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Cambodia welcomes its first international flight for the first time in 20 months

Cambodia's Siem Reap International Airport has finally welcomed its first international passenger flight for the first time in 20 months. The inaugural flight flew in from Singapore, and landed in Siem Reap airport at 9:45 am on Friday. Siem Reap is one of the three international airports operating in Cambodia. Singapore International Airport said in a statement, "This is the first international flight to Siem Reap since March 2020. The re-launch of the service will help to rebuild air traffic between the two countries following the challenging months arising from the pandemic." Singapore International Airport is going go operate daily flights between Singapore and Siem Reap. The Vaccinated Travel Lane (VTL) flights are expected to operate four times weekly. It has been reported that the flights will offer quarantine-free entry into Singapore for those travellers who are eligible. The VTL flight, SQ163 will be operating every Monday, Friday, and Sunday. Zechariah Chai, General Manager for Singapore Airlines Cambodia said, "The re-introduction of international services between Singapore and Siem Reap is great news for our customers, who can resume travel between the cities and connect on to other destinations in our network." Siem Reap should get more visitors after the reopening of international flights, and come out as Cambodia's top leisure and cultural destination. This is also a good opportunity for travellers to travel between Cambodia and other international destinations with the help of an extensive global flight network.

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Austria to Apply Stricter Travel Rules Starting From Today

Starting from next Monday, December 20, the lockdown in Austria will come to an end, with the capital city of Vienna being the last part of the country to reopen hotels and restaurants. From the same date, the country is set to reopen for tourism. “The infection situation in Austria has eased. With Vienna reopening hotels and restaurants/cafés/inns on December 20, the nationwide lockdown in Austria comes to an end. Travel to Austria for touristic purposes is possible again for vaccinated and recovered people!” Austria’s official travel website notes. Yet, the same announces that entry restrictions have tightened up compared to those that were effective pre-lockdown. “From December 20, you also need a PCR test unless you have already received the booster jab – if you can’t show a PCR test upon arrival, you immediately have to self-isolate until you can present a negative PCR test,” the website also points out. The decision comes at a time when a large share of the European Union and Schengen Area countries have already imposed the obligation to test for COVID-19 for all incoming passengers, including those vaccinated and recovered from COVID-19. The vaccines recognised for entry into Austria are BioNTech/Pfizer, AstraZeneca, Covishield, Johnson & Johnson, Moderna, Sinovac, and Sinopharm. The travellers must have at least two doses of the vaccine, and the final dose must have been taken in the last 270 days. Those who have had a booster dose administered are exempt from the on-arrival PCR test.

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Philippines: Hotel rooms run out as country sees surge in Christmas travel amid mandatory quarantine

With current pandemic curbs, foreign tourists are still not allowed in the Philippines. But tens of thousands of returning Filipinos are unfazed, ready to face mandatory quarantines to see loved ones at this special time of the year. Quarantine is usually done — free of cost for OFWs — in a hotel in major cities. Now, the government now faces a new problem: with a spike in inbound travel despite COVID, there are not enough quarantine hotel rooms left. While this makes family reunions possible, it also means a much shorter holiday for those visiting loved ones only once a year or even two years. Still, tens of thousands are flying into quarantine. A mandatory 7-day stay in government-designated facilities — even for the fully vaccinated — is in plane. And airports teem with “Balikbayans" and OFWs. The government spends an estimated Php30 million per day to house OFWs in quarantine facilities. “I’ve had four vaccines — two Sinopharm shots and two doses of Pfizer boosters. I've also had a flu shot — all within this 2021,” said Crispulo H., who landed from Dubai in Manila recently. “This mandatory 7-day quarantine plus 14-day home quarantine, is a bit too much,” added Crispulo, who is on his fifth day of hotel quarantine. “I feel this is totally unnecessary, it borders on paranoia.”

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Caravan tourism could be the next big travel trend amid pandemic

Planning a vacation this holiday season but not sure about how to travel safe amid Omicron fear? In the pandemic era, caravan tourism is gaining popularity across the globe as it not only offers flexibility and freedom but also makes sure you are in a comfortable and safe travel bubble. Benefits of travelling by caravan are many as one can cook their own meals while travelling, carry as much luggage as they want, and be in complete isolation. In case you are looking to explore a domestic location this holiday season while keeping yourself safe amid virus scare, Kerala is the place to be. Kerala's Caravan Tourism policy - Keravan Kerala promises visitors a customized and closest-to-nature travel experience. “Going by Kerala’s inherent strengths of natural beauty and tourism-friendly culture, Caravan Tourism has immense scope for the state. Besides offering a refreshing experience for the tourists, local communities stand to gain substantially by enabling them to showcase their culture and products before the visitors,” says Mr VR Krishna Teja, Director, Tourism. The policy envisages tourist caravans as safe, comfortable and fully compliant with local and state regulations, providing a homely feeling for the guests. It also entails development of Caravan Parks as private, public or joint ventures. A park, which needs at least 50 cents of land, should have space to accommodate five caravans at a time with facilities like food parks, rest rooms, activity area and drivers' lodge. The initiative also opens up the possibility of turning accessible but unexplored places in the state into alluring destinations. It is designed to make tourism a sustainable activity that would bring benefits to local communities and also scale up opportunities for the industry.

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National Tourism Day to be celebrated across country on Jan 25

Hyderabad, Dec 19 (UNI) Union Minister of Tourism and Culture G Kishan Reddy on Sunday said that the National Tourism Day will be celebrated in a grand manner across the country on January 25, 2022. Disclosing this at a press conference at BJP state headquarters here, he said that the Centre has decided to celebrate National Tourism Day on January 25. As part of the National Tourism Day, the Central Government along with the state governments will hold a special programme at Pochampally, one of the world’s best Tourism Village in Nalgonda district of Telangana, Mr Reddy said. Apart from this, the National Tourism Day will be celebrated at 75 important tourist places across the country including in Ajanta, Humpy, Golkonda, Taj Mahal by decorating them with lights, he said. The Minister said, as part of Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav, the Centre has decided to celebrate Kite and Rangoli festivals in all the states on the occasion of Sankranthi festival. He asked the kite manufacturers to print pictures of freedom fighters and the logo of Azadi ka Amrit Moahotsav on the kite.

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Ganga Expressway will improve connectivity, boost economic development across UP: PM Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone of Ganga Expressway in Shahjahanpur, Uttar Pradesh at around 1 pm today. He said that the Ganga Expressway will improve connectivity and boost economic development and tourism in Uttar Pradesh. "At 1 PM today, will be joining the programme in Shahjahanpur to lay the foundation stone for the Ganga Expressway. This is an important infra project that will improve connectivity across Uttar Pradesh. It will also boost economic development and tourism," tweeted Prime Minister. According to Prime Minister's Office (PMO), the inspiration behind the expressway is the vision of the Prime Minister to provide fast-paced connectivity across the country. The 594-kilometre long six-lane expressway will be built at a cost of over INR 36,200 crore. Starting near the Bijauli village in Meerut, the expressway will extend till near the Judapur Dandu village in Prayagraj. It will pass through Meerut, Hapur, Bulandshahr, Amroha, Sambhal, Budaun, Shahjahanpur, Hardoi, Unnao, Rae Bareli, Pratapgarh and Prayagraj. Upon completion of work, it will become the longest expressway of Uttar Pradesh, connecting the western and eastern regions of the state. A 3.5-kilometre long air-strip for assisting emergency take-off and landing of Air Force planes will also be constructed on the expressway in Shahjahanpur. An industrial corridor is also proposed to be built along the expressway. The expressway will also give a fillip to multiple sectors including industrial development, trade, agriculture, tourism etc. It will provide a big boost to the socio-economic development of the region. The Ganga Expressway was approved on November 26, 2020. This expressway will be completed by 2024. Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh are slated for early next year.

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