News

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.

Read more

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.

Read more

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)

Read more

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.

Read more

Indian Railways' private train project gets positive response

The first pre-bid meeting for the Indian Railways' private player-operated trains project was conducted yesterday (i.e. July 21, Tuesday) with a positively strong response. As many as 16 companies, ranging from three PSUs of the central government to an Australian firm, had attended the meeting and showed keen interest in the Indian Railways' private train project. According to sources, some of the notable companies which attended the first pre-bid meeting are: 1. IRCTC 2. BHEL 3. RITES 4. Bharat Forge 5. Bombardier 6. GMR Group 7. GatewayRail 8. Vedanta 9. Medha 10. CAF (Australian firm) However, sources confirmed that Tata and Adani, two Indian giants who were eyeing the project, were not involved in the first pre-bid meeting. Since Tata and Adani groups held meeting with railway officials ahead of the bidding process, it was being believed that these two giants would also be involved in the pre-bid meeting. There were also discussions about Spicejet, IndiGo, and MakeMyTrip being involved with the bidding process, but these companies, too, were not involved with the first notch of the bidding process. The next pre-bid meeting of the Indian Railways' private player-operated train project is scheduled to be held on August 7. The project is the most unique step of the Indian Railways so far, aimed at inviting private players to run passenger trains on 109 important routes of the Indian Railways. The Union Ministry of Railways has said that the mega project aims to bring new technologies, boost revenues, and increase job opportunities. 151 new trains, operated by private players, will run in addition to the trains which have already been functioning. Private entities for undertaking the project will be selected through a two-stage competitive bidding process comprising of Request for Quotation (RFQ) and Request for Proposal (RFP). Centre had earlier initiated the RFQ process for the purpose of receiving questions or queries from the private players that are to invest in this project. The last date for this RFQ process was July 16. The queries were mainly related to eligibility criteria, bidding process, procurement of rakes, operations of trains and composition of clusters. There were a few queries on the haulage charges to which the Railway Ministry replied by stating that haulage charges will be specified upfront and will be suitably indexed for the entire concession period thereby bringing certainty in the haulage charges. The ministry will also be providing the details of passenger traffic being handled on the routes under the bidding process. This will enable bidders to undertake their due diligence in the project. Railways has clarified that trains that will be operated under the project can be either purchased or taken on lease by the private entities. It was clarified that risks with regard to the operation of trains shall be allocated to the parties in an equitable manner. All the received questions or queries will be answered by July 31, the ministry had said earlier. After the second pre-bid meeting, the Ministry of Railways will send answers to all the questions by August 21. Most importantly, the central government is looking to invite applications from private players to invest in the project on September 8. As per the plan fixed by the Union Ministry of Railways, after the applications are sent by the private players for investing in the railway's project, a shortlist of applicants will be prepared within 60 days. Following this, the bidding process will then be carried forward. Railways aims to complete the bidding process and get the first private player-operated train running on the tracks by March 2023. The Union Minister of Railways, Piyush Goyal, has made it clear that the private player-run train project is not knock-on privatization in Indian Railways. The government has been consistently claiming that the biggest benefit from the arrival of a private player will be incurred by the rail passengers. Multiple operators will create competition and improve service delivery. This initiative is also intended at reducing the demand-supply deficit in the passenger transportation sector.

Read more

Airbnb launches enhanced cleaning protocol in India, to boost Domestic Tourism

The Protocol is one of the first overarching standardized guidelines towards cleaning and sanitization for Homestays in this industry, for the safety of Airbnb hosts and guests. To support the recovery of the country’s tourism industry, Airbnb has today announced the launch of its Enhanced Cleaning Protocol for its local hosts in the country. The initiative is one of the first overarching standardized protocols for cleaning and sanitization for homestays in the country, and is aimed at providing guidance to hosts offering small-scale accommodations. These practices have also been reviewed by the Indian Medical Association. In the coming months, and as people begin to travel again, cleanliness and safety will continue to be a key consideration for travellers. Airbnb’s Enhanced Cleaning Protocol will play an important role in helping to revive confidence in the safety of travel and stay within India, among hosts and guests. “We have reviewed Airbnb’s enhanced cleaning protocol for the homestay sector. Airbnb protocols are comprehensive and are in compliance with the standard procedures related to sanitation and hand hygiene. This initiative will ensure safety and hygiene of guests,"said Dr R V Asokan, Hony Secretary General, Indian Medical Association. An Industry-Leading Approach towards Cleanliness The new Protocol, which will be progressively rolled out in India in the coming weeks, will provide hosts in India with step-by-step guidance on how to clean and sanitise their homes to the highest standard, to prevent the spread of COVID-19. These industry-first guidelines include a step-by-step cleaning handbook designed for everyday hosts. Hosts who attest to follow the program will receive a special badge on their listing, making it easy for guests to identify and book listings that follow the homestay industry’s most robust set of cleaning standards. These efforts build upon Airbnb's already strong track record of cleanliness: To date, more than 94% of all Airbnb users were satisfied with cleanliness, scoring it at 4 or 5 stars after their stays[1] Airbnb’s Enhanced Cleaning Protocol has also been endorsed by prominent medical practitioners globally. Enhanced Cleaning Standards Will Aid the Future of Travel Dr. Marcus Ranney, a healthcare professional and formerly a frontline medic has said, “Airbnb has gone to great efforts to develop processes around cleanliness, in order to protect the health and safety of their hosts and guests. A key message, for the global efforts to manage this pandemic and build a COVID-ready world, is the importance of self care and personal hygiene. These simple yet effective steps will help each of us play our part in stopping the spread”. “With the health and safety of our guests and hosts in India top of mind, these Enhanced Cleaning Protocols are the need of the hour in the sector. These measures are aimed at restoring traveller confidence and towards driving the systematic recovery of communities through the economic impact of tourism and travel. We are working to bring our hosts global best practices backed by expert counsel and medical guidance from professionals who are at the forefront of the industry. We strongly believe that this can inform an industry-wide standard,” saidAmanpreet Bajaj, General Manager - Airbnb India, Southeast Asia, Hong Kong and Taiwan.

Read more