sightseeing companies are already making decisions to ensure the safety of their customers, the report said. This confidence will be built in layers, and here are some of the examples provided in the report: Emirates prohibits large carry-on bags in an effort to reduce congestion in the aisles ... Read more