COVID-19 – Page 9 – आवारा मुसाफिर

Calls to follow global guidelines on crew testing

December 7, 20201439 Views

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) and the International Federation of Air Line Pilots’ Associations (IFALPA) jointly called on governments to follow the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Council Aviation Recovery Task Force (CART) guidelines to exempt crews from COVID-19 testing that is applied to air travelers. The CART guidelines specifically recommend that crew members should not be subject to screening or restrictions applicable to other travelers. Furthermore, according to CART, health screening methods for crew members should be as “non-invasive as possible.” Despite this guidance, an increasing number of States are applying the same public health measures for crew that are applied to the general traveling public. Such measures include provi...

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Melbourne welcomes first international flight in 5 months

AWARA MUSAFIR BUREAU

December 7, 20201436 Views

Australia’s second-largest city welcomed its first international passenger flight in five months on Monday, an arrival that will test the state of Victoria’s revamped hotel quarantine system. Australia has since March closed its borders to non-citizens, but airports serving Melbourne, Victoria’s capital, stopped accepting any arrivals in late June after an outbreak of COVID-19 that begun at two hotels where arrivals were quarantining. More than 20,000 infections were recorded in Victoria when hotel staff contracted the virus from people returning from overseas. The outbreak has been widely blamed on failures of private contractors to follow protocol. With hundreds of people expected to arrive in Victoria each week, state authorities have said police officers will now enforce ...

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China’s COVID-free ‘Hawaii’ chases local tourist dollar with a vengeance

AWARA MUSAFIR BUREAU

December 7, 2020879 Views

Millions of domestic tourists are descending on China’s southernmost island province of Hainan, presenting a surreal contrast with grim hospital scenes, shuttered restaurants and stifling home quarantine elsewhere in a virus-ravaged world. Known at home as the “Hawaii of China”, the island, about the size of Taiwan, has been free of coronavirus for six months, drawing eager shoppers to duty-free malls, couples seeking a sub-tropical backdrop for wedding pictures, and surfers just looking to “breathe freely”. October arrivals of 9.6 million, according to official data, exceeded the year-earlier figure, before the pandemic struck, by 3.1%, although foreign visitors slumped 87%. That was a far cry from February, when arrivals had dropped almost 90%. A couple poses for pictures durin...

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Accessible tourism identified as ‘game changer’

AWARA MUSAFIR BUREAU

December 4, 20201109 Views

Ensuring accessibility for tourists with specific access requirements can be a ‘game changer’ for destinations around the world as they look to bounce back from the impacts of the pandemic. A new set of Inclusive Recovery Guides from the World Tourism Organization, produced in partnership with the European Network for Accessible Tourism (ENAT), the ONCE Foundation of Spain and Travability from Australia, makes clear the importance of placing inclusivity at the centre of recovery plans and provides key recommendations for achieving this. Launched on the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, the UNWTO Inclusive Recovery Guide – Socio-Cultural Impacts of COVID-19: Issue I Persons with Disabilities, draws on the expertise of UNWTO’s Ethics Culture and Social Responsibility ...

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72-hour quarantine-free journeys will revive travel

UPENDRA SWAMI

December 3, 2020507 Views

EASA/ECDC guidelines confirm ineffectiveness of passenger quarantines World over chorus is growing for making travel, at least short term travel, quarantine free to revive the pandemic-struck industry. New guidelines by EASA/ECDC have termed quarantine of passengers as ineffective. Taking the cue World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) has also said that International business travel could restart if agreement is secured to safeguard journeys of up to 72-hours free from quarantines. The joint recommendation for the short stay exemption comes from the European Union Aviation Safety Agency and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (EASA/ECDC) and is welcomed by WTTC, which represents the global Travel & Tourism private sector. FILE PHOTO: Passengers wearing p...

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70% of destinations have lifted travel restrictions, but global gap emerging

AWARA MUSAFIR BUREAU

December 2, 2020407 Views

The number of destinations closed to international tourism has continued to fall. According to the eighth edition of the UNWTO Travel Restrictions Report, 70% of all global destinations have eased restrictions on travel introduced in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. In comparison, just one in four destinations continue to keep their borders completely closed to international tourists. Launched by the World Tourism Organization at the start of the pandemic, the Travel Restrictions Report keeps track of measures being taken in 217 destinations worldwide, helping to support the mitigation and recovery efforts of the tourism sector. For this latest edition, the methodology has been updated to offer insights into the tourism flows of destinations, as well as to explore the link between he...

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Dark Times: Both Holy sides of conflict wall gearing up for dismal Christmas

AWARA MUSAFIR BUREAU

December 2, 2020480 Views

On both sides of the West Bank Barrier the signs are dismal for the coming festive season. Its dark and gloomy over the region what normally used to be beaming with tourists at this time of the year so close to Christmas. While Jerusalem is yet to come with the terms with the new normal, Bethlehem has announced that it is ‘not going to cancel its Christmas.’ As night grips Jerusalem’s walled Old City, its ancient alleyways become a ghost town of haunting shadows and light. Mornings used to reveal bright picture-postcard scenes of tourists from around the world stopping to buy souvenirs at Palestinian shops as they made their way to biblical sites holy to Jews, Muslims and Christians. A man closes a shop at night amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) crisis, at a market in J...

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Tourism fraternity adopts La Palma Declaration

AWARA MUSAFIR BUREAU

December 1, 2020763 Views

With the aim of establishing actions and commitments to restart international travel, the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) and the Spanish Government hosted a hybrid conference, where leaders from the industry both from the public and private sector participated, covering 95 countries and more than 100 Travel & Tourism companies. This event was organised as a result of WTTC's call for the leaders of G7+Spain, South Korea and Australia for an agreement at the highest level, to save the sector and the millions of jobs that depend on it. The Prime Minister of Spain, Pedro Sánchez, reiterated his commitment to the sector and confirmed the leadership of Spain by holding a major conference to discuss key measures needed to revive international Travel & Tourism. ...

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Germany wants ski resorts closed but Austria won’t agree

AWARA MUSAFIR BUREAU

November 26, 2020768 Views

Germany wants Alpine countries to keep ski resorts closed to help fight the coronavirus pandemic, but reaching an agreement with neighbouring Austria is proving difficult, Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Thursday. “The ski season is approaching. We will be trying to coordinate in Europe whether we could close all ski resorts,” Merkel told parliament, adding that this might not be possible given resistance from Austria, but Germany would try again. In the first wave of the coronavirus at the start of the year, many Germans were infected at the Austrian ski resort of Ischgl. Germany last month issued travel warnings for popular ski regions in Austria, Italy and Switzerland. Interestingly, in September this year a consumer rights group had taken a legal action against the Austr...

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Thailand sees first trickle of tourists in October as curbs ease

AWARA MUSAFIR BUREAU

November 26, 2020439 Views

Thailand recorded its first 1,201 foreign tourists in October since a ban in April aimed at averting coronavirus outbreaks, as the country gradually opens up to a select number of visitors to help its struggling, tourism-reliant economy. Southeast Asia’s second-largest economy contracted 6.4% in the third quarter from a year earlier after the second quarter’s 12.1% slump as most virus restrictions were eased, but an absence of tourists is limiting the recovery. The 1,201 foreign visitors in October is a fraction of the 3.07 million arrivals in the same month last year. Tourism ministry data showed the latest visitors included 471 from China, 231 from neighbouring Cambodia, 178 from Middle East countries and 116 from Europe, all travelling on special 90-day visas that require two...