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USA's new travel strategy to ramp up international tourism hit hard by Covid-19

The US Commerce Department on Monday will unveil a new strategy aimed at boosting international tourism hit hard by Covid-19 and government travel restrictions by streamlining the entry process and promoting more diverse destinations. The "National Travel and Tourism Strategy" sets a goal of 90 million international visitors by 2027 who will spend an estimated $279 billion annually, topping pre-pandemic levels, the department told Reuters. "There are a lot of industries that are well past Covid - travel and tourism is not," US Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo said in an interview. The federal government must do more to support the resurgence of travel and tourism to ensure the industry rebuilds to be "more resilient, sustainable and equitable," according to the draft strategy document seen by Reuters. In 2019, the United States had 79.4 million international visitors, a figure that plummeted to 19.2 million in 2020 as the pandemic hit and rose to just 22.1 million in 2021. International visitors spent $239.4 billion in 2019, but just $81 billion in 2019, the Commerce Department said. Before Covid, tourism supported 9.5 million US jobs and generated $1.9 trillion in economic output. One of the strategy's goals is to modernize entry procedures for visitors to enter and travel within the United States. "We need to streamline the entry process," Raimondo said. "It's cumbersome and very paper-based and we want to move to a more digital process." Other goals include promoting more diverse US tourism experiences beyond coastal states, reducing tourism's contributions to climate change and building a sector that is resilient to natural disasters, public health threats and the impacts of climate change. One reason tourism fell so sharply was the United States lagged many other countries in lifting Covid border restrictions that barred much of the world from entering. The US rules were not eased until November 2021. The United States still requires foreign nationals to be vaccinated against Covid and nearly all international air passengers to test negative before travel. US airlines say nearly all other countries they serve are not requiring testing. Raimondo acknowledged testing is a "barrier" to tourism and that the United States is an "outlier" but did not forecast when those rules might be relaxed. "I hear a lot about it from industry and I have been expressing that to the administration," Raimondo said.

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Japan mulls over resuming tourism discount as Covid-19 cases ease

Japan's government is considering resuming a national travel discount campaign as soon as late this month to help the tourism industry recover from a Covid-19 slump, the Nikkei newspaper said on Saturday. A revived "Go To Travel" campaign would likely serve as a core measure to stimulate consumer demand, the business daily reported, without citing sources. Japan is set to ease border controls to let foreign tourists in from July 10 as coronavirus infections ease. The government will decide on the campaign soon, the Nikkei said, without specifying time. Officials at the Japan Tourism Agency could not immediately be reached for comment outside business hours. The campaign, rolled out in July 2020 just as Covid was gaining strength, subsidised half of the travel expense, up to 20,000 yen ($150) a night, for each traveller. The programme helped boost tourism but was shelved five months later as the pandemic surged.

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Vietjet launches direct flights from Mumbai to Vietnam

Vietjet has officially inaugurated the direct flights connecting Mumbai with Vietnam’s capital Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, the country’s largest city. The inaugural flight ceremony of the two direct routes jubilantly took place at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) in Mumbai with the attendance of the Consulate General of Vietnam in Mumbai, the airport authorities, Vietjet’s management representatives and hundreds of passengers onboard the debut flights. Vietjet’s Vice President Do Xuan Quang, said, “Following our launch of New Delhi – Ho Chi Minh City/Hanoi services, we are delighted to launch two more direct routes between Vietnam and Mumbai. We believe that the two services from Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi to Mumbai as well as the coming Phu Quoc – Mumbai route will strengthen the ongoing relationship of Vietnam’s two biggest cities with Mumbai. The services launched between Ho Chi Minh City/Hanoi and Mumbai operate four and thrice-weekly flights respectively and we expect to increase the frequency in coming time to meet customer’s demand.” Speaking about Vietjet’s launching its network from Mumbai, CSMIA Spokesperson said, “CSMIA is pleased to partner with Vietjet and launch new direct flight connectivity between Mumbai and Vietnam. These services by Vietjet will offer diversified travel destinations and flight schedules, as well as add direct flight options to CSMIA’s route network from Mumbai to Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi to further boost travel opportunities between the two countries. CSMIA has been working extensively to provide connectivity to destinations across the world and create new routes for consumers while offering best-in-class facilities and services and ensuring safety and comfort while travellers transit through the airport.” To celebrate the occasion, Vietjet will offer 19,999 super-saver tickets from just USD 0 (*) applied to all flights between Vietnam and India with a travel duration from July 1 to December 31, 2022 (**). Promotional tickets are up for grabs daily from 10:30 AM on June 7 till 10:30 pm on June 9, 2022, via www.vietjetair.com, Vietjet Air mobile app, and Facebook page. Besides the Mumbai – Ho Chi Minh City/Hanoi services, Vietjet’s direct routes between New Delhi and Ho Chi Minh City/Hanoi currently operate thrice-weekly flights on each route. From September 9, 2022, the Mumbai – Phu Quoc route will commence operation with four round trips per week while the New Delhi – Phu Quoc will operate with a frequency of three round trips per week. Vietjet’s direct services between India and Vietnam are expected to ease people’s traveling to Vietnam and make connecting flights to the country’s top tourist destinations such as Phu Quoc, Nha Trang, Da Nang, Hue, etc. and other regional destinations including Bali, Bangkok and Singapore, etc.

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SpiceJet to operate 37 special flights to Saudi Arabia for Haj pilgrims

SpiceJet on Thursday said it will operate 37 special flights between India and Saudi Arabia till July 31 for Indian Haj pilgrims who will visit Islamic pilgrimage sites in Mecca and Medina. “The special flights from Srinagar will depart for Medina between June 5 and June 20. Return flights from Jeddah to Srinagar are scheduled from July 15 to July 31,” the airline’s statement said. SpiceJet is the only Indian airline operating Haj flights this year, it claimed. “SpiceJet had in the past operated special Haj flights from Gaya and Srinagar, ferrying around 19,000 pilgrims to and from the holy pilgrimage,” it noted. The operation of special Haj flights is set to resume after a two-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Turkey removes all COVID-related restrictions for Indian travellers

Turkey has relaxed all the conditions for travellers entering the country and is expecting to welcome the highest-ever number of Indian tourists this year, Turkiye Tourism Board said on Monday. Earlier, Indian travellers were required to submit either a vaccination certificate or an RT-PCR test report to visit Turkey, according to a statement. Now, Indian travellers no longer have to show proof of vaccination against coronavirus or proof of recovery from the disease or a negative RT-PCR test result, it added. With both Indigo and Turkish Airlines resuming direct international flights to Turkiye, the country is expecting to welcome the highest-ever number of Indian tourists this year, it said.

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GO FIRST announces new direct flights to Kuwait and Muscat from Kochi

In line with its vision to strengthen international connectivity between India and the Middle East, GO FIRST announced the commencement of daily direct flights from Kochi to Kuwait and Kochi to Muscat starting June 1, 2022. The inaugural flight departed from Cochin International Airport at 20:15 hours (local time) and arrived at Kuwait International Airport at 23:05 hours (local time). The new flights to Kuwait and Musact from Kochi will offer connectivity and convenient travel options to blue collar workers/migrant working class flying abroad for employment. Situated on the western front of Asia, Kuwait is a country in the Middle East that has a lot to offer to travelers. The rich cultural and commercial heritage makes it a must-visit Gulf country. The city is a perfect amalgamation of lively restaurants, pristine beaches, and antiquated museums. Furthermore, wedged between the mountains and the sea, the capital city of Oman is a glorious wonder of white elegance. Muscat, the chosen capital for trade and commerce across the Indian Ocean, is a meticulously clean and organized city. For booking, passengers can log in to www.FlyGoFirst.com or can use the mobile app. Speaking on the development, Kaushik Khona, Chief Executive Officer, GO FIRST, said: “As we eventually come out of the pandemic, we are pleased to strengthen our international presence and commence operations between Kochi to Kuwait and Kochi to Muscat. We believe that the situation is improving, and we are hopeful that this will further ease travel between India and Middle East.” Daily flight schedule from Kochi effective June 1, 2022

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