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Lily Beach once again crowned ‘Best of the Best’ in the All-Inclusive Resort Category by guests

Lily Beach continues to prove it is the ‘best of the best’ for a safe, stress-free, and unforgettable vacation. Due to the favourable reviews by guests themselves, the pioneer of All-Inclusive Resorts in the Maldives has yet again won the Tripadvisor Travelers’ Choice 2022 ‘Best of the Best’ Award in the All-Inclusive category. As a result of its commitment to offering an unparalleled and consistent guest experience, as demonstrated by its ‘Platinum All-Inclusive’ plan, Lily Beach has been awarded by Tripadvisor the honour of being deemed the 13th Best of the Best All-Inclusive Resort in the World and 3rd Best of the Best All-Inclusive Resort in Asia. Since 2002, the Travelers’ Choice Best of the Best Awards are given to venues that consistently receive exceptional reviews over a 12-month period and are ranked in the top 1 per cent of properties. Nestled among its luxury industry peers, Lily Beach is honoured to receive this award, which is the highest recognition given by the reputed platform Tripadvisor. Desislav Gospodinov, Group Director – Sales & Marketing attested, “We are delighted and grateful to our guests for allowing us this outstanding recognition. Since the beginning, Lily Beach has been a leading provider of all-inclusive experiences, and with our Platinum All-Inclusive plan we go a step further, by including a selection of complimentary excursions together with our premium food and drinks as part of the offering. However, the key ingredient of our success is our associates who go above and beyond to ensure that our guests’ stay is as memorable as possible.” Not only does Lily Beach offer a great selection of premium liquors, alongside a wide selection of food and drinks, but it goes the extra stretch to entertain guests with leisure and sporting activities, and daily evening entertainment. From live bands to Balinese dance, there is always something happening at the resort to surprise or inspire a smile. Not only that, this destination which is a short scenic seaplane ride away from the airport is also located in a prime area perfect for Whale Shark sightings as well. Of late the resort has been stepping up its game in offering a higher value all-inclusive offering to their guests by having guest practitioners visit the resort such as Guinness World Record Holder in Football Freestyle – Marcel Gurk who visited the resort during Easter to teach guests of all ages the wonder and fun of learning new football skills and upcoming Wellness Festival happening next month in tandem with the Global Wellness Day where multiple Wellness Practitioners will be at the resort to offer their services for guests to have novel wellness experiences while in the Maldives.

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Travel tips to stay safe with testing for a stress-free summer holiday

With the kids breaking for their summer vacation, a huge task for all parents is to plan a safe and enjoyable holiday. After two years of Covid-19 restrictions, travel is starting to feel a lot safer, especially with the increasing number of people getting vaccinated and even getting booster shots. Dr. Mangesh Tiwaskar, Editor in Chief of Journal of Association of Physicians of India shares a few tips that may help your family return healthy from that much needed break while keeping ‘unwelcome’ holiday presents away. 1. Check the Covid-19 rates and restrictions before deciding on the holiday destination - The infection rate and restrictions at your destination is a big factor to consider. If you’re thinking of a location that’s red-hot with infection, your chances of becoming ill can rise, even if you’ve been vaccinated. Its best to check with someone living there or stay updated on infections in the area before you finalize the plan, to avoid any unwanted surprises upon arrival. Also, if you or those you’re traveling with have not yet been vaccinated, you may want to take a rapid antigen Covid-19 test before you leave to reduce the odds of unknowingly bringing the virus to your destination. 2. Carrying a Rapid Antigen Testing Kit as a part of your medicine bag - While travelling, with kids or even otherwise, a medicine kit is a must-have item in a travel bag. Let’s apply this ‘safety first’ mantra not just to our kids but all aspects of life to keep a check on our health. So, this holiday season, ensure you carry a Covid-19 self-test kit for a stress-free and safe holiday. Of course, while making this decision, the quality of the kit is a key factor as well. These kits, such as the Panbio Covid-19 antigen self-test kit, are readily available in pharmacies and online retailer sites and give you quick result in as little as 15 minutes. You can easily test on the go, especially if there is a sudden rise in the number of cases after you have arrived. This can help ensure you and your travelling group are safe. A self-test kit is an important travel partner, and even more so if you’re going to another country! 3. Avoid crammed, indoor spaces - While finalizing your travel itinerary, ensure that you avoid indoor places crammed with people whose vaccination status is unknown. There may be vacation activities you always love to do – from karaoke cafes to theme parks with indoor rides – that may be wise to skip for now. These crowded gatherings away from fresh air may carry some Covid-19 risk. But if you visit a packed indoor space that you can’t resist, make sure to mask up and self-test when you return. 4. Don’t forget to relax! You deserve it - Yes! We are all due for a well-deserved break. For all of us, the stress from this pandemic means we yearn to travel more than ever now. For many of us, it’s been two years since we’ve taken a vacation or spent holidays with extended family. While you are on your first holiday away since the pandemic, it may take a while to fully unwind. That’s okay. Getting vaccinated and carrying a quality rapid antigen self-test kit can help you feel more confident, so you can allow yourself to enjoy the break, kick back and relax.

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Americans plan for summer vacations even as a Covid-19 surge is underway

A high school prom in Hawaii where masked dancers weren't allowed to touch. A return to virtual city council meetings in one Colorado town after the mayor and others tested positive following an in-person session. A reinstated mask mandate at skilled nursing facilities in Los Angeles County after 22 new outbreaks in a single week. A Covid-19 surge is underway that is starting to cause disruptions as the school year wraps up and Americans prepare for summer vacations. Many people, though, have returned to their pre-pandemic routines and plans, which often involve travel. Case counts are as high as they’ve been since mid-February and those figures are likely a major undercount because of unreported positive home test results and asymptomatic infections. Earlier this month, an influential modelling group at the University of Washington in Seattle estimated that only 13% of cases were being reported to U.S. health authorities. Hospitalizations are also up and more than one-third of the U.S. population lives in areas that are considered at high risk by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The Northeast has been hit the hardest. Yet vaccinations have stagnated and elected officials nationwide seem loath to impose new restrictions on a public that's ready to move on even as the U.S. death toll surpassed 1 million people less than 2 1/2 years into the outbreak. “People probably are underestimating the prevalence of Covid,” said Crystal Watson, public health lead in the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security’s Coronavirus Resource Center. “I think there’s a lot more virus out there than we recognize, and so people are much, much more likely than they anticipate to be exposed and infected.” A major metric for the pandemic — the seven-day rolling average for daily new cases in the US — skyrocketed over the last two weeks, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. The figure was about 76,000 on May 9 and jumped to nearly 109,000 on Monday. That was the highest it had been since mid-February, when the omicron-fuelled surge was winding down. Deaths are still on the decline and hospital intensive care units aren’t swamped like they were at other times during the pandemic, likely because vaccinations and immunity from people who have already had the disease are keeping many cases less severe. “The nature of the disease has changed. Two years ago I was seeing a steady flow of bad pneumonia cases. Now we are in a situation where people should be able to avoid that outcome by taking advantage of vaccines, pre-exposure prophylaxis (for high risk), and early anti-viral therapy,” Dr Jonathan Dworkin, a clinical infectious diseases physician in Hawaii, said by email. In Hawaii, which once had one of the nation's lowest rates of infection, hospitalization and death, new cases are surging among the state’s 1.4 million residents. The University of Hawaii will again require masks indoors across its 10-campus system beginning Wednesday. With cases climbing for eight straight weeks, Hawaii has the second highest infection rate of any state, trailing only Rhode Island. But because positive home test results aren't counted in official data, Hawaii's health department estimates that the case count is actually five or six times higher. Despite its surge, visitors have been flocking to Hawaii's beaches, especially in recent months. Yaling Fisher, owner of Hawaii Aloha Travel, said bookings to the islands haven't slowed during the surge. On the contrary, they've increased. “Even now we are still busy,” she said. “We don’t see any cancellations.” Samantha Hanberg, who was in Hawaii this week with her newlywed husband, said the couple left their masks at home in California when they left for vacation. She said she contracted Covid-19 early in the pandemic and subsequently got fully vaccinated, so she too feels safe. “Nobody wants to get sick, but it’s definitely not at the forefront of my thought process anymore,” she said, snacking on shave ice on Waikiki Beach. "I’m to the point now where I just I want to go back to living and enjoying life, and not being so worried.” Officials initially shut down Hawaii’s tourism industry by requiring all incoming passengers to quarantine. They shifted to a testing requirement and then a vaccination exemption before dropping all restrictions in March. Hawaii was the last state in the nation to drop its mask mandate, though it remains the only state to require all public school students to wear masks while indoors — a rule that will remain in effect throughout the summer and possibly into the next school year. Nearly two years after California Gov. Gavin Newsom imposed the nation's first statewide stay-home order, the state formally shifted to an “endemic” approach in February. Like Hawaii and many other states, its weekly infection rate has risen dramatically of late. The new surge led the school districts in Pacific Grove and Berkeley to reinstate their indoor mask mandates, while an outbreak at a Northern California long-term healthcare facility had sickened 26 residents and 10 staff members by Monday. Some Northeastern school districts have also revived their mask mandates, including those in Philadelphia and Providence, Rhode Island. However New York, which was once the US epicenter of the pandemic, doesn’t seem likely to follow suit. The city is dealing with another surge in cases, but Mayor Eric Adams has all but ruled out bringing back a citywide mask mandate unless hospitals get inundated again. The city's school district jettisoned its practice of closing classrooms if multiple students test positive, merely recommends that masks be worn and even abandoned its requirement that students need to be vaccinated to attend prom.

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Yas Island focusing on destination relaunch, 13 new B2B campaigns planned this year

Surrounded by crystal-clear waters and dotted with some of the capital’s most iconic landmarks, Yas Island is one of the fastest-growing leisure and entertainment destinations and also home to one-of-a-kind experiences. From family-friendly theme parks to a thrilling F1 racetrack and vast golf course to world-class shopping options, the island holiday destination aims to offer a complete and unforgettable experience to all its visitors. After two difficult years of the Covid-19 pandemic, Yas Island is geared up to aggressively promote its offerings to the global markets. With a focus on relaunching the destination with the new approach, the Island management is looking at India as a very important market and plans to introduce several campaigns in the country. Liam Findlay, CEO of Experience Hub, the trade and promotion arm of Yas Island and a subsidiary of Miral in an exclusive conversation with ETTravelWorld informed me they will be launching 13 new B2B campaigns in India later this year and will also be putting a lot of resources and efforts to stronghold their position in the India market over the next three to five years. “I think the Indian market is extremely important for us. We classify it as a kind of regional market, though we've got the GCC as a major market. But with the close proximity to India and short-haul flights from Mumbai and Delhi, India, indeed, becomes a key regional market for us. Before the pandemic, India used to be our biggest market for Yas Island. Both India and UAE share a vast and cordial connection. So, it’s naturally a market, which we believe is extremely important to us. Yes, all over the years as we mature, even during the pandemic, we opened up three new hotels, including WB Abu Dhabi, Warner Bros themed hotel,” said Findlay during the interaction in Dubai on the onset of Arabian Travel Market (ATM). Spanning over 25 sq km, Yas Island features 10 hotels and 165 restaurants along with several entertainments, dining, shopping, sports, and leisure attractions. The destination also features indoor and outdoor concert venues including WHITE Abu Dhabi and Etihad Arena. Every year, numerous international shows, cultural festivals, and family entertainment events are held across Yas Islands. Destination relaunch Talking about the offerings, Findlay, adds, “We’ve got three theme parks, a golf course, a Formula One racetrack, and a stadium in form of Etihad arena. Next to Etihad arena, we also got the new Yes Bay, which is the entertainment district within Abu Dhabi. We also have got new hotels opening up. So, now’s the right time to promote the new attractions and all the good work we have been doing. The Covid-19 pandemic has not only disrupted our industry but has also given us a chance to prepare for the relaunch. We’ve been spending the last two years focusing on relaunching the destination. So, for us, it is really important how we build our brand identity within India. And it’s not a short-term strategy, over the next three to five years, we will be putting a lot of resources and efforts to stronghold our position in the Indian market.” Plans for Indian market When it comes to marketing and promotional plans, Experience Hub has got an extensive program in place this year. “For India, we recently launched the first phase of the campaign with Ranveer Singh. We have also planned the second phase of the campaign apart from 13 B2B campaigns with key travel partners, agencies, and OTAs. We are also doing social media activation in August this year, which will be huge this year. Throughout the year, we have got different kinds of campaigns planned,” informed Findlay during the conversation. Working with travel trade Talking about the relationship with travel agents and tour operators in India, Findlay said they are working closely with trade partners. “For the business to flourish, B2B is really important, and we have a dedicated team in India focusing on travel trade. We have put a lot of resources and emphasis to cultivate a good relationship with tour operators and they will play a huge role in the campaigns we are planning for the Indian market,” he said

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Indonesia Tourism wants Indians to explore beyond Bali, the Super Priority Destinations

A major chunk of the Indian visitations to Indonesia is to Bali and understanding this the Indonesian authorities are not leaving any stone unturned to get direct access to Bali for Indian travellers. “We are taking several initiatives to get a direct flight from India to Bali,” says Adnyani, who was in Delhi recently to participate in a travel show. The top tourism official is hopeful of a breakthrough by the end of this year as far as direct flight connectivity is concerned. However, Adnyani wants to see Indian tourists visit and explore other parts of the country as well. Indonesian Tourism has identified 5 Super Priority Destinations for promotion in the international market and wants to spread the benefits of tourism to these areas as well. These Super Priority Destinations include Borobudur in Central Java; Likupang in North Sulawesi; Lake Toba in North Sumatra; Labuan Bajo in East Nusa Tengara; and Mandalika in NTB. “We want to tell our Indian partners that these five Super Priority Destinations are also important along with Bali,” she said. She said that Indonesia Tourism is working closely with the tourism stakeholders across all key destinations to improve the health and safety aspects through CHSE certification. “We have special teams who conduct audits and certification,” she said. Indonesian Tourism has plans to strengthen the CHSE certification system by involving private agencies from next year, she added. As far as Visa and other systems are concerned, Adnyani said that Indians continue to enjoy Visa on Arrival along with citizens of 60 other countries which makes Indonesia the most friendly destination to visit. When asked about strategies to overcome the huge deficit in international arrivals due to the complete closure of the Chinese market, the tourism official said that in the shorter term they are looking to compensate it with short-haul markets like Singapore, Malaysia, and also from Australia, Japan, Korea, and India. Indonesia Tourism has set for itself a modest target for this year as far as international visitors are concerned. They are expecting traffic in the range of 1.8 million to 3.6 million in 2022. Considering the whole shift in traveller behaviour in the post-pandemic world, Adnyani says that the Tourism Board is focusing more on quality rather than quantity of travellers. “In Indonesia, our focus is to develop village tourism in a big way so that the economic benefits of tourism reach the grassroots,” she said

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Nepal waives charges for international airlines conducting flights

Nepal has decided to waive several charges for one year for international airlines conducting flights to the country’s newly-opened Gautam Buddha International Airport. The decision by the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) on a 100 per cent waiver of charges, including for landing, parking, communication, navigation aid and security check, will be effective from May 28. “We granted a waiver of fees as part of marketing of the new international airport to woo international airlines to operate their flights in this new airport,” CAAN spokesman Deo Chandra Lal Karn told Xinhua news agency. “By operating international flights, an international airline can get a waiver of fees of around USD 2,000 per flight,” he added. On May 16, Kuwait-based Jazeera Airways became the first foreign airline to land at the Gautam Buddha International Airport, the second of its kind in Nepal situated in the southwestern city of Bhairahawa. “It is conducting three flights a week in the new airport,” said Karn. “Many other international airlines have also notified us that they are assessing whether to conduct flights in the new airport,” added Karn. The new airport, about 280 km from the capital of Kathmandu, is expected to be the main gateway to Lord Buddha’s birthplace in Lumbini nearby. It is also intended to serve as an alternative and backup to the overcrowded Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu.

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