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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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...
Read MoreBusiness 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...
Read MoreAn 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 ...
Read MoreThe 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...
Read MoreGlobal tourism suffered its worst year on record in 2020, with international arrivals dropping by 74% according to the latest data from the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO). Destinations worldwide welcomed 1 billion fewer international arrivals in 2020 than in the previous year, due to an unprecedented fall in demand and widespread travel restrictions. This compares with the 4% decline recorded during the 2009 global economic crisis. According to the latest UNWTO World Tourism Barometer, the collapse in international travel represents an estimated loss of USD 1.3 trillion in export revenues - more than 11 times the loss recorded during the 2009 global economic crisis. The crisis has put between 100 and 120 million direct tourism jobs at risk, many of them in small and medium-sized en...
Read MoreMarriott International has announced the launch of Good Travel with Marriott Bonvoy, a program offering meaningful travel across Asia Pacific. Against the backdrop of the global pandemic, and with travelers increasingly aspiring to make a positive impact on the communities they visit whether locally or abroad, the program aims to create opportunities for guests to forge first-hand connections with local communities and the environment during their stay, promoting both cultural understanding and positive change. Good Travel with Marriott Bonvoy kicks off today as a pilot at 15 Marriott International hotels across Asia Pacific, offering curated purpose-driven experiences that focus on three distinct pillars: Environmental Protection which aims to support the resiliency of the natural env...
Read MoreThe World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) says the introduction of new hotel quarantines by the UK government would force the complete collapse of Travel & Tourism as we know it. WTTC, which represents the global Travel & Tourism private sector, fears the crippling impact of the new proposals being considered by the UK government would cause irreparable damage to a sector which contributes nearly £200 billion to the UK economy. People wearing face masks walk in St James's Park amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in London, Britain January 22, 2021. REUTERS/John Sibley The concern follows nine months of devastating travel restrictions, which has left scores of businesses crushed, millions of jobs lost or put at risk, and confidence to travel at an all-tim...
Read MoreFrench ski lifts will not reopen on February 1 and it is not clear for now whether French people can start booking winter holidays in February, French Tourism Minister Jean-Baptiste Lemoyne said on Thursday. French ski resorts can welcome tourists but the lifts have not been allowed to open since the start of the season. With no mechanical means to lift them up the slopes, skiers and snowboarders have resort to trudging up the slopes with snow shoes. FILE PHOTO: People practice with snowshoes in the winter ski resort of Isola 2000 as the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak continues in France, January 18, 2021. REUTERS/Eric Gaillard Early January, the government said lifts would be allowed to reopen on Jan. 20 if the spread of the COVID-19 virus had been slowed, but in recent...
Read MoreIt will not be possible to host carnival celebrations in July, Rio de Janeiro’s new mayor said on Thursday, as Brazil’s second wave of coronavirus infections gathers steam with vaccine supplies still scare in Latin America’s biggest country. FILE PHOTO: A worker of the Estacio de Sa samba school walks past a carnival float at the empty samba school headquarters, amid the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil October 27, 2020. REUTERS/Pilar Olivares/File Photo Eduardo Paes tweeted that he was aware of the economic and cultural benefits that the world-famous party, originally scheduled for next month, brings to the city. But he said there was no way it could be held even in the middle of the year. “It makes no sense to me to think at this point t...
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