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Will spring slow spread of coronavirus in northern hemisphere?

Will Coronavirus infections slow down as spring arrives in the northern hemisphere? Certainly this is what some political leaders seem to think. Donald Trump told a meeting of the nation’s governors in February that “the heat, generally speaking, kills this kind of virus”. Meanwhile, the UK’s health secretary, Matt Hancock, told ITV that the hope was to slow the spread of the virus so if it does cause a UK epidemic it arrives in spring and summer when coronaviruses are less transmissible. In the world’s temperate regions seasonal flu and the “common cold” coronaviruses tend to spread more readily in winter. That may be because the air in the colder months is generally drier, both indoors and out, and dry conditions have been shown to favour flu transmission. Our immune systems are, on average, weaker in winter too – possibly due to less sunlight and lower vitamin D levels. We also tend to spend more time indoors in winter, often in crowded conditions. Schools in particular are hotbeds of infectious disease transmission; the 2009 swine flu pandemic in the US, for example, dipped significantly during the school summer holidays and resurged rapidly when pupils returned to school in September. The logic behind political leaders’ thinking is clear, but the novel coronavirus will not necessarily behave in the same way as its more established cousins. One advantage the virus has is that very few of us have encountered it before. “Old viruses, which have been in the population for longer, operate on a thinner margin – most individuals are immune, and they have to make do with transmitting among the few who aren’t,” writes the Harvard epidemiologist Marc Lipsitch. These viruses tend to surge in winter because that is when conditions are most favourable for transmission. New viruses do not necessarily need to wait for winter to help them spread. With a large pool of people with no existing immunity, a new virus is more likely to be able to leap from host to host with ease. Some have pointed to the slowdown of the Sars outbreak in summer 2003 as evidence for the seasonal effect, but Lipsitch says this is a myth. “Sars was killed by extremely intense public health interventions in mainland Chinese cities, Hong Kong, Vietnam, Thailand, Canada and elsewhere. These involved isolating cases, quarantining their contacts, a measure of ‘social distancing’, and other intensive efforts,” he says. For the new coronavirus it is also likely to be public health interventions rather than warmer weather that slow its spread. Schools are an obvious transmission hub, which is why Italy took the step of closing all of its schools and universities last week. But if children are not key transmitters, closing schools could be a waste of resources. The latest data from China suggests children are infected at a similar rate to adults, but are less likely to have severe symptoms. However, it is not yet clear if schools were open or closed when the Chinese data was gathered, so for now it is still not clear whether school closures are effective.

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How Much Does A Honeymoon In The Andaman & Nicobar Islands Cost?

Andaman and Nicobar Islands is an ideal honeymoon destination. It is a Union Territory of India at the juncture of the Bay of Bengal and the Andaman Sea. From its giant evergreen forest to the soothing breeze, the place is perfect for a calming yet exotic vacation with your loved one. Andaman and Nicobar Islands cost: Andaman honeymoon packages are among the most sorted out packages in India. The destination provides a very unique experience for honeymooners. Couples going to Andaman on a honeymoon trip usually visit Port Blair, Havelock, and Neil Island. However, the honeymoon package can be customised as per your requirements on several travelling sites. The beaches, climate, food, resorts, people, and hospitality is perfect for a honeymoon in Andaman Islands. How do you get there? Andaman and Nicobar Islands are located in a remote place, so many find it confusing on how to reach there. You can book a flight to the capital city of Port Blair, from several cities in India, such as Chennai, New Delhi, and Kolkata. You can also take a passenger ship from a port city if you are in India. Flight ticket price starts from ₹22,000 and ship ticket ranges from ₹2,000 to ₹10,000, as per a travelling portal. Ferry or helicopter can be used to travel between islands, which costs between ₹1000 to ₹4000, as per reports. Stay and Packages: There are many packages on different sites for couples. An all-inclusive package is considered to be the best one. The cost and perks vary for different packages and time of stay. According to a leading portal, a 3 nights 4 days’ honeymoon trip would cost around ₹17,000 per person. It covers pick up from the airport to departure, except any personal expenditure on goods and other things. The trip can be pre-planned or there are hotels and stays that can be booked on spot. Ideally, advance booking is recommended. December to May is considered to be peak months for a visit. Per night stays can also be found at several online sites.

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Turkey named world's 6th most favorite tourism destination in 2019

Having hosted the highest number of tourists ever in 2019, Turkey became the sixth most visited country in the world, according to recently revealed figures by the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO). Accordingly, it managed to welcome over 52 million visitors last year, a 14% increase year-on-year. The rate made Turkey the 14th country with the highest year-on-year growth. Citing the newly released data Tuesday, Erkan Yağcı, head of the Mediterranean Touristic Hoteliers Association (AKTOB), said Turkey experienced a swift recovery recently and continues to prove itself as a major destination. He added that tourism professionals have now focused on the country's new tourism strategy and work towards increasing the country's share in global tourism receipts. The new tourism strategy targets over 75 million tourists and $65 billion in tourism revenue by 2023, the 100th anniversary of the foundation of the Turkish Republic. The figures were revised from 50 million tourists and $50 billion in tourism income. Meanwhile, France remained the most-visited country with more than 90 million tourists followed by Spain and the United States, which had 83.8 and 78.7 million arrivals respectively, according to UNWTO figures. China and Italy also made it to the top five with both receiving over 60 million visitors. Alongside with Turkey, Mexico, Thailand, Germany and the United Kingdom also managed to enter the top 10 most popular tourist destinations worldwide. While the rankings in the most-visited countries list remained mostly the same, there were some surprise entrants to the fastest-growing destinations. According to the data, Myanmar led the list with a 40.2% increase in visitors, followed by Puerto Rico, Iran, Uzbekistan, Montenegro and Egypt. However, not all countries recorded growth. Both Sri Lanka and Hong Kong saw an 18% fall in the number of visitors as the former suffered terror attacks on Easter Sunday and the latter experienced widespread social unrest in 2019. France also led the list of the strongest increase in international tourism spending, jumping 11%, while spending by international visitors from the United States rose by 6% due to the strong dollar. But many emerging markets such as Brazil, China – the world's top source market and Saudi Arabia reported declines in tourism spending. According to Turkish Statistical Institute (TurkStat), tourism revenues in Turkey hit $34.5 billion last year, a record high. This is a 17% increase compared with the sector's revenue of $29.5 billion in 2018. 1.5 billion traveled in 2019 The Madrid-based organization also reported that international tourist arrivals continued to grow but at a lower rate of 4%, the slowest rate since 2016, and reached 1.5 billion people. Arrivals in Europe were up 4% in 2019, down from 6% in the previous year. It remained the most visited region in the world, accounting for 51% of all international tourist arrivals last year, or 743 million people. Growth in Asia and the Pacific slowed down but still showed above-average growth, with international arrivals up 5%, compared with 7% in 2018. Africa posted a 4% rise, down from 9% in the previous year. The Middle East has emerged as the fastest-growing region for international tourism arrivals in 2019, growing at almost double the global average (8%), up from 3% in the previous year. Tourist numbers grew by 6% in 2018 and by 7% in 2017 as holidaymakers returned to sunshine destinations in the Eastern Mediterranean such as Turkey and Egypt. Tourism numbers rose by 4% in 2016. The organization cited geopolitical and social tensions, regional uncertainties such as Brexit and Hong Kong protests, and the global economic slowdown as the main contributors to the slower growth. Presenting the new figures, the body's intelligence chief, Sandra Carvao said: "This is a growth that we can consider strong because it is within the historical average, but we see a slight slowdown compared to the last two years. But it should be noted that the last two years have been really exceptional with a growth that was not normal." The UNWTO predicted global tourism will grow by 3%-4% this year, buoyed by major sporting and cultural events such as the Tokyo Olympics in Japan. The organization also cited the economic slowdown in many key issuing markets such as Germany and the collapse of Thomas Cook, the world's oldest travel firm, and of several other low-cost airlines in Europe had contributed to the slowdown in the sector last year. It also sees the U.K.'s departure from the EU as having impacted its economy and the value of its currency, leading to fewer British nationals going abroad on holidays.

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Indonesia's Bali plans to impose green tax on tourists

The Bali resort island, one of he top tourist centres in Indonesia and big attraction for world travellers, will soon levy a green tax on tourists to support the sustainable tourism industry, a tourism board official said on Tuesday (March 10). Head of the Bali Tourism Board IB Agung Partha Adnyana said the tax will value at US$10 per one traveller and it will be used for insurance, financing garbage management, animal protection and disaster mitigation, media reported on Tuesday. "Hopefully, this year it can be imposed," he said a day earlier. With the tax collection, the official said, it will make Bali Island care much of the environmental preservation and protection. Over 700,000 foreign holidaymakers visit Bali every month, according to data from the Indonesian Central Agency of Statistics. However, garbage and rubbish issues have often hit the beautiful island, famed for its historic Hindu temples and well-known beaches

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Kazakh Tourism, Almaty announce new joint mountain tourism office

The Kazakh Tourism company and the akimats (administrations) of the city of Almaty and the Almaty Region announced Nov. 22 that they will launch a unified mountain tourism project office. The office is meant to coordinate the implementation of the national tourism programme in Almaty’s mountains as well as help tourism companies implement and fund mountain tourism projects. “Today, Kazakh Tourism, together with the akimats of Almaty and Almaty region, agreed to create a unified project office located in the akimat of the city. The main task of the office is to coordinate the implementation of the state programme on the Almaty mountain cluster and help the tourism business in the implementation of projects and the search for investors,” head of Kazakh Tourism Yerzhan Yerkinbayev told tengrinews.kz. Yerkinbayev added that after the initial stage of ratifying documents was complete, the focus would shift to implementing programmes to develop tourism. “We have every opportunity to make the Almaty region a very attractive destination for tourists, we only need to join forces! Serious documents and strategies were adopted – it is time to focus on their implementation! It is necessary that the effect of the implementation of the state tourism development programme is felt both by the tourist and the whole country, and for this, it is necessary for the cities, regions and national parks to join forces. A striking example of the first step in this direction will be the creation of the first regional project office, and Almaty proposed to launch it already this year,” said Yerkinbayev. Kazakhstan’s national tourism programme was approved May 31. Its first result was the launch of the E-visa project, which decreases Kazakh visa processing time from 14 days to three to five days. In addition, the country accepted the Open Skies regime at 11 Kazakh airports. The regime allows foreign airlines to use Kazakh airports without prior registration. Another focus area of the programme is building sanitary facilities across Kazakh tourist locations. By the end of 2019, a toilet map is planned to be created, and before the start of the summer tourist season of 2020, with the involvement of private investment, approximately 100 units of new sanitary facilities in the most popular tourist destinations in Kazakhstan are planned to be installed.

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LEGOLAND Malaysia Resort offers range of limited time offers to drive local tourism

LEGOLAND Malaysia Resort, the all-in-one themed attraction, is offering an unbeatable chance for Malaysians to earn the biggest bang for the buck from their visits. The latest offerings are in line with LEGOLAND Malaysia’s efforts to support and continue driving local tourism. LEGOLAND Malaysia has introduced a range of limited time offers, including deals providing up to 60% price off on accommodation and theme park access for customers. This is the perfect opportunity for families to visit in conjunction with the school holiday period. There are bundle packages available for families to extend their full resort experience by choosing the themed room package that comes with a two-day complimentary access to the theme park, water park and SEA LIFE for two children. Families can also opt for exciting LEGO themed room-only options with savings of up to RM270 for a family of five. “As one of the most-visited attractions in Johor, LEGOLAND Malaysia is in the position to help restore the appeal for domestic tourism in supporting and continuing the spirit of Visit Malaysia 2020. LEGOLAND Malaysia upholds a long-term commitment in driving more visitors to experience Johor as a family-friendly holiday destination. We hope Malaysians will take full advantage of these offerings,” said Thila Munusamy, Director of Sales & Marketing at LEGOLAND Malaysia Resort. “LEGOLAND Malaysia is also working closely with the Malaysian tourism authorities and industry partners to explore collaborative efforts towards achieving similar goals. Our customers can expect to enjoy additional perks and value within the park, as well as the surrounding areas. There’s simply no better time than now to visit LEGOLAND Malaysia while exploring the unique charm of Johor,” she added.

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