Tag: covid-19 crisis

As coronavirus fears continue to ravage Italy’s tourism industry – despite the country’s extraordinary cultural heritage – the government is subsidising some of its citizens to go on holiday in their home country, according to a report by France 24. Italy was one of the first countries to reopen its borders to European Union (EU) tourists in June. Nevertheless, tourism is still suffering, with a revenue shortfall this summer predicted at top 3 billion euros.  In this context, the government is trying to prop up its tourism industry – which represents 13% of the national GDP – by sending money to households earning less than 40,000 euros a year as ... Read more

Indonesian tourism minister Wishnutama Kusubandio has proposed a full exemption from corporate income tax for all firms in the tourist and creative economy sectors, as well as the provision of additional working capital loans, to aid the hard-hit industry during the global health crisis. Wishnutama said he was currently in talks with Finance Minister Mulyani Indrawati regarding the proposal. The tourist sector is currently eligible for a 30% discount on corporate income tax to cushion the COVID-19 pandemic impact, according to a Jakarta Post report. “We have proposed an additional tax cut of PPh Article 25 [corporate income tax] from ... Read more

Uttarakhand’s minister of tourism Satpal Maharaj has urged Prahlad Patel, the Union Minister of Tourism and Culture, to release funds for the ongoing tourism projects in the mountain state. Maharaj requested Patel to provide in-principle approval of the ‘Mahabharata Circuit’ concept note. It’s the state’s pet tourism project as it believes the circuit can be a trailblazer. The Union minister was also requested to sanction funds for the ‘Swadesh Darshan’ and ‘Prasad’ schemes. Maharaj informed Patel that 98% of the construction work of the Eco and Adventure Destination in Tehri has already been completed under the Swadesh Darshan Scheme. The ... Read more

The UAE has introduced mandatory testing for all airline passengers travelling to the country. Travellers must undergo tests in their country of origin and present a negative test report at check-in desks before flying to the Emirates. The new system will be in place from August 1, says a report by The National. The National Emergency Crisis and Disaster Management Authority (NCEMA) said the rules applied to “all Emiratis, residents, and tourists, arriving via the country’s airports, irrespective of the countries they are coming from”, according to state news agency Wam. The rules also apply to all transit passengers passing ... Read more

Qatar Airways will operate three weekly flights to Cebu in Philippines, starting July 24. The airline will also resume its China flights, with a weekly Guangzhou service. Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive, Akbar Al Baker said: “We are delighted to be launching a new direct service to Cebu, offering our passengers another gateway into the Philippines. Being the airline that has never stopped flying since COVID-19 hit, it has been Qatar Airways’ mission to take people home safely during the pandemic, and we have helped more than two million people get home to their loved ones since February,” he said. ... Read more

In yet another setback, 60 Air India pilots who flew repatriation flights to bring back Indians stranded abroad have tested positive for coronavirus, the airline has said in a letter to the government. The Vande Bharat mission to repatriate Indians came “with a heavy price to pay for those on the frontline. As of date, at least 60 plus pilots have been tested Covid positive,” senior pilots of the national carrier have stated, in the letter addressed to Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Puri. “This has had a ‘devastating effect’ on their family members,” said the letter. The pilots are already ... Read more

The archaeological ruins of Liangzhu City, a World Cultural Heritage Site with a history of 5,000 years, has achieved full 5G coverage. The application of 5G would provide a better tourism experience at the site. The archaeological ruins of Liangzhu City (about 3300-2300 BC) is located in Hangzhou, capital of East China’s Zhejiang province, with an urban area of 3 square kilometres and a heritage area of 14.34 sq.km. With the addition of the buffer zone, it extends to 114 sq.km. According to the World Heritage Committee, the ruins of the ancient city is an outstanding example of early urban civilization, showing an early regional state with ... Read more

Airlines for America (A4A) – the industry trade organization representing the leading US airlines – has welcomed the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) proposal to adopt the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) fuel efficiency and carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions standard for future aircraft. EPA’s proposal to adopt the ICAO standard will further enable US airlines to meet the industry’s goals to achieve carbon neutral growth in the near term and to cut net carbon emissions in half in 2050 relative to 2005 levels. The standard, which takes into account safety, technological feasibility and environmental benefit, applies to new models of commercial ... Read more

Qatar Airways has launched an international arbitration seeking at least $5bn from four Arab countries as compensation for blocking the airline from their airspace for the past three years. Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt had imposed a ban on the airline since June 2017 when they cut all ties with Qatar and brought upon an air, land and sea blockade on it, over accusations of supporting “terrorism”. Doha denied the charges alleging that the quartet aims to infringe on its sovereignty. The airline said it has made substantial investments in these four countries in order to ... Read more

Noesis Capital Advisors and Ngage Hospitality have designed a masterclass on digital strategies for hotels and resorts, dedicated to providing insights on how marketers can stay relevant in today’s intensely competitive and evolving environment. The session will be held on July 24. The masterclass titled ‘Digital Marketing Strategies for Hotels & Resorts to thrive in the New Normal’ will aid all hospitality-related businesses that want to redevelop or re-skill their marketing strategies with the present day tools. It is designed to have an interactive and ‘open discussion’ format. Industry leaders have been curated strategically for discussions to inspire and prepare you to ... Read more

Emirates has announced that it will resume passenger services to Seychelles from August 1, coinciding with the country’s re-opening to international tourists. Operating flights to Seychelles five times a week with a Boeing 777-300ER, Emirates offers travellers convenient access to this popular Indian Ocean holiday destination. The Seychelles is an archipelago of 115 islands in the Indian Ocean, off East Africa. Seychelles is home to numerous beaches, coral reefs and nature reserves, as well as rare animals such as giant Aldabra tortoises. Mahé, a hub for visiting the other islands, is home to capital Victoria. It also has the mountain rainforests ... Read more

Marriott International has announced the opening of its 800th property in Asia Pacific, the JW Marriott Nara in Japan. The launch marks the entry of the JW Marriott brand into Japan. The company also expects the EDITION and Aloft brands to debut in Japan before the end of the year. “We remain confident in the resilience of travel, our owners and franchisees, guests and associates as well as the future prospects of lodging in Asia Pacific, our second largest market,” said Craig S. Smith, Group President, Asia Pacific for Marriott International. “We are encouraged by recent trends, especially in China, ... Read more

SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment is offering free admissions for US military veterans and their families to safely visit its SeaWorld Orlando, SeaWorld San Antonio, and Busch Gardens Tampa parks. The US military veterans and retirees can redeem their complimentary single-day ticket(s), valid through November 11, for themselves and up to three friends or family members online at www.WavesofHonor.com. This offer will be valid at SeaWorld San Diego and Busch Gardens Williamsburg upon the parks’ reopening. In addition to enhancing the parks’ already strict health and safety measures, capacity at each park is carefully limited to create even more open space for guests to enjoy ... Read more

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has emphasised that ‘Ease of Living’ is as important as ‘Ease of Business’, adding that the pandemic has reminded us of the importance of resilience of the global economy against external shocks, which can be achieved by stronger domestic economic capacities. Delivering the keynote address at the India Ideas Summit on Wednesday, Modi listed several sectors which offer tremendous opportunities to invest such as infrastructure creation including building  roads, highways and ports and turbocharging civil aviation, wherein top private Indian airlines plan to include over a thousand new aircraft over the coming decade. At the Summit ... Read more

Nepal’s Tourism Ministry has said that it would let all tourism related activities including mountain climbing during autumn. The Nepal government has already announced that it will resume all domestic and international flights from August 17. With the latest announcement, the tourism fraternity believes that the industry which incurred a loss of over 10 billion rupees a month during the COVID-induced nationwide lockdown would gradually return to a new normal, Himalayan Times said in a report. “The ministry plans to resume all tourism related activities by following health and safety protocols from August 17,” the Ministry’s secretary Kedar Bahadur Adhikari ... Read more