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Disney World makes face mask requirements optional for all areas of resort

Walt Disney World has lifted the last of its mask requirements, meaning face coverings will be optional for visitors at all locations on the central Florida Disney property. The rule change was posted Tuesday on Disney's website. Masks are still recommended, though not required, for guests who are not fully vaccinated in indoor locations and enclosed transportation. In February, the park made face coverings optional for fully vaccinated visitors in all indoor and outdoor locations, with the exception of enclosed transportation, such as the resort’s monorail, buses and the resort’s sky gondola. The new rule change removes the transportation exception, as well as the requirement to be vaccinated. The change comes a day after a federal judge in Florida threw out a national mask mandate for public transportation. The ruling gives airports, mass transit systems, airlines and ride-hailing services the option to keep mask rules or ditch them entirely. Major airlines were some of the first to update their rules after the court decision. United, Southwest, American, Alaska, Delta and JetBlue announced that effective immediately, masks would no longer be required on domestic flights. The ride-sharing companies Lyft and Uber announced on their websites Tuesday that masks will now be optional while riding or driving.

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Paragliders flock to Ghana's Kwahu and Atibie for Easter festival

Every Easter weekend, thousands of people from around the world flock to the quiet Ghanaian towns of Kwahu and Atibie for a paragliding festival and Easter carnival that residents hope may establish the West African nation as a hub for extreme sports. This year marked the festival's return to its annual schedule after the Covid-19 pandemic forced organisers to postpone the last two years' events. Around 400 people registered for tandem flights with professional pilots, rivalling some of the festival's most popular years, according to Tourist Board figures. Dozens brought their own equipment to fly solo. Participants hungry for adrenaline strapped into their harnesses and ran off a ridge atop Ghana's second tallest mountain. As their kites caught wind, pilots and passengers alike were launched into the sky. Ghanaian paraglider Jonathan Quaye, 40, first flew in 2006, the festival's second year, as the passenger of an American paraglider. He's been paragliding ever since. Having acquired his tandem certification during the pandemic, he is now the only Ghanaian at the festival certified to carry others into the clouds. "People think it's not a safe sport, or have a mentality like it's only for white people," he said after touching down. "But all those people who say that, they've never been here." Quaye was one of only four Ghanaian paragliders to fly solo at this year's festival, two of whom live outside Ghana. But the scene is growing, thanks in part to what Quaye said is the sport's innate quality for fostering community. Stephen Owusu Asamoah, a Ghanaian living in the United States, returned to his home town of Kwahu - around 150 km (90 miles) north of the capital Accra - with his own kite and gear earlier this month, eager to participate in the festival after learning to fly last year. "When you see people like you doing what you want to do, it lets you know that you can also get into it," he said. "I feel like this is going to really motivate a lot of people."

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Greek February current account gap widens, tourism revenue surges

Greece's current account balance showed a wider deficit in February compared with a year-ago period, while revenue from the tourism sector rose, the Bank of Greece said on Wednesday. Data from the central bank showed the current account gap reached 2.123 billion euros ($2.29 billion) from a deficit of 0.762 billion euros in February 2021. The widening of the current account deficit was the result of a larger trade gap as imports outpaced exports, the bank said, adding that at constant prices, exports rose 4.3 per cent while imports jumped 37.5 per cent Non-resident arrivals in Greece surged 315 per cent and related revenue increased 303 per cent year-on-year in February. Tourism revenue in February rose to 133 million euros from 33 million euros in the same month a year earlier when widespread curbs to stem the spread of Covid-19 were in force. In 2021, Greece's current account deficit shrank by 356 million euros year-on-year to 10.6 billion euros. Greece's reserve assets rose to 13 billion euros by end-February from 12.7 billion euros in the prior month.

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Greece eyes bullish tourism season despite Ukraine war

Greece's pandemic-battered tourism industry is hoping the war in Ukraine won't derail recovery, with hundreds of thousands cancelling trips as the country lifts Covid restrictions in a bid to revive the key sector. The war in Ukraine erupted just as tourism in Greece was coming back to life,with officials betting on a strong season following two years of lockdowns andrestrictions. But it has meant the loss of some 600,000 Russians and 240,000 Ukrainians who have cancelled reservations, said Lyssandros Tsilidis, Head of the Federation of Travel Agencies of Greece. He said that those losses amount to around EUR 700 million (USD 755 million), for Greece, whose economy depends on tourism for around a quarter of national income. Greece closed its airspace to Russian flights after Moscow's invasion of Ukraine on February 24, in line with other EU countries. Russian national carrier Aeroflot also suspended all its international flights from March 8. The tourist shortfall is acutely felt on the island of Crete, one of Greece's premier travel destinations. Russian and Ukrainian travellers traditionally account for one in 10 visitors to the island "of which Russians are the majority", says Nikos Halkiadakis, president of the hotel union of Heraklion. "This clientele will not be replaced." 'We are not afraid' Like much of the world, Greece rolled out various lockdowns and restrictions as the pandemic took hold in 2020, effectively grinding tourism to a halt. After a benchmark year in 2019 that saw 33 million tourists visit the country, numbers in 2020 plummeted to 7.4 million- a 78 per cent drop, according to the Bank of Greece. Revenues also tumbled 76 per cent to EUR 4.3 million (USD 4.6 million). But as the country opened up last year, arrivals jumped by 94 per cent and revenues shot up by 142 per cent, central bank figures showed. In a bid to further boost visitor numbers, the government has once again peeled back restrictions this year. Mandatory screening tests for travellers who hold a European vaccination certificate were scrapped in February. And vaccine passes will no longer be required in restaurants, bars and shops from May 1, while mandatory masks indoors will be scrapped from June 1. Though Russia's invasion has somewhat dampened hopes of a strong recovery this year, all hope is not lost. Deputy tourism minister Sofia Zacharaki says experts expect a "doubling" of last year's arrivals. "The season has already portrayed a very encouraging image, which allows us to be optimistic," she told AFP. Tourism Minister Vassilis Kikilias told Skai TV Monday that some key destinations including Corfu, Santorini and Paros were already 80 percent full or more. Arrivals in Athens and Thessaloniki also increased during Catholic Easter, he added. Apart from denting visitor numbers, Russia's war in Ukraine has compounded energy-fuelled price hikes that started last autumn. Energy costs are up 70 per cent, and food and drinks have increased by 28 per cent, says Halkiadakis. Still, Tsilidis is hopeful for a bounce-back, albeit slower than expected. "After experiencing the worst in the past two years, we are not afraid, even if the pace of tourism recovery remains slow due to the war in Ukraine," he said.

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CheapOair shares most popular spring travel destinations for 2022

Traveling solo? Planning a romantic getaway? Looking for some family fun? CheapOair lists top ten places for travel in April and May 2022 to help you plan any type of trip. According to the online travel agency CheapOair, operated by New York-based travel technology innovator Fareportal, bookings to these destinations are the most in-demand this Spring. The brand also identifies some differences in the popularity of destinations when comparing the results for solo travellers, couples, and families. From the top ten lists, the first five destinations are the same for the three traveller types addressed. However, rankings vary by each group. For solo travellers, New York City is the most booked destination for springtime travel. Couples are opting for Las Vegas as their preferred locale, and not surprisingly, families are twice as likely to be visiting Orlando than the number two city in the family top ten. Families are also more likely to be venturing to other countries. Cancun, Mexico City, and Guadalajara all make an appearance on CheapOair’s list of most-booked destinations by family travellers. Results by Traveller Type, Ranked in Descending Order: Solo Travellers: New York, Los Angeles, Orlando, Las Vegas, Ft. Lauderdale, Chicago, Miami, Houston, Washington DC, Atlanta Dallas Couples: Las Vegas, New York Orlando, Los Angeles, Ft. Lauderdale, Miami, Chicago, Houston, Denver, San Juan PR, Dallas Families: Orlando, New York City, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Ft. Lauderdale, Miami, San Juan PR, Cancun, Mexico City, Chicago, Guadalajara “Getting away this spring is top of mind for travellers of all types,” comments Glenn Cusano, Fareportal CFO and Co-CEO. “We expect to see increasing consumer interest in travel to the extremely popular destinations that made our spring top ten lists, and locations worldwide, as public confidence in the safety of travel continues to grow. And to make it easier to decide to travel, consumers can visit CheapOair to view current covid-related safety policies by destination.” The rebound for travel continues at a strong pace. According to the TSA’s latest numbers, passengers going through travel checkpoints at US airports in March of 2022 has now reached 87 per cent of 2019 traveller counts.

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2,500-year-old Khairwada megalithic site to be developed as tourist spot in Maharashtra

The 2,500-year-old Khairwada Megalithic Stone Circles in Arvi forest range, where two burial grounds and one cremation shed are located, is being mulled as a tourism site by the wildlife wing. “I’ve asked the Wardha forest division officials to develop the little-known stone circles as a tourism spot. Both burial grounds are located on the banks of Dham River, and belonged to the Gond and Mahar communities, and the tradition continues in some way,” said PCCF (wildlife) Sunil Limaye. Talking to TOI after visiting the site on Saturday, Limaye said, “People who visit ancient temples and megalithic sites often describe them as a sensation. The standard explanation is that such feelings are nothing more than a ‘wow’ factor and generate an overwhelming impression.” “So, when I came to know about the mass burial sites of Khairwada, I decided to visit the spot. Large stones and basaltic cairns have been used to mark these burial sites in this teak forest. Carbon dating analysis shows that these structures were created sometime around 510 BC,” added Limaye. “We have decided to use this area to attract tourists and researchers of archaeology to generate sustainable livelihood from tourism for the locals,” the PCCF said. Limaye undertook a heritage walk and was accompanied by Wardha deputy conservator (DyCF) Rakesh Sepat, Arvi RFO Nitin Jadhav, sarpanch, and villagers who wanted the forest department to popularize Khairwada as a tourism site. DyCF Sepat said, “Our top priority will be to develop road accessibility and put up display boards. Khairwada falls between the Wardha-Arvi state highway and is 7km from Chandni Phata. It can also be approached from Karanja Ghadge on Nagpur-Amravati road.” Sepat said, “As the village falls in the buffer zone of Bor Tiger Reserve, we have included Khairwada under Dr Shayma Prasad Mukherjee Jan Van Scheme. Funds to develop a tourist spot will be sought under the DPDC or from Maharashtra Ecotourism Development Board (MEDB). We also plan to start a jungle safari in the buffer.” Khairwada has around 1,600 burial sites. The sites were first discovered in 1871 by British engineer JJ Carey. Many artifacts, including silver coins, were found here during excavations. Later, during the excavation in 1980-81 by the department of archaeology, Deccan College, Pune, bones of cattle, buffaloes, sheep, goats, horses, and other domestic animals were found. It was noticed that wild animals were also hunted. Even today, the reserve forests do have a large number of wild animals including tigers. The megalithic circles are found near the Khairwada village, especially in the forest areas around the farms. RFO Jadhav said that the stone circles are located in reserve forest compartment number 172 and zudpi jungle survey numbers 162, 163, and 164. Out of the four basic categories of megalithic site settlements, Khairwada is the one with some arable and pasture land with a large number of burials. “The megalithic site of Khairwada, one of the largest megalithic burial clusters, is also one of the very few sites which are present in the original landscape context. The site is promising for archaeological, tourist, research, and other interests. If developed properly with a museum, interpretation center, tourist guest house, maps, and basic information boards, the dialogue of present can very well be established with the past through these remnants of a once-thriving megalithic early iron age site,” said Oshin Bamb, a researcher with Deccan College Post Graduate and Research Institute, Pune.

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