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Dubai targets reopening for tourists by July as flights resume

Dubai is aiming to reopen for tourists as early as July as it looks to gradually come out of a lockdown due to the coronavirus pandemic that disrupted tourism and air travel, according to its tourism chief. The return of tourism will happen in a staggered approach and may be pushed back until September, depending on when other countries ease travel restrictions, Helal Al Marri, director general of Dubai’s Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing told Bloomberg TV on Tuesday. "The thing about this current scenario is it’s a global question: many airports internationally remain closed and it’s really about the bilateral discussions that are under way to have a coordinated approach to the reopening," Mr Al Marri said. Tourists take an Abra ride through Dubai's Madinat Jumeirah resort. Tourism contributes 11.5% of Dubai's GDP, a Dubai Media Office statement said. Image courtesy of Dubai Tourism. Tourists take an Abra ride through Dubai's Madinat Jumeirah resort. Tourism contributes 11.5% of Dubai's GDP, a Dubai Media Office statement said. Image courtesy of Dubai Tourism. Dubai is aiming to reopen for tourists as early as July as it looks to gradually come out of a lockdown due to the coronavirus pandemic that disrupted tourism and air travel, according to its tourism chief. The return of tourism will happen in a staggered approach and may be pushed back until September, depending on when other countries ease travel restrictions, Helal Al Marri, director general of Dubai’s Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing told Bloomberg TV on Tuesday. "The thing about this current scenario is it’s a global question: many airports internationally remain closed and it’s really about the bilateral discussions that are under way to have a coordinated approach to the reopening," Mr Al Marri said. A family walks at Dubai International Airport on April 27, 2020. Reuters "We’re quite concerned about the timeline, that’s the main risk: is it going to be July when things open up? Is it going to be September? We just need to make sure we’re ready if things come earlier than expected." Dubai, a regional tourism and business hub, attracted 16.73 million travellers last year. The sector contributed 11.5 per cent to the emirate's gross domestic product. The emirate suspended passenger arrivals in March to contain the spread of Covid-19 but has started to gradually relax restrictions as the pandemic is controlled. Last week Dubai announced it would partially reopen its shopping malls, a major tourist draw, amid a loosening of lockdown restrictions aimed at curbing the virus. Dubai's tourism is currently on pause and the number of arrivals to the emirate has dropped to zero due to the pandemic, which had a huge impact, Mr Al Marri said. The Dubai government has introduced a series of measures aimed at supporting its critical tourism sector during the Covid-19 crisis, including reducing or waiving fees, such as a 50 per cent cut on municipality fees. The UAE's central bank rolled out an economic stimulus package to mitigate the impact of the coronavirus on the private sector, which has helped the tourism sector through penalty-free loan rescheduling over a longer period of time and lower interest rates, he said. Travellers' behaviour is also expected to change in the post-coronavirus era, with more focus on "health and hygiene across destinations", less group travel and more independent travellers who are likely to make late bookings, he said. The focus on hygiene and health will translate into additional costs for hotels, he added. The tourism chief ruled out a possibility of government intervention even amid an oversupply of hotel rooms and said it is not up to the Dubai government to restrict the number of hotels constructed. The sector "is not interested in the government controlling supply or pricing of hotel rooms. Investors in hotels definitely have expertise and experience to make their own decisions," he said. The UAE on Tuesday announced 541 new coronavirus cases, taking the total to 11,380 cases, 2,181 recoveries and 89 deaths.

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Tourism sector pins revival hopes on domestic visitors

KOCHI: With Covid-19 shattering the tourism industry in Kochi as well as in Kerala, domestic tourism remains the last hope once the pandemic spread ceases to a certain extent. With tour operators giving up hope of regaining the confidence of foreign tourists with the situation yet to improve abroad, at least tourist from other states can be attracted to visit Kerala once the state borders are opened in the near future, they feel.Tour operators said foreign tourists usually finalise their tour plans from October to January before May. With uncertainty over Covid-19 continuing, no bookings from abroad have been made so far. “Many countries have placed travel restrictions for several months. Usually, we get inquiries for the year-end tourism season by now. We also submit tour programmes for attracting foreign tourists in April and May. But with all our operations down, no foreign tourist bookings are made,” Travel Agents Federation of India (TAFI) Kerala Chapter chairman Paulose Mathew said. In the current scenario, the tourism industry can only pin its hopes on domestic tourists. However, with existing Covid-19 protocol for travel, the cost of packages goes up.“Kerala, which emerged as a model in the fight against Covid-19 pandemic, can attract domestic tourists from other parts of India. There will be keen travellers who travel abroad once or twice annually. They can be attracted to Kerala. The challenge is that cost of travel is expected to rise with the existing Covid-19 protocol. If the guidelines state that a flight or bus should accommodate passengers one-third of their capacity, charges will certainly be higher,” he said. A Kerala Tourism official said domestic tourists footfalls helped the state in crisis earlier. With events like Kochi Muziris Biennale in December, tourists from other states are expected to visit Kochi if Covid-19 scare ends. “When tourism sector was hit by Nipah outbreak and floods, revival was made possible due to high domestic tourist arrival. Post Covid-19, tourism promotion activities will be held in other states. Even other tourism stakeholders are expected to set their focus on other states during this hard time,” he said. Tour operators who booked air tickets for outbound tourists are agitated about no refund provided by airlines till now. Though the Ministry of Civil Aviation ordered refund for tickets issued during the lockdown, tour operators claim the issue is yet to be addressed by the government. “When we approached the ministry for immediate refunding of tickets cancelled since early March, it came out with an order directing airlines to issue refund for tickets booked during the lockdown. Tour agencies book tickets three months before travel and such cases were not considered. In tour packages, 50 per cent cost is travel expense for which we have to pay in advance. With no refund, most tour operators are facing business loss. There is no government-level aid for tourism stakeholders who were the first to be hit by Covid-19 and to face its long-term consequences,” Paulose said.

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Rajasthan govt brainstorms with tourism stakeholders

Rajasthan Tourism Minister Vishvendra Singh on Monday said that these are unprecedented times and all need to work together to rejuvenate the tourism sector in the desert state. He was speaking at the Rajasthan Revival Summit here. The meeting witnessed multifarious suggestions on reviving tourism in Rajasthan in these times of global pandemic and post-corona. At the meeting, he brainstormed with various tourism stakeholders. Rajsamand BJP MP, Diya Kumari who is also a member of the Parliament Consultative Committee on Tourism was present. The minister said all parties have to work together. The minister said that an aggressive marketing campaign will be undertaken to project Rajasthan as the preferred tourist destination for domestic tourists. He said new circuits will have to be worked on focusing on spiritual, wildlife and adventure tourism. The Palace on Wheels which had 98 per cent foreign travellers will also focus on the domestic tours. The itinerary will also be changed accordingly. Singh also suggested that the website of the Department needs to be revamped and social media be made more innovative and creative. He also informed that a committee on the health and hygiene issues has been formed within the Department. They will focus on the various health guidelines informed by the Health department to be followed. On a suggestion made by internationally acclaimed Kalbeliya dancer, Gulabo, the Minister replied that craftspersons and folk performers need to be looked after during these times and a package will be organised for them as well. Diya Kumari said that the fixed prices for electricity need to be reconsidered in these trying times. The industrial rates should be levied. She said that the Tourism Department needs to undertake a proactive advertising campaign in the leading newspapers and channels. She also urged that the Palace on Wheels should tie up with private museums and monuments. This will give them a boost as well. She also emphasised on a proper health guideline to be given for the visiting tourist after the lockdown is lifted. Representative of Indian Heritage Hotels Association (IHHA) and Federation of Hospitality and Tourism of Rajasthan (FHTR), Randhir Vikram Singh said that there should be a toll-free number for the tourists so that they can get immediate information about the state. He also emphasised that film shooting was another potential area in which the government needed to support waiving the fee and making the required permissions for shooting easier. He said a Domestic Tourism Mart should be immediately planned in Jaipur with familiarisation tours of the travel agents organised all over the state. Other suggestions discussed pertained to the GST rates for hotels, reduction of GST rates, and improvement in hygiene. Also a part of the meeting were heritage hoteliers, General Managers of leading luxury hotel chains, and conservationists, among others.

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Macau takes destination training online for Indian travel partners

The Macau Government Tourism Office (MGTO) India is taking the travel downtime to train Indian travel partners in Macau’s tourism products, using online platforms such as WhatsApp. Destination videos, presentations, voice notes and brief text messages will be sent out on live online platforms as well as text and voice messaging platforms like WhatsApp to Indian travel agents. The content will include updated information on the city’s tourism offerings and points of appeal as an outbound destination. Arzan Khambatta, head, MGTO India, said in a press statement that the country lockdown as a result of the pandemic has presented MGTO India a chance to “educate and connect with our travel trade partners virtually”, especially with travel agents it wasn’t able to reach out to earlier. He said MGTO India is able to cater to a wider base of travel agents across India with this exercise. Khambatta shared that he expects the travel industry to recover in a few months’ time. “When the travel bands are lifted, we want to make sure agents are equipped with accurate information about Macau and can promote (the city) to discerning Indian travellers,” he said. MGTO is also set to roll out a Macau Specialised Online Training Program for travel trade partners in India, complete with accreditation. Through completing and passing the modules in the specialist programme, agents in India can be certified as Macau Specialised Agents.

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Sikkim, The Only COVID-19-Free State In India, Bans Tourists Till October

We are in lockdown, and everyone is dreaming of a vacation. Some of us have already decided on the destination, and have the itinerary ready as well. However, if you had plans to visit the beautiful Lachung valley or soak in the beauty of Gurudongmar lake this year, you now need to reschedule. Yes, the Government of Sikkim has banned tourist entries and sealed its borders till October 2020. For the uninitiated, Sikkim is the only COVID-19-free Indian state. The state has not reported a single positive case so far and to prevent the virus from entering the beautiful Himalayan state which is also known as the ‘Traveller’s Paradise’ the Government has banned all tourist entries. With a population of 6.58 lakh, Sikkim was the first to enforce lockdown on March 17. Talking about the precautionary measure, Sikkim Governor Ganga Prasad told India Today TV, “Sikkim will be closed for all tourist activities till October. We have to take this decision in the interest of our seven lakh people. We have also retained all migrant workers and we are providing them with food and also paying them every day. We know we will need their help immediately after the lockdown is lifted (sic).” However, with the peak tourist season coming up, the ban on tourism is sure to affect the state’s economy. S.D. Dhakal, principal secretary to Chief Minister Tamang said, “We did not think of the economic losses. Protecting Sikkim was the top priority of the chief minister. If people survive, we can think of tourism again (sic).” This year’s Kailash Mansarovar Yatra has also been cancelled. In fact, the CM had also released a deadline to all tourists asking them to leave the state by March 17. Many students from Sikkim who were studying in China were all back in January itself. The students were kept under quarantine, tested negative and then allowed to leave for their respective homes. Governor Prasad said, “Following that, we closed our border and did not allow anyone in. Even the statewide lockdown was given a go-ahead from March 17, which was before the Janata Curfew (sic).” Even though we are still unsure about the lockdown extension, private airlines have already started selling tickets post-May 16. To ensure your safety, we suggest you travel only when it’s absolutely necessary.

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Goa taxi trade demands Rs 12 thousand per month compensation

Taxi associations in Goa have demanded compensation for loss of income due to the lockdown in place for the novel coronavirus outbreak, an official said on Sunday. He said a representative of North and South Goa Tourist Taxi Owners' Association met Chief Minister Pramod Sawant this week. "As it is, the tourist season was poor. Even before we could recover, the coronavirus outbreak hit our industry very hard. The government should give us compensation as the traditional taxi sector is the backbone of the state's tourism industry," said Laxman Korgaonkar, who represented both the associations before the chief minister. As per the memorandum submitted to the CM, the associations have demanded Rs 12,000 per month for each taxi operator, and temporary waiver of bank EMIs on vehicle loans as well as insurance premium payment.

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