Tag: covid-19 pandemic

Etihad Airways will resume passenger flights from Abu Dhabi to Shanghai from July 27. “The service will operate with an initial weekly flight using a Boeing 777-300ER, featuring business and economy cabins,” the airline announced in a statement on Monday. Robin Kamark, Etihad Aviation Group Chief Commercial Officer, said, “We are delighted to announce the resumption of scheduled services to China, as we gradually return to more destinations on our global network, supporting the recovery of economic and social activities worldwide. Our priority now is to build the network back up on markets that have opened up and to provide ... Read more

For people stuck on either side of the Causeway, the possible resumption of cross-border travel between Singapore and Malaysia is cause for optimism, says a Straits Times report. The authorities of both countries agreed last week to restart cross-border travel for essential business and official travellers and long-term pass holders through two schemes: the reciprocal green lane and the periodic commuting arrangement. Though more details will be announced before these new travel schemes take effect on August 10, travellers will have to get swabbed for Covid-19 and submit their itineraries to the relevant authorities, the report says. Malaysian Foreign Minister Hishammuddin Hussein ... Read more

Indian Railways will introduce the first set of 12 private trains in 2023, followed by 45 more in the following fiscal. According to an initial timeline drawn by the Railways, all 151 private trains will be introduced by the end of financial year 2026-27. Proposals have been invited from companies to run these modern passenger trains on 109 pairs of routes across the country. The project would entail an investment of about Rs 30,000 crore. The request for qualification (RFQ), floated on July 8, is likely to be finalised by November. The financial bids will be open by March 2021 and selection ... Read more

Radisson Hotel Group South Asia has announced its partnership with table reservation and food discovery platform EazyDiner to strengthen its food and beverage capabilities in the region. The collaboration will serve all 94 operating hotels of the group’s portfolio in India and will include table booking and home delivery services, Radisson Hotel Group South Asia said in a statement. “We are excited to roll out our association with EazyDiner to usher in a new era of restaurant dining and safe food deliveries with participation across our network,” Radisson Hotel Group, South Asia, MD and VP Operations Zubin Saxena said. “This partnership ... Read more

From today, Air India will open all its offices with full staff strength and normal shift hours. No special COVID-19 roster has been prepared. An order issued by the airline stated that all its offices will function in full strength from July 20 and no separate roster will be made for functioning under Covid-19 situation. Those not attending office will either have to apply for leave or will be marked absent, the notice said. The ‘work from home’ option will be granted only to pregnant women and with other medical conditions. Staff staying in containment zones can also apply for ... Read more

Over the past month, the World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) was able to hold virtual meetings of its five regional commissions to share responses to the challenge of COVID-19 and their plans for the restart of tourism in the wake of the pandemic. The annual series of meetings got underway with the regional commission for Africa, followed by meetings of the regional commissions for the Americas, Europe, Asia and the Pacific and finally the Middle East region. UNWTO Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili said, “The meetings of the UNWTO regional commissions have shown the universal determination to restart tourism, and to do so ... Read more

Tourism Minister Prahlad Singh Patel has said that despite India being the land of the Buddha, not many Buddhist pilgrims visit the country. Hence corrective measures need to be taken to address this issue, he said. Despite India being endowed with rich Buddhist heritage, it attracts a very small percentage of Buddhist pilgrims, Patel said, while inaugurating a webinar on “Cross Border Tourism”. Emphasising the point that it was important for all to ascertain the reasons for India receiving only a fraction of global Buddhists as tourists, Patel said corrective measures will be taken accordingly. The Minister talked about the ... Read more

Delta Air Lines told pilots on Friday that it would avoid furloughs if they agreed to reduced guaranteed minimum pay, according to a memo seen by Reuters. Delta is still struggling due to a dramatic decline in travel demand caused by the coronavirus pandemic. This week it reported second quarter revenue fell 91 per cent and a US$3.9 billion adjusted pre-tax loss. The airline is working to further cut costs and more than 17,000 employees are taking voluntary departure packages, including more than 1,700 of 7,900 pilots ahead of a Sunday deadline for pilots to accept voluntary packages, Reuters said ... Read more

Visiting the Himalayas has to be the pinnacle of tourism in India, for its sheer magical and unique feel. It’s almost an out-of-body experience. The Ministry of Tourism titled recently conducted a webinar on ‘Trekking in the Himalayas: Magical Experiences’ highlighting the potential of tourism in the Indian Himalayan mountain. In the Indian Himalayas, one can see the pristine natural environment, snow-covered thick pine forests and numerous hidden surprises that can enthral and captivate trekkers from all over the world and across age groups and fitness levels. Exploring the myriad trails, engaging with the friendly local villagers and taking in ... Read more

The Commonwealth of Dominica is reopening its borders to foreign visitors starting August 7. Denise Charles, the minister of tourism, said all travellers are required to abide by new travel protocols while entering the country. Firstly, tourists and nationals must obtain a negative COVID-19 test (PCR) result recorded 24 to 72 hours before arriving in Dominica. Then, they need to complete an online questionnaire at least 24 hours in advance. Upon arrival, they will undergo a series of checks, including a rapid screening test. Should the passenger present any signals deemed unsafe, such as a positive test result, they will be quarantined at a government facility ... Read more

Air India on Friday said its financial situation is very challenging due to the coronavirus pandemic and its leave-without-pay (LWP) scheme for employees is a “win-win” situation for them as well as the management. The national carrier, in a press statement, said the scheme primarily enables employees to proceed on LWP “on voluntary basis”. The airline had issued an internal order earlier this week asking its departmental heads and regional directors to identify employees, based on various factors like efficiency, health and redundancy, who will be sent on compulsory LWP for up to five years. “Air India is in a ... Read more

The Madras High Court has directed Oyo Hotels & Homes to respond to a breach of contract case filed by Hotel Sakthi Park before its next hearing on August 12. The hotel, which is located 100 km south of Chennai, had filed a case against Oyo in the Madras High Court on July 10 for non-payment of minimum guarantee. The case was filed under Section 9 of the Arbitration and Conciliation Act, 1996. The hotel is now seeking relief and is requesting for a compensation of Rs 75 lakh from Oyo Hotels & Homes. The company was in a contract with Oyo ... Read more

Kenya’s cabinet secretary for tourism, Najib Balala, has urged industry players to make tourism more affordable for domestic and international travellers.  Balala made the remarks in an interview with local television channel, Citizen, where he lamented the high cost of tourism in the East African country. “This is the problem I have with the industry. We have overpriced ourselves. And if you look at Kenya – people come here once in a lifetime. Why do we have to get people once in a lifetime? Because it is very expensive to come to Kenya,” he said. Balala noted that the high ... Read more

Civil aviation minister Hardeep Singh Puri on Thursday said that bilateral air bubbles will be the way forward in resuming international travel amid the Covid-19 pandemic. “I think the answer is bilateral air bubbles – which will carry a number of people but under defined conditions – as countries continue to impose entry restrictions including India,” Puri said at a press conference. Puri said Air France will operate 28 flights from Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore to Paris from July 18 till August 1, while United Air will operate 18 flights from Delhi, Mumbai to Newark till July 31. Scheduled international ... Read more

Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) has conducted India Luxury Virtual Connect (ILVC), India’s first ever virtual roadshow designed exclusively for leading travel partners across key metro cities to touch base with the Thai private sector. The first ever India Luxury Virtual Connect (ILVC) conducted on July 15 -16, witnessed participation from 28 Thai luxury sellers along with 130 travel agents across south-west India and another 130 agents from the north-east. ILVC was conceptualized and executed by BRANDit, the official representative firm of TAT’s Mumbai office. The ILVC interface, developed by Travel Gyan, is a virtual platform for leading travel partners ... Read more