COVID-19 – Page 3 – आवारा मुसाफिर

Cruise operators hope to save summer season

February 4, 2021311 Views

Greek cruise lines hope a swifter vaccination rollout and the government’s proposed vaccine certificates scheme can help get ships out of the docks where they have been idling empty for the past year and back to sea for the vital summer season. With international travel now at a near-standstill, saving at least part of the summer season will be vital, said George Koumpenas, Chief Operating Officer for Celestyal Cruises, a medium-sized operator that offers trips to the Aegean and eastern Mediterranean. Celestyal’s ships have been docked at the cruise terminal of Piraeus port in Athens since February last year and while it has sent crews home, daily maintenance fees just to keep the vessels operational run to 15,000 euros ($18,016.50). “It’s crucial for the company to get its v...

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SITA launches health protect, a secure way for airlines to share health information

AWARA MUSAFIR BUREAU

February 4, 20211065 Views

The proven solution seamlessly integrates with multiple travel pass schemes (such as AOK, CommonPass, IATA, SimplyGo) SITA has announced the launch of Health Protect – an industry solution, to help airlines, airports, governments, and passengers safely and securely share information on health tests or vaccinations needed during travel. Successful trials have already been undertaken with travelers to the United Arab Emirates, and soon to start at Milan Malpensa Airport. For many countries, economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic relies heavily on travel and tourism. As governments globally seek a way to resume safe and secure travel in the wake of COVID-19, the ability for passengers to share vital health information such as PCR test results or vaccination history with au...

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2020 Worst year in history for air travel demand

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February 3, 2021431 Views

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) announced full-year global passenger traffic results for 2020 showing that demand (revenue passenger kilometers or RPKs) fell by 65.9% compared to the full year of 2019, by far the sharpest traffic decline in aviation history. Furthermore, forward bookings have been falling sharply since late December. Similarly, data for global air freight markets show that demand for air cargo decreased by 10.6% in 2020, compared to 2019. This was the largest drop in year-on-year demand since IATA started to monitor cargo performance in 1990, outpacing the 6% fall in global trade in goods. International passenger demand in 2020 was 75.6% below 2019 levels. Capacity, (measured in available seat kilometers or ASKs) declined 68.1% and load factor fe...

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Swiss cruiser turned into vaccine ‘shot ship’ for lakeside towns

AWARA MUSAFIR BUREAU

February 3, 20211035 Views

An 89-year-old passenger ship, out of commission due to the coronavirus pandemic, was re-purposed on Tuesday as a COVID-19 vaccination centre for thousands of residents from cities on Lake Constance. The 500-passenger MS Thurgau normally carries tourists and commuters between German and Swiss cities on Europe’s third-largest lake. In coming weeks it will serve as a floating inoculation hub for northern Swiss towns Romanshorn, Arbon and Kreuzlingen. MS Thurgau excursion boat with a COVID-19 vaccination center onboard is moored in the harbour of Romanshorn on Lake Constance, Switzerland February 2, 2021. REUTERS/Arnd Wiegmann Regional officials emphasized the ship’s practicality since it can sail from harbor to harbor, earning it the nickname “vaccine vaporetto” with some locals. ...

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Phuket plans private vaccination drive, aims October reopening for tourists

AWARA MUSAFIR BUREAU

February 3, 2021924 Views

Thailand’s resort island of Phuket is planning private coronavirus vaccinations for 250,000 residents in the hope the government will allow it to fully reopen to foreign tourists by October and save its battered economy, industry officials said. “The people of Phuket are losing hope,” Phuket Tourism Association President, Bhummikitti Ruktaengam said, adding that the island’s economy was at its lowest point in recent history. About 10.5 million of the nearly 40 million foreign visitors to Thailand in 2019 visited Phuket. The Southeast Asian nation had only 6.7 million arrivals nationwide last year due to its coronavirus border closures. Foreign tourism revenue in Phuket dropped 78% to 87.5 million baht ($2.92 million) in 2020 with 2.1 million arrivals. !function(e...

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Pandemic’s second wave threatens to derail Dubai’s tourism surge

AWARA MUSAFIR BUREAU

February 3, 2021445 Views

A second wave of coronavirus infections threatens to upend a tourism boom in Dubai that provided salve to its battered economy, although with so few places open globally its hospitality sector hopes tourists will keep coming. Dubai, one of the few destinations open to international travellers since July, has yet to impose the toughest restrictions after record daily infections in the UAE, in the hope that vaccinations will spare a repeat of last year’s lockdown. People are seen at the Cove beach Caesars Palace, amid the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Dubai, United Arab Emirates January 31, 2021. REUTERS/Rula Rouhana But after a rush of visitors during December, hotel chain RIU saw a “significant slowdown” in January bookings in Dubai after some countries tightene...

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A farewell to bulls! Spain’s Pamplona festival on verge of cancellation again

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February 2, 2021389 Views

Spain’s San Fermin festival, which attracts tourists from all over the world for the running of the bulls through the streets of Pamplona, will be cancelled for the second year in a row because of COVID-19, the regional head said on Tuesday. But amid much disagreement and handwringing across Spain over how strict pandemic restrictions should be, Pamplona’s mayor was quick to say no decision had yet been made. FILE PHOTO: A countdown clock and traditional red scarves are seen on balconies along the 875-meter course of the running of the bulls from a corral to the bullring, at Estafeta street during the San Fermin festival which was cancelled due to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Pamplona, Spain July 7, 2020. REUTERS/Jon Nazca “An international festival like San Fe...

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Global business travel to grow 21% in 2021, trade group forecasts

AWARA MUSAFIR BUREAU

February 2, 2021363 Views

Business travel spending is forecast to grow 21% this year worldwide, helped by the rollout of COVID-19 vaccines, but will not recover to pre-pandemic levels until the middle of the decade, a business travel association said on Tuesday. Spending on business travel is projected to rise to $842 billion in 2021, according to the Global Business Travel Association’s (GBTA) BTI Outlook, after dropping 52% in 2020 to $694 billion due to the pandemic. FILE PHOTO: Travellers wearing face masks line up at check-in counters of Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport in Shanghai, China January 28, 2021. REUTERS/Aly Song After a decade of steady annual growth, business travel is expected to have shown losses in 2020 that were 10 times greater than the declines after the Sept. 11, 2001, attac...

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Tokyo’s famous ‘kawaii’ cafe shuts down due to pandemic

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February 1, 2021700 Views

An iconic cafe and show venue that symbolises Japan’s “kawaii” pop culture, and is beloved by tourists and celebrities, has shut its doors in Tokyo, the capital, after business dried up following the COVID-19 pandemic. A funky aesthetic of outlandish colours and designs made Kawaii Monster Cafe in the capital’s youth culture hotspot of Harajuku a hit, drawing overseas A-listers, such as reality star Kim Kardashian, singer Dua Lipa and Jenny of K-pop’s Blackpink. Staff members of Kawaii Monster Cafe called 'Monster Girls' send off guests before the cafe ends its five-year run operation on the day, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Tokyo Japan January 31, 2021. REUTERS/Issei Kato But its five-year run ended on Sunday, in part after overseas clientele disappeared ...

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Searching for the Light at the End of the Tunnel

AWARA MUSAFIR BUREAU

January 28, 20211455 Views

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has called on governments to partner with the air transport industry to devise plans to safely re-link people, business and economies when the COVID-19 epidemiological situation permits. A priority for this critical cooperation is acceleration of the establishment of global standards for vaccination and testing certification. “We can see the light at the end of the tunnel as vaccination programs roll out. Turning this vision into a safe and orderly re-start will require careful planning and coordination by governments and industry. This will be challenging as the priority for the weeks and months ahead will be containing the spread of new variants. But even as the crisis deepens, it is important to prepare the way for a resumption of f...