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Visit Utah organises its first B2B virtual sales mission in India

With the mission of creating awareness about Utah as a potential tourism destination for Indians, AVIAREPS India along with Utah Office of Tourism organized its first exclusive B2B virtual sales mission in India on 8th March 2022. The virtual event was attended by the representatives of Utah partners like Visit Salt Lake, Kane County Office of Tourism, Bryce Canyon Country, Explore Utah Valley and Utah Office of Tourism among others. Indian trade partners like Thomas Cook, Flamingo, Make my Trip, N. Chirag, Kesari were also a part of it. Zach Fyne, Global Markets Specialist, Utah Office of Tourism, said, “India has been among the Top 10 markets for the state of Utah in international visitation over the last five years, so we’re excited to further increase our efforts and exposure of what our state has to offer to the Indian visitor. We are confident the Indian market will be delighted by the experiences and beauty Utah that has to offer from our Mighty 5® national parks and 44 state parks, to skiing the Greatest Snow on Earth® at our 15 world-class ski resorts, to taking in the night sky at the 24 internationally-recognized dark sky areas and parks, to everything in between that is connected by driving through our 28 scenic byways. We’re excited to welcome more people from India to the beehive state!” Elaine from San Juan County shared, “We are happy to participate in the first of hopefully many, virtual India B2B sales missions. We know we already have travellers from India who are visiting San Juan County, so we are really looking forward to the opportunity to speak directly with travel trade partners in India to not only learn more about what Indian travellers are looking for and how we can better serve them while they’re here, but also share our amazing landscapes, culture, and history with Indian travellers. San Juan County (Utah’s Canyon Country) is home to some of the most recognizable landscapes in the United States, such as Monument Valley, where countless movies have been filmed including many classic American Westerns. We also have five designated dark sky parks and places in San Juan County, and we are home to some of the darkest night skies in the country. We look forward to sharing our unique and wonderful corner of Utah with Indian travellers!” Mansi Oza, Account Manager – India, AVIAREPS India said, “We are very optimistic about travel to the USA given the ease of restrictions and the positive sentiments of the Indian traveller. As AVIAREPS India, we are working together with Utah office of Tourism to welcome Indian travellers to Utah and showcase its unique offering.” Utah has a lot to offer to the India market; from luxury to budget travel and from adventure to wildlife. Whether it’s the adventures at the Mighty 5® National Parks; Arches, Bryce Canyon, Canyonlands, Capital Reef and Zion or the luxurious glamping experiences, Utah has tremendous potential in giving Indian families and travellers a world full of memories. India is a major market for the tourism board and through this event they really wanted to focus on growing this partnership.

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Travel to Thailand is about to get easier for vaccinated tourists

BANGKOK — Visitors vaccinated for COVID-19 will no longer need a test before traveling to Thailand starting April 1, health officials said Friday. Visitors will still need to take a RT-PCR test upon arrival and a self-administered rapid antigen test on the fifth day in the country, said Taweesin Visanuyothin, a spokesperson for the government’s Center for COVID-19 Situation Administration. Thailand is keen to restore its lucrative tourism sector, which took a nosedive when most arrivals from overseas dried up since April 2020. Neighboring Cambodia, whose tourism industry was similarly battered, announced Thursday that fully vaccinated passengers are no longer required to have a RT-PCR test before arrival. It also removed the need for a rapid antigen test upon arrival. Coronavirus cases in Thailand Thai health authorities are currently coping with record numbers of daily COVID-19 cases and related deaths this year. There were more than 50,000 new cases reported Friday, slightly more than half confirmed by RT-PCR tests, and the remainder with rapid antigen tests. There were also 80 new deaths. Since the pandemic started in 2020, Thailand has had a total of around 3.3 million confirmed cases and 24,075 deaths. The health authorities are concerned about the potential for the spread of the virus next month during the Songkran festival, a raucous holiday that celebrates the Thai New Year. They have prohibited the traditional splashing of water in the streets and other public areas and banned the selling and consumption of alcohol at public celebrations. A major threat from the holiday is mass travel from the cities to home villages in rural provinces. The practice was a huge problem last year, when most Thais had not yet been vaccinated. Thailand has administered 126 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines. At least 54.6 million people, more than 78% of the population, have been vaccinated with at least one jab. Fifty million people have received at least two jabs, and 22 million received booster doses.

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The destinations dropping all Covid rules for entry and more of the latest in travel

This week at CNN Travel, we look at the countries dropping all their Covid-related rules for entry, innovative airplane cabin designs, new breathtaking bridges and why Finland is living its best life. Covid? What Covid? A small but increasing number of destinations are lifting all of their Covid-related travel restrictions, regardless of vaccination status, including some European favorites. The United Kingdom, Ireland and Hungary all swelled the ranks this month. The Caribbean island Aruba, the Portuguese archipelago Madeira and north-central Asia's Mongolia have also lifted their main Covid entry requirements. They join Iceland, Norway and Slovenia, which all shed their Covid rules in February. Other countries will be watching closely to measure the success or failure of these bold moves as Omicron continues to spread around the world. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's travel advisory list, increasingly a hoarse-voiced Cassandra, still has about 125 destinations in its highest-risk "avoid travel" category -- with the latest addition an Indian Ocean island nation. Masks on planes Several UK airlines, including British Airways and Virgin Atlantic, have just made mask-wearing optional for passengers and crew on certain flights. The rules are more than a little opaque, however, and are dependent on the laws of the destination country. Mask-wearing has been a contentious issue on planes over the past two years. The US Transportation Security Administration has issued more than $644,000 in fines for alleged mask violations since February 2021. The US mask mandate is currently set to be in place through April 18. Whether it's lifted or extended again, there are bound to be some unhappy (and potentially very unruly) passengers either way. And if some industry advocates get their way, a no-fly list for unruly travelers could help keep bad behavior in check. Record-breaking bridges Turkey opened an impressive suspension bridge across the Dardanelles Strait on Friday that just so happens to connect the continents of Europe and Asia. (Turkey is in a very rare club -- nations that occupy parts of two continents.) It was a massive, record-setting undertaking. Find out its jaw-dropping stats and how much it will cost vehicles to cross. Meanwhile, China is setting its own record with bridges. In April, a bridge is set to open in scenic Yunnan province with a "singular" feature that has to be seen to be believed. What's Finland's secret? The Nordic nation of Finland has just been named the world's happiest country for the fifth year in a row. The Finns have plenty to smile about, the newly released World Happiness Report says, when it comes to healthy life expectancy, GDP per capita, social support when times are hard, high social trust and more. Global levels of worry and stress have also dipped a little, though they're still higher than pre-pandemic levels. Future of flying Window, middle, aisle; window, middle, aisle. If you're feeling that airplane cabins are just too same-y, the design shortlist for the 2022 Crystal Cabin Awards should make you perk up. How about ceiling and wall projections that make you feel like you're underwater? Or maybe a lounge-style couch seat where you can catch up with your travel companion over a drink? From the rock 'n' roll Chateau Denmark in London's swinging Soho to the Greek temple of gastronomy Xenodocheio Milos in Athens, there are a lot of new boutique hotel openings in Europe to get excited about in 2022. New European hotels

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Aruba to scrap all COVID travel restrictions

Two years after the onset of the pandemic, the Caribbean island of Aruba is doing away with its remaining COVID-19-related travel restrictions. Starting Saturday, Aruba will no longer require a negative coronavirus test or proof of vaccination for entry. Previously, tourists were allowed to enter only with a negative coronavirus test, proof of full vaccination or proof of recovery. Visitors' insurance is still required, and all travelers will still need to complete an embarkation/disembarkation card before arrival. A statement from the Aruba Tourism Authority said the Aruban government, health care systems and tourism industry will "monitor the current environment and changing conditions to determine how to further adapt, if necessary." The island is just one of many destinations that are beginning to roll back coronavirus travel restrictions ahead of the busy summer travel season. Canadian officials on Thursday announced that the country would drop its pre-departure coronavirus testing requirement for fully vaccinated travelers starting April 1. Similarly, New Zealand announced this week plans to reopen to vaccinated international tourists in May, and South Korea is set to drop its quarantine requirement for vaccinated travelers next month.

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Administration keeps Nandi Hills out of bounds for weekend visitors

Hundreds of people on Sunday showed up at Nandi Hills - among the favourite haunts of Bengaluru, Chikkaballapur and Kolar residents - oblivious to the fact that the district administration's weekend ban on visitors imposed in the run-up to Covid third wave still remains in place. The authorities, however, beefed up security at the foothills and sent back the visitors, ignoring repeated pleas that they be allowed to go up. Tempers soared at one point of time as the visitors, who were in large numbers, tried to stage a demonstration saying the deputy commissioner should arrive at the spot and address their demand to be allowed to go up. However, police personnel and tourism department authorities convinced the visitors to give up their protest plans and disperse. Gautham Misra, IT professional and Whitefield resident, said he and some of his friends reached the foothills around 6am, but the authorities stopped them at the entry point. "Despite requests, they did not allow us go forward citing restrictions on the entry of visitors during weekends," he said. Misra said there is no clarity on rules regarding online registration for entry. He said since the pandemic situation has eased all over the country, the authorities can now think of relaxing the rules. It is only during weekends that people would want to relax after a hectic week and Nandi Hills is the best place for Bengalureans to unwind, Misra added. Banning entry during weekends makes no sense as people are congregating in large numbers in other places like malls, marketplaces and cinema halls, the IT professional said. Lakshman, a mechanic from Kolar, said he visited the spot to view sunrise but was stopped at the entry point and had to return. Nandi Hills was shut for the general public on August 24, 2021 after a stretch of the main access road was washed away owing to heavy rain. The road was relaid, making provision for safe passage of water. The hill station was opened on December 1, 2021 but remained closed during weekends as part of the crowd-management strategy. District officials had said the decision was taken as thousands of people congregate at the hill station on Saturdays and Sundays as against its capacity of 1,500 to 2,000 people, and enforcing Covid-appropriate behaviour was a challenge.

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Hong Kong to lift flight bans from April 1, cut quarantine for arrivals

Hong Kong's leader Monday said that the city would lift flight bans on countries including Britain and the US, as well as reduce quarantine time for travellers arriving in the city as Coronavirus infections in its latest outbreak plateaus. The city's Chief Executive, Carrie Lam, announced during a press conference Monday that a ban on flights from nine countries — Australia, Canada, France, India, Nepal, Pakistan, the Philippines, Britain and the US — would be lifted from April 1. A flight ban on most these countries has been in place since January, as authorities sought to stem the outbreak of the highly transmissible Omicron variant in Hong Kong. Travellers entering the city can also quarantine for as little as seven days in quarantine hotels — down from 14 days — if they test negative for the virus on the sixth and seventh days of their quarantine. Such travellers must also be fully vaccinated and test negative for the Coronavirus before entering the city. Lam also said that plans for a city-wide mass-testing exercise, which was first announced in February, would be suspended. “The experts are of the opinion that it's not appropriate for us to devote finite resources to the universal mass-testing,” said Lam. “The SAR government will continue to monitor the situation. When the conditions are right, we will consider whether we will be implementing the compulsory universal testing.” The changes announced Monday signal a shift in Hong Kong's handling of the Coronavirus pandemic, as authorities sought to provide a direction for Hong Kong businesses and its residents after two years of aligning with mainland China's “zero Covid” policy. Lam said the changes come as part of an interim review of the city's measures, and that various stakeholders in the city will be consulted for any longer-term roadmaps when it comes to public health and economic development. “We have to listen more carefully to the experts, both locally and from the mainland,” said Lam. “For any longer-term public health strategy, we will have to take into account both factors that is maintaining Hong Kong's accessibility to the mainland, and also ensuring her continued connectivity with the outside world.” On Monday, Lam also announced that social distancing measures will stay in place, although they will be lifted in stages from April 21 if infections do not surge, Lam said. A ban on dining in after 6 pm will be lifted, and public gatherings will be capped at four people, up from two. Other businesses that were ordered to shutter temporarily, such as gyms and massage parlors, will also be allowed to reopen. Hong Kong reported 14,145 infections on Sunday, the lowest in over three weeks. At the peak of its outbreak, the city reported over 50,000 cases daily, and has reported over 1 million infections and nearly 5,700 deaths since the current outbreak began at the end of last year.

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