Category: Uncategorized

The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) has awarded its UNWTO.QUEST Certification to Fundació Mallorca Turisme. The award further advances UNWTO’s work to promote and recognize excellence and quality in destination management for the benefit of the whole of the sector. At the same time, it boosts competitiveness in Mallorca, one of Europe’s top destinations, and emphasizes the importance of placing sustainability at the heart of future growth. Fundació Mallorca Turisme, a UNWTO Affiliate Member, becomes the fourth DMO (Destination Management Organization) in the world and the first in Europe to receive the UNWTO.QUEST Certification. The international benchmark was created to enhance ... Read more

At Chile’s Santiago international airport, the task of sniffing out passengers infected with COVID-19 is going to the dogs. A team of Labradors & Golden Retrievers sits when they smell the virus and get a treat. The canines adorn green “biodetector” jackets with a red cross. Sniffer dogs are best-known for finding explosives and drugs but have also been trained previously to detect cancer, malaria, and Parkinson’s disease. Passengers at the airport health checkpoint wipe their necks and wrists with gauze pads that are then put in glass containers and sent to the dogs to see if they detect COVID-19. ... Read more

Royal Caribbean International’s Quantum of the Seas had to disembark all passengers after a suspected COVID-19 case was detected on board. The suspected cause is an 83-year-old Singaporean male, who reported to the onboard medical center with diarrhea in the late evening of 8 December. He was given a Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) test as per onboard protocols and tested positive. He was conveyed to the National Centre for Infectious Diseases (NCID), and is undergoing further tests. His original sample has since been retested and has come back negative for COVID-19 infection. A second fresh sample tested has also come ... Read more

International business travel could restart if an agreement is secured to safeguard journeys of up to 72-hours free from quarantines, says the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC). The joint recommendation for the short stay exemption comes from the European Union Aviation Safety Agency and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (EASA/ECDC) and is welcomed by WTTC, which represents the global Travel & Tourism private sector. EASA and ECDC have joined forces to call for an exemption on quarantine for people travelling for less than 72 hours, a move which WTTC believes could signal the return of international ... Read more

Dubai Festivals and Retail Establishment (DFRE) unveils its comprehensive 2021 Retail Calendar, with citywide events, activations and experiences set to fully support the emirate’s economic and tourist development goals. Created to attract both residents and visitors to the city’s impressive line-up of destinations, attractions and world-class malls, the calendar is packed with 15 festival campaigns spread throughout 2021. With this year’s Dubai Fitness Challenge and Diwali currently underway, plus the UAE National Day celebrations poised to begin, the announcement of DFRE’s annual program for 2021 reinforces the city’s status as the premier destination for holidays as well as memorable lifestyle ... Read more

More than a century old and Japan’s oldest zoo, unveiled the first baby elephant to be born there since its founding, and have sought help from the public for naming it. The choices are Arun, which means “dawn” in Thai, Atsadong (sunset), or Tawan (sun). The winning name will be announced on Dec. 15. The male calf was shown to the public for the first time this week since his birth at Tokyo’s Ueno Zoological Gardens on the 31st of OCT. The baby was about 100 centimeters tall and 120 kg at birth, but he has grown considerably since. His ... Read more

Fondly caressing the back of a large Burmese python resting on his lap, 69-year-old Buddhist monk Wilatha is trying to play a part in saving hundreds of snakes that might otherwise be killed or destined for the black market. Wilatha has created a refuge for snakes ranging from vipers to cobras to pythons at the Seikta Thukha TetOo monastery in the commercial city of Yangon. Government agencies and residents of the city including the fire department, have been bringing captured snakes to the monk since the launch of the snake refuge, five years back. “Once people catch snakes, they will ... Read more

Food safety concept Reports say that Singapore has given US start-up Eat Just the green signal to sell its lab-grown chicken meat, which would be the world’s first regulatory approval for clean meat that does not come from slaughtered animals. An experimental restaurant has already been opened by a start-up company in Israel to serve its own lab-grown chicken meat products. Upon initial launching in a restaurant in Singapore, the meat will be sold as nuggets, and will be priced at premium chicken prices said East Just Co-founder and CEO Josh Tetrick. “We think that [the way] to really solve ... Read more

Despite the spike in COVID 19 infections, Asian superpower Japan plans to keep fund provisions to promote domestic tourism and dining out in its next stimulus package, according to a draft of the government’s upcoming stimulus package. There have been some concerns raised though, about the campaigns as there is a surge in the Covid cases. Japan’s economy has been gradually recovering from its worst post-war slump caused by the coronavirus earlier this year. But it is likely to take years before the economy returns to pre-pandemic levels. The draft stimulus package mainly aims to set up a fund to ... Read more

Come the chilly winter months, and the jungles across India are lush and vibrant after the passing monsoons, making it the perfect time for a safari adventure. Taj Safaris, India’s first and only luxury wildlife circuit, welcomes you for a new season of holidays in the wild with its Wildlife Escape offer, to enjoy the incredibly diverse wildlife in some of the most renowned National Parks in India and Nepal. Offering an inclusive experience that allows one to feel the thrill of the forest while delighting in a touch of luxury at the intimate safari lodges, the Wildlife Escape offer guests can look ... Read more

The owner of a Frankfurt restaurant is staging a protest against the coronavirus lockdown in Germany by filling his tables with a hundred stuffed toy pandas, in a play on the word “pandemic”. German officials are expected on Wednesday to agree to extend until Dec. 20 a “lockdown light” they imposed on Nov. 2 which means bars, restaurants, and entertainment venues must stay closed, while shops and schools can remain open. The pandas are seated at the restaurant’s tables and propped up at the bar, some with bottles of Corona beer. “We wanted to put some life back into our ... Read more

UAE based Emirates Airlines has been recognized as the Best Airline for 2020 at The Sun Travel Awards, and the Best Long-Haul Airline at The Times and The Sunday Times Travel Awards. Following an unprecedented year for travel, hundreds of thousands of votes were cast by readers looking to celebrate the best in the industry. Emirates’ range of world-class products and services onboard its modern, wide-body aircraft helped to secure the award wins, with passengers able to enjoy over 4,500 channels of entertainment on ice – the airline’s award-winning inflight entertainment system – as well as regionally inspired meals and ... Read more

Bollywood icon Shah Rukh Khan (SRK) and his celebrated interior designer wife, Gauri Khan have officially become Airbnb hosts by offering a once in a lifetime stay in their Delhi home. In homage to Shah Rukh’s signature pose from over 30 years of Bollywood superstardom, the campaign will give residents of India a chance to stay in the Khan family’s genteel home. Located in the leafy neighborhood of Panchsheel Park in South Delhi, the Khan’s home is exquisitely designed in Gauri’s warm, inimitable style. Though the power duo now resides in Mumbai, their Delhi home remains a special place of ... Read more

Delhi, 04 November 2020: Vistara, India’s finest full-service carrier and a joint venture of Tata group and Singapore Airlines, today announced special, non-stop flights between Delhi and Doha, the capital city of the state of Qatar, from 19 November 2020. The airline will operate its Airbus A320neo twice a week between the two cities, on Thursdays and Sundays, as part of the bilateral ‘transport bubble’ agreement between India and Qatar. Bookings are being progressively opened on all channels, including Vistara’s website, mobile app, and through travel agents. Mr. Leslie Thng, Chief Executive Officer, Vistara, said: “We are pleased to strengthen ... Read more

In an interactive session with Mr. Prahlad Singh Patel, Minister of State for Tourism and Culture (IC), Government of India, the tourism industry leaders of the FICCI Tourism Committee yesterday requested the government for urgent support for survival and revival of Indian Travel, Tourism, and Hospitality Industry. FICCI Tourism Committee members submitted key recommendations for the survival of the industry which includes extending the moratorium for another 1 year; period of restructuring for hotels should be extended till March 2024; payment of the Service Exports from India Scheme (SEIS) scrips which is due to the tour operators for the financial year ... Read more