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Dubai given safe tourism stamp of approval amid global pandemic

Dubai has been awarded a global safety and hygiene stamp by the World Travel & Tourism Council to show the UAE’s commitment to reopening its tourism sector as it recovers from the coronavirus outbreak. The WTTC, a council that represents private-sector travel and tourism, created the Safe Travels stamp to allow tourists to identify destinations and businesses around the world that have adopted the global standardised health and hygiene protocols. The stamp provides guidance to travel providers and travellers about the new approach to health, hygiene, deep cleansing and physical distancing, in the “new normal” of a post-Covid-19 world. The protocols were devised following the experience of WTTC members dealing with Covid-19 and based on guidelines from the World Health Organisation and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and control. The United Nations World Tourism Organisation has welcomed the WTTC Safe Travels stamp, which makes the safety and hygiene of travellers a top priority. “As we reopen Dubai’s doors to tourism and welcome our international visitors back to the city, our foremost priority is their well-being, achieved through stringent hygiene and safety protocols that have been deployed across all tourist touch points,” Helal Saeed Almarri, director general, Dubai’s Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (Dubai Tourism) said. "The WTTC's Safe Travels stamp endorses Dubai’s strong global co-operation in combating the pandemic with comprehensive and effective measures to ensure guest health and safety. “We trust that our efforts not only provide an optimised experience for our visitors, but also secure their health and that of their families, further cementing the confidence that our guests have had thus far in Dubai, and encouraging people from every corner of the world to visit one of the safest cities in the world this summer.” The UAE has been praised for its coronavirus response. A survey by the Deep Knowledge Group, a consortium of technology companies and non-profit organisations, last month ranked the Emirates as 11th on the list in its responses to the pandemic. Costa Rica, Indonesia, Rwanda, Tobago and Tanzania are also among the latest recipients of the health and safety stamp. The growing list of endorsements has come from many major holiday and city destinations around the world, such as Sharjah as well Malaga in Spain, which joins the growing list of Spanish destinations including Alicante and Benidorm. Gloria Guevara, WTTC president and chief executive, said: “Our Safe Travels stamp is proving a great success and we are delighted to see even more popular countries and destinations adopt our global health and hygiene protocols. “The success of the WTTC Safe Travels stamp shows its importance not only to countries and destinations, but also crucially to travellers and the 330 million people around the world who work in and depend on the travel and tourism sector. “The stamp is a critical step in re-establishing consumer confidence in travel and tourism and ensuring travellers can rest easy knowing that enhanced standards of hygiene are in place and they can once again experience ‘safe travels’.”

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Char Dham Yatra 2020: Uttarakhand govt allows devotees from other states; COVID-19 report will be mandatory

The Uttarakhand government on Friday permitted devotees from other states to participate in the Char Dham Yatra, which includes four destinations namely Yamunotri, Gangotri, Kedarnath and Badrinath. The announcement was made by Ravinath Raman, the chief executive officer of Char Dham Devasthanam Board. Only Uttarakhand residents were earlier allowed to take part in yatra this year due to COVID-19 pandemic. Even they had to follow certain guidelines like obtaining an e-pass to undertake the yatra. Arrangements regarding online bookings for puja/path/aarti/bhog were made for those pilgrims, who hail from other states. Now, the state government has permitted people belonging to other states to undertake the yatra. However, there is a condition. The devotees will have to carry a negative RT-PCR (Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction) result, the test of which has to be taken 72 hours before entering the state. Those devotees who have completed their quarantine period after reaching Uttarakhand can also take part in the holy yatra. It will be mandatory to register themselves on the website of Char Dham Devasthanam Board. They shall also upload their ID as well as COVID-19 negative report as part of their registration process. Pilgrims can download e-permit from the portal on their mobile phones but they shall carry the photo ID, address proof and COVID-19 negative report for validation purpose.

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Ray of Hope: Maldives Welcomes 560 Tourists in a Week

Finally, Maldives sees ray of hope as the destination welcomes 560 tourists since reopening its borders from 15th July. According to Immigration’s data, 443 tourists arrived in the Maldives in the first 3 days and this was a good rise on average until the statistics revealed a decline with the arrival of few tourists after the first three days, 117 to be exact. The data on the tourists and their nationalities are currently being compiled. Upon border reopening, President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih and Former Tourism Minister Ali Waheed had highlighted the interest shown by tourists to travel to the Maldives. In light of this, Tourism Minister Fayyaz Ismail stated that it will take approximately 3 months for tourism to return to its normal pace. Due to the travel and border restrictions in other countries, it is possible for the Maldives to output a lower amount of tourist visits, said Fayyaz Ismail. The Maldives closed its borders to tourists on March 27 as a precautionary measure against COVID-19. The tourism-dependent island nation reopened its borders last week on the 15th of July, after taking stringent safety measures. Upon reopening, 104 tourists and 38 locals arrived on a Qatar Airways flight; the first international passenger flight to arrive since the lockdown was lifted. Most of the tourists were from Turkey, with 14 arrivals. The second-most number of tourists arrived from the US, with 12 arrivals. 9 visitors from the Netherlands, 7 from Switzerland were also among the arrivals. With the reopening of borders, Maldives has set new target to welcome 850,000 tourists in 2020.

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Seychelles to reopen from August 1 for tourists

The East African paradise of Seychelles, with its 115 islands, is going to reopen for tourism from August 1. If you have been dreaming of travelling to Seychelles and could not because of the lockdown, here is your chance. The Seychelles coronavirus situation in control right now, as no new cases of infection, or new deaths have been reported. In fact, the nation did not have any deaths related to Coronavirus. Travelling to Seychelles may be on the cards, but not for all. There are certain rules to be followed when it comes to entering Seychelles. First and foremost, only travellers from countries that are at low, or medium risk will be permitted to fly in from August 1. As of now, the low risk countries are Japan, New Zealand, Thailand, China, Belgium, and Norway. On the other hand, medium risk countries include South Korea, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Italy, Greece, Canada, and Spain. Visitors from both these countries will need to provide a negative Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) test. However, the ones with the low risk group can also opt for an antigen test, but the same does not apply for the medium risk group. Once you have arrived in Seychelles, you cannot stay in more than two places of accommodation for the first seven days. Also, you are not permitted to book any private residences during your stay. You can only book hotels and resorts that have gotten the approval of the Public Health Authority.

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Switzerland opens for global tourists, but not for India

Mumbai–With the panic surrounding the Covid-19 pandemic starting to subside in Europe, Switzerland has opened its doors for global tourism, but not for India, an official said here on Thursday. From July 20, in tune with European Union guidelines, Switzerland lifted restrictions for travelers from 21 countries, besides the European nations, though India — currently ranking third on the world Corona dashboard — has been excluded. However, travellers from certain regions will be quarantined for 10 days after entering Switzerland, one of the few nations in the world which has managed to control the impact of the pandemic. “We have not finalised any date for India yet. As for the isolation, the travellers will have to go into self-paid quarantine,” said a spokesperson for Switzerland Tourism in Mumbai. Besides opening the borders and gradually relaxing the rules, the country’s tourism board has initiated a ‘Clean & Safe’ campaign with tourism establishments joining to create a ‘Clean & Safe Label’ indicating they are committed to comply with the protection plans, said Switzerland Tourism India Deputy Director Ritu Sharma. She said a total of six industry-specific labels are available for hotels, restaurants, navigation companies, cable cars, public transportation and meeting facilities. Earlier on June 15, Switzerland had opened itself for travellers from the Schengen zone and others, and it now includes a total of nearly four-dozen big and small countries around the world, with plans to further open up gradually. These include: Schengen Zone: Austria, Hungary, Norway, Belgium, Iceland, Poland, Czech Republic, Italy, Portugal, Denmark, Latvia, Slovakia, Estonia, Liechtenstein, Slovenia, Finland, Lithuania, Spain, France, Luxembourg, Sweden, Germany, Malta, Greece, the Netherlands. The other countries are: United Kingdom, Algeria, Andorra, Australia, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Canada, Georgia, Ireland, Japan, Monaco, Morocco, New Zealand, Romania, Rwanda, San Marino, South Korea, Tunisia, Thailand, Uruguay and The Vatican. With a population of around 8.50 million — roughly equivalent to the number of daily commuters in Mumbai suburban trains — Switzerland has notched 34,000 Covid-19 cases, including 1,972 fatalities, as per the Worldometer dashboard. Switzerland Tourism, a federal public corporation formed in 1994, opened its first branch in India in Mumbai (1977) followed by Delhi (2000), and has operations in 28 countries. (IANS)

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Singapore gives local tourism a boost with a $45m marketing war chest

Singapore has launched a S$45 million marketing push to encourage locals to take a holiday within the country to help them cope with the travel restrictions in place around the world because of the Covid-19 pandemic. The campaign, called ‘Singapoliday’, will last over the next nine months and will be led by the Singapore Tourism Board (STB), Enterprise Singapore and Sentosa Development Corporation. The tourism industry contributes 4% to Singapore’s gross domestic product and has been badly affected by the pandemic. Singapore’s ‘circuit breaker’, effectively a lockdown, ended on June 2. However, attractions have only just reopened and 80 hotels are just starting to take guests for staycations this month. That has seen the likes of Resorts World Sentosa, one of the largest tourism employers here, laid off staff as part of cost-cutting measures. What will the campaign do? 1. The agencies are partnering with local communities, such as foodies, photographers, nature groups and heritage groups, to help locals discover hidden gems. 2. There will be precinct itineraries, beginning with areas like Little India, Sentosa, Chinatown, and Orchard Road, to get residents to explore different parts of the island. 3. 40 businesses have come on board to offer some 80 promotions for attractions, tours, and hotel stays. Some of these will be offered in conjunction with Singapore’s 55th National Day on Aug 9. 4. There will be a 55% discount on Changi Experience Studio tickets and on Singapore Cable Car Sky Passes, as well as 1-for-1 deals at attractions like Wild Wild Wet and Madame Tussauds. 5. Some hotels are offering staycation deals packaged with local tours, while local tour companies will be tailoring their tourist offerings to appeal to locals. Sentosa will also be offering a range of promotions and staycation packages. “The campaign will offer unique and value-for-money experiences, packages and promotions for locals,” said the government agencies in a joint statement.

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