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Turkey's Tourism capital Antalya makes faster-than-expected start

Turkey’s tourism capital, Antalya, has made a faster-than-expected start to the new season after the country allowed tourism facilities to reopen in June as it eased coronavirus lockdown measures. The southern resort city, which hosts millions of foreign tourists every year, welcomed 36 charter flights from nine different countries on July 5 alone, according to industry representatives. It is seeing more international flights than local ones. Tourism facilities and beaches in Antalya started welcoming guests following necessary preparations in line with the recent Safe Tourism Certification program, jointly launched by the Foreign, Culture and Tourism and Transportation ministries. The program sets out a series of measures for various sectors, including accommodation, transportation, the health status of travelers and employee facilities for those looking to spend their vacation in Turkey. Number of incoming international flights to Antalya in July exceeded the number of local flights for the first time since March, said Professional Hoteliers’ Association (POYD) Chairman Ülkay Atmaca. "Guests from 36 cities of nine countries have arrived in Antalya via charter flights on July 5," Atmaca told Anadolu Agency (AA) Thursday. "This is a great success for Antalya." The majority of the tourists arrived from Kazakhstan, Belarus and Ukraine since Turkey opened its borders and resumed international flights on July 11. The city had welcomed over 21,000 foreign tourists in June, that figure hit 27,083 between July 1-7 alone. Around 10,489 of the tourist came from Ukraine. Atmaca said the safe tourism certificate is obligatory for all facilities with over 50 rooms. "The tourism activity, which began on July 1 with Kazakhs, Belarusians and Ukrainians, continues. More than 10,000 Ukrainians arrived in the first week and returned happily to their country. We, as a country and sector, are very ahead in hygiene and food security. This fact was further clinched with the certificate," he said. Eyes on British tourists But for Turkey, much will depend on flights from Russia, Germany and Britain – also hard hit by the virus – which are top markets for Turkey, where tourism accounts for up to 12% of the economy. Turkey expects the mobility that started with the Ukrainian market to accelerate as more countries ease travel and flight restrictions. Most recently, the U.K. on Friday unveiled a list of nearly 60 countries, including Turkey, and said it would ditch a 14-day quarantine period for people arriving from these countries it deems to be a lower risk for COVID-19. The move, effective July 10, clears the way for millions of British tourists to take summer holidays without worrying about being quarantined when they return. Those arriving from higher-risk countries will still have to self-quarantine for 14 days under a rule which has angered airlines and travel companies. "British tour operators will make a serious entrance into Turkey as of Aug. 1," said Engin Sertoğlu, the head of the U.K.-Turkey Travel Agencies. British operators and charter firms have started to make plans for Turkey, Sertoğlu told a TV program of Turkish Travel Agencies Association (TÜRSAB) Wednesday. "Turkish Airlines has turned to six weekly flights for Dalaman and two daily flights for Antalya," he added. Sertoğlu even said the season could extend to November. "If the carriers extend this (season), the business will go up. This extension is somewhat dependent on the supply and demand issue of low-cost airlines. I would suggest that our players in the industry contact other cities in the U.K. about flights to Turkey. Turkish Airlines goes full from here (Turkey), but their arrival is relatively empty," he explained. Turkey had welcomed some 2.3 million British nationals in 2018 and over 2.5 million in 2019. The British ambassador to Turkey, Dominick Chilcott himself on Wednesday praised Ankara's measures to stem the spread of the coronavirus. "I was impressed to see how strictly the measures were being applied at the airports and hotels to ensure the safety of tourists," Chilcott said. SunExpress, a joint venture of Turkish Airlines and German carrier Lufthansa, announced Tuesday the resumption of direct flights from London to several Turkish cities, including Antalya and the southeastern province of Gaziantep. The carrier will start operating a weekly direct scheduled flight to London from Antalya and Gaziantep as of July 10. The airline had already resumed its flights to the U.K. from Ankara on July 2 and from the Aegean province of Izmir the day after. Separately, Serbia's flag carrier, Air Serbia, on Tuesday announced it will operate at least eight charter flights to Antalya in July. Sertoğlu also discussed the fact that Spain was being encouraged for holidays in the EU. "The British’s preference for Spain is rather economic. There are tickets between 19 pounds ($24.05) and 29 pounds. These figures are not possible for Turkey." As for Germany, its government last month decided to lift its global travel warning only for EU member states and Schengen associated countries (Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland), but extended it for all the other countries, including Turkey, until the end of August. Turkey is one of the most popular travel destinations for German holidaymakers. Nearly 5 million German tourists traveled to the country last year. In a list it unveiled last week, the EU decided to exclude Turkey, along with the U.S. and other countries, from a list of 15 countries recommended for nonessential travel. Ankara criticized and called on both Berlin and the EU to reconsider their decisions and correct the "mistake" as soon as possible, citing its measures taken to combat the pandemic as well as its efforts and successes. Çağlar Bardakçı, a general manager of a luxury hotel in Belek, Antalya, said their July occupancy was 20%, adding that due to COVID-19, they do not plan to go over 50%. "We took a lot of precautions before we opened. Holidaymakers follow all measures from the entrance and there is no intensity because our facility has so much space. They go to the sea, to the pool, take advantage of all the facilities," Bardakçı said. "So far no one has said ‘we could not be comfortable because of the rules,' everyone says 'I feel safe on holiday.'"

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Dubai Tourism launches digital campaign as city reopens to visitors #ReadyWhenYouAre

As Dubai reopened the city to international tourists on July 7, the Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (Dubai Tourism) marked the moment by launching its latest digital activation #Ready When You Are. The short video is the third in a series of global digital campaigns launched by Dubai Tourism amid the pandemic to ensure that the city continues to stay front of mind among travellers and to encourage them to make Dubai their must-visit destination. The first campaign was titled #Till We Meet Again, followed by the #We Will See You Soon digital activation. In the wee hours of July 7, Dubai gave a warm welcome to the first international visitors to arrive in the city after a lull in inbound travel. Wearing masks and adhering to social distancing measures, the passengers including families from different nationalities were greeted on arrival by Dubai International Airport staff, who gave them welcome kits containing mementoes provided by Dubai Tourism as a token of appreciation for choosing Dubai as their safe destination of choice. Dubai has deployed strong precautionary measures across various sectors throughout the city, as part of its ‘Tourism Readiness’ strategy to reassure travellers and ensure the safety of visitors at every touchpoint of their journey from arrival to departure from the city. The reopening of the city to tourists follows the successful management of the pandemic, guided by the vision and wise leadership of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, and based on the follow up by His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince and Chairman of The Executive Council of Dubai. Dubai’s efforts were recognised by the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC), which endorsed the city as a safe destination, giving it a Safe Travels stamp that validates the stringent hygiene and safety protocols that are in place across the emirate. Tourists arriving in Dubai will also be able to experience an array of offerings from shopping to attractions to family entertainment, as well as other facilities such as beaches, waterparks and swimming pools, following the reopening of various sectors without compromising on the health and safety protocols that are in place. Summer travellers will also be able to enjoy the region’s popular Dubai Summer Surprises festival, which kicked off on July 9, offering enriching experiences for the whole family.

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Uttarakhand reopens for tourism

Tourists coming from other states to Uttarakhand will be able to tour the state without being quarantined and with reports of Covid-19 being negative. The Uttarakhand government has allowed reopening of its borders ( inter-state and inter-district) for tourism acitvities. Now, tourists coming from other states to Uttarakhand will be able to tour the state without being quarantined and with reports of Covid-19 being negative. However, the Char Dham Yatra will currently be available only to the residents of Uttarakhand. Tourism Minister Shri Satpal Maharaj said "Tourists from other states are welcome in Uttarakhand's Devbhoomi. Hopefully every tourist will enter the state with Covid-19 negative test report and enjoy the beautiful tourist places of Uttarakhand. The threat of any kind of infection in the state will be prohibited and the tourism business of the state will gain new momentum. People working in the tourism sector will get employment again. " Uttarakhand Tourism Secretary, Dilip Jawalkar informed that all tourists coming from other states of the country will have to upload the report related to Covid-19 test on the portal of Smart City Dehradun at the time of registration and also they must necessarily do this while traveling in the state and have to take the report along with them. Tourists who have not been given the Covid-19 test will be able to enter the state in the event of a minimum seven-day hotel booking and after 7 days they will be able to visit any place in the state. They will be able to stay in the hotel premises for the first seven days. Hotels will also have to ensure that guests booking less than 7 days have received RT-PCR test from ICMR authorized laboratory in the last 72 hours and their Covid-19 test is found to be negative. Inter-state tourists will be allowed to travel anywhere in the state, but for this they will have to be compulsorily registered on the smart city portal. Giving details about the new guidelines Jawalkar said “Guests coming from Uttarakhand and other states to attend the wedding ceremony will not have to be quarantined although it will be conditioned that apart from the place of marriage will not be able to visit places. All of them have to sign and submit a self-declaration form. The hotel or the banquet hall organizing the wedding ceremony will inform the local administration in this regard and will ensure thermal screening and social distancing. Also, they have to compulsorily create a database of their employees and visitors."

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Thailand Launches “Buy Now, Stay Later” Promo

The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) has announced the launch of “Buy Now, Stay Later: Thailand,” in response to the impact of COVID-19 on the country’s tourism industry. As Thailand’s restrictions on foreign tourists entering without exemptions have been extended until further notice, the promotion offers travelers a way to plan and save money on future trips through the purchase of hotel bonds that increase in value over time. The launch of the campaign follows TAT’s announcement of the country’s multiphase reopening to foreign tourists, slated to potentially begin on August 1, 2020. Thailand’s reopening will tentatively begin in the geographically secluded provinces of Phuket, Krabi and Surat Thani, where health monitoring can be more easily controlled. Many of the “Buy Now, Stay Later: Thailand” hotels are located in the first provinces slated to reopen. Through the website, travelers can access a list of partner properties and connect with them directly to purchase bonds in $100 increments. Similar to savings bonds, hotel bonds purchased for $100 today can be redeemed for a value of $150 following a 60-plus day maturation period. Partner properties include Anantara Mai Khao Phuket Villas, The Slate Phuket, Santhiya Koh Phangan Resort & Spa and Rocky's Boutique Resort Koh Samui, among others. The director of TAT, Vachirachai Sirisumpan, said in an announcement, “With the launch of ‘Buy Now, Stay Later: Thailand,’ TAT is broadening the systems of support we have in place for Thailand’s hotels. We hope that this revenue-generating initiative will help to ensure the survival of many of the country’s most beloved tourist destinations. Furthermore, we hope the campaign inspires and empowers foreign visitors to invest in the tourism industry in Thailand.” “Buy Now, Stay Later: Thailand” is a part of the “Buy Now, Stay Later” program developed by Rachel Harrison of Lion & Lamb Communications. Created in April 2020 as an early response to the impact of COVID-19 on the hotel industry, “Buy, Now, Stay Later” has since expanded to include 500-plus partner properties in countries around the world. Many participating hotels have reported an uptick in bookings as a result of guests connected through the website.

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Tourism Minister Stresses Need To Reopen More Monuments

After a shutdown of more than 100 days, all architectural monuments protected by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) were opened, as announced by the Ministry of Culture. While only 820 monuments were allowed to be reopened from June 6, Union Minister for Tourism and Culture Prahlad Singh Patel said that more heritage sites should be opened in consultation with the state governments and in accordance with Coronavirus precautions. "Around 800 monuments including Taj Mahal remain closed but we have to resume work soon," he said. On July 2, Prahlad Patel announced that all ASI-protected Indian monuments would be open to the public during the Unlock 2.0 phase. Due to the Covid-19 lockdown, over 3000 ASI monuments had been closed for visitors from March 17, 2020. However, 820 monuments were allowed to reopen on June 6. People will be allowed to visit the monuments only if they abide by the Covid-19 precautions and maintain social distancing. While all national monuments open up for the public, Agra's historical monuments like Taj Mahal, Agra Fort, Akbar tomb and others will continue to remain closed until further orders. According to District Magistrate of Agra, Prabhu N Singh, these monuments fall in 'buffer zone' areas; hence, it will not be opened to the public despite being closed for three months. SOP & Guidelines According to the SOP issued by the Centre, only those monuments and museums which are in the non-containment zone will be allowed to open up. Along with this, the administration is also doing away with the physical sale of tickets, all tickets will be issued through e-mode only. Even the mode of payment in the parking lots, cafeterias would be accepted only digitally. There will also be a cap on the number of visitors in the monuments, along with strict compliance of social distancing, use of masks, hand hygiene, thermal scanning etc. All special sound and light shows will be suspended in the monuments and group photography will also remain suspended. Meanwhile, eatables inside the monuments will not be allowed and cafeterias would also be limited to serving only bottled water inside the premises.

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Tourists from Punjab, Delhi, Haryana reach Shimla after the reopening of HP

The Himachal Pradesh government's decision to relax e-pass norms for tourists and natives entering the state has led to chaos in the state capital Shimla. The entry of tourists in Himachal Pradesh was banned in March to check spread of novel coronavirus. Hundreds of people queued up at the Shimla border check point near Shoghi. As a majority of these had no valid documents, the district authorities turned many away while home quarantining local residents returning from other states. According to officials, despite clear instructions mandating COVID-19 negative certificate or reports of tests conducted not later than 72 hours and pre-booking of hotels for at least five days, majority of the tourists had none of these. When asked to go back, many disobeyed social distancing regulations and got into heated arguments with cops and district administration officials. It was only when local authorities started registering FIRs that the tourists retreated. The local residents, meanwhile, are up against the decision to allow tourists to Himachal and have warned of aggressive protests. "Haryana, Punjab and Delhi have high COVID-19 numbers and letting people in from there will put us all at risk. We will not allow tourists here and will seal our city ourselves, " said Suresh Kashyap, a local activist. The hoteliers too have communicated their apprehension about opening up. "We are just getting one or two bookings, and that too without COVID negative certificate. We cannot afford to pay staff, run facility or kitchens and be at risk of COVID. We cannot open," said Kullu Hotel association. The tourism department had, on Saturday, issued a standard operating procedure (SOP) with which the tourists are allowed to enter Himachal with conditions such as a report by an ICMR-accredited laboratory not earlier than 72 hours, testing negative for COVID-19 and a prior hotel booking of at least five days. Such tourists will also have to register online with the state government before entering the state, the state tourism director Yunus Khan had said.

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