News

UAE reopens all seven regions to foreign visitors

The United Arab Emirates will resume issuing visas to foreign visitors to all seven of its regions as of Thursday after a six-month suspension imposed due to the coronavirus pandemic, state media reported. Dubai, the region's tourism and business hub and one of the seven emirates that make up the UAE, had already lifted its own visa ban in July. The Federal Authority for Identity and Citizenship said in a statement carried in state media that the decision was taken as part of the easing of COVID-19 restrictions in the Gulf state as well as efforts to support economic recovery plans. All six Gulf Arab countries have lifted internal curfews and lockdowns, but restrictions on gatherings and foreign travel remain in the oil-producing region, where the total number of COVID cases stands at over 800,000, with more than 6,800 deaths. Neighbouring Oman said on Thursday it would resume scheduled international flights on Oct. 1 with strict measures to protect the country and aviation staff from the virus.

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Goa’s Dudhsagar waterfalls opens to trekkers

Goa is not confined to just beaches and spice plantations, for it is also home to the gorgeous Dudhsagar Waterfalls. Now that the travel restrictions in Goa have been largely removed, tourists plan to throng the site very soon. According to the reports, adventure organizations from Karnataka and other locations have booked trekking to the waterfalls this weekend. In addition, jeep safaris to the waterfalls would also open soon. Dudhsagar Waterfalls in Goa is accessible through a trek via the railway tracks. It is a beautiful journey that takes one through fresh water streams in the forest and so much natural beauty. Reportedly, trekking groups and hotels in Collem have also started offering special trekking packages to the Dudhsagar falls as well as jungle treks to Tamdi Surla waterfalls till the first week of October. According to the government rules, once jeep safari begins from October 2, trekking packages would be put on hold. As per the statistics, about 10000 tourists visited the Dudhsagar Waterfalls in 2019 within a few weeks. A large part of the crowd came from Bengaluru and Mumbai. Reportedly, some of the tour operators from Goa also offer pick up and drop to tourists if they can reach Goa state borders in a bid to save taxes and travel hassles for tourists coming from Bengaluru and Hyderabad.

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Himachal govt to promote winter sports, tourism in Manali

Himachal Pradesh government is giving an impetus to the tourism sector and will also promote winter sports, chief minister Jai Ram Thakur said on Thursday. He was listening to public grievances in Manali where he also held an interaction with the representatives of the International Luge Federation. He assured the representatives of the federation that winter sports would be encouraged in the state, especially in Manali. He said there is an immense possibility of activities like skiing and mountaineering, among other winter sports, in various areas of the state. The CM said with winter sports would provide an opportunity to the youth to showcase their talent and compete on the international level. Such events would also attract more tourists to the hill state, Thakur said. Education minister Govind Singh Thakur, MLA Surender Shourie, State BJP vice-president Dhaneshwari Thakur and BJP district president Bhimsen were present on the occasion.

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Hawaii becomes the Happiest State in America for 2020

In a world where people are petrified by the ongoing pandemic, the naturally socially distanced beach state of Hawaii has become the Happiest State in America in 2020. The same has been revealed in a study conducted by WalletHub (a finance website). The website looked at each of the 50 states with 32 metrics, and Hawaii topped the chart. Utah, Minnesota, New Jersey, Maryland, California, North Dakota, Iowa, Idaho, and Connecticut also made to the top 10 list, respectively. The website, in order to measure happiness, used three dimensions on a 100-point scale, which are emotional and physical well-being (50 points), work environment (25 points) and community and environment (25 points). The firm tried searching for the state where people were positive despite the circumstances. Though Hawaii secured first position overall, it came in second for Emotional and Physical Well-being after New Jersey, and third for Community and Environment after Utah and Idaho. Dr. Chieh-Chen Bowen of Cleveland State University said, “Happiness is a feeling of joy, contentment, and overall positive emotions. Happiness is a universal goal. We all want to be happy and want such feelings to last.” The finance firm has been conducting the Happiest State study since 2014, but this year makes all the difference. In its statement, the firm said, “In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted life as we know it, causing sickness, limiting social interactions, and leading to widespread job losses.” Oregon, Alaska, Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee, Kentucky, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Arkansas, and West Virginia came last in the study. Heading out for a vacation? Take your travel expert with you - download World Travel Guide. Explore other Travel Guide Apps.

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Uganda launches virtual safari to kick-start tourism sector

Uganda is ready to reopen its pandemic-bruised tourism sector with a live-streamed, virtual safari starting Tuesday. The virtual tour, featuring six videographers and photographers traversing across the country, has been promoted by the Ugandan government to incentivize tourists, when many parts of the world have barely emerged from travel restrictions, Xinhua news agency reported. "This project is going to be showcasing Uganda's beauty. We are very excited about this because we need to get Ugandans to appreciate what we have as a country," said Paul Ninsiima, sales manager at Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA), a state owned conservation agency co-organizing the project. The virtual tours prelude the planned reopening of Uganda's sole international airport to commercial flights on October 1, compared with its many neighbors who have already opened up their airspace. Figures show the East African country could lose up to 1.6 billion US dollars in tourism revenues because of the lockdown measures that started in late March and are now easing as the economy reopens. The UWA in June started offering complimentary prices to domestic tourists. At reduced prices, Ugandans and foreign residents are free to enter any park in the country provided they follow the set Standard Operating Procedures aimed at reducing the spread of Covid-19.

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Abu Dhabi wants you to wear an electronic wristband during quarantine

The coronavirus pandemic is bringing to us new ideas and innovations each new day. In a new move, Abu Dhabi quarantine rules are tweaked with the addition of a wristband that you have to put on. Travellers arriving at the Abu Dhabi airport are reportedly being handed these wristbands before they head out for their 14-day quarantine. Why the wristband? Etihad has already announced asking passengers to start wearing the electronic wristbands on their arrival in Abu Dhabi. The band is supposed to keep track of you as you go into your 14-day mandatory quarantine. The new rules, set by Abu Dhabi Crisis, Emergency, and Disasters Committee are to ensure that there are no further outbreaks. You can get the band removed after two weeks, but not before you get a negative result on the 12th day of your quarantine. As it is, Abu Dhabi wants you to get tested within 96 hours of your flight, irrespective of your final destination. Abu Dhabi's wristband rule comes in as the UAE is witnessing rising cases of Coronavirus. September 12 saw the highest rise in daily numbers of Coronavirus cases since the start of the pandemic. Arriving in another emirate If you happen to arrive in another city of the UAE, and are then going to enter Abu Dhabi, you will have to show proof of your arrival. Those, who spend less than 14 days in another part of the UAE will have to take the test, get into quarantine and, of course, wear the electronic band. The number of days in quarantine will depend on the number of days already spent in other parts of the UAE. So, if you have already spent six days in another place, you will have to get into quarantine for only eight days.

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