The 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...
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Thailand’s Tourism Minister said on Monday he had proposed a plan to allow foreigners to quarantine in some of the country’s many golf resorts to boost the ailing tourism sector during the coronavirus pandemic. “We are discussing with the Public Health Ministry and the country’s coronavirus taskforce to offer hotel and golf quarantine for tourists with medical certificates,” Minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn told reporters. Foreign tourists would be able to spend the two-week quarantine period at a specified resort and move around in the hotel area and also play golf, he said, rather than just isolating in their rooms. !function(e,t,c,a){if(!e.fwn&&(a="fwn_script",n=e.fwn=function(){ n.callMethod?n.callMethod.apply(n,arguments):n.queue.push(arguments) },e._fwn|...
Read MoreA suspected COVID-19 case aboard a “cruise-to-nowhere” from Singapore which forced the ship to return to dock and nearly 1,700 guests to isolate was a false alarm, the government said on Thursday. Passengers on Royal Caribbean’s Quantum of the Seas vessel were held in their cabins for more than 16 hours on Wednesday after an 83-year-old man was tested positive for COVID-19 aboard the ship when he sought medical help for diarrhoea. Royal Caribbean's Quantum of the Seas cruise ship docks at Marina Bay Cruise Center after a passenger tested positive for coronavirus disease (COVID-19) during a cruise to nowhere, in Singapore, December 9, 2020. REUTERS/Edgar Su But Singapore’s health ministry said on Thursday the man did not have the virus after three subsequent tests on land came bac...
Read MorePassengers confined to cabins after Royal Caribbean cruise ship detects COVID-19 in Singapore Hundreds of passengers on a Royal Caribbean ‘cruise-to-nowhere’ from Singapore were told to stay in their cabins until contact tracing was complete after a COVID-19 case was detected, forcing the Quantum of the Seas ship back to port, authorities said. Royal Caribbean and the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) said all guests and crew of the Quantum of the Seas who had close contact with the 83-year old infected male guest have subsequently tested negative for the virus. Royal Caribbean's Quantum of the Seas cruise ship docks at Marina Bay Cruise Center after a passenger tested positive for coronavirus disease (COVID-19) during a cruise to nowhere, in Singapore, December 9, 2020. REUTERS/Edga...
Read MoreEASA/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...
Read MoreIATA AGM also requests governments to support safe and sustainable industry restart The International Air Transport Association (IATA) 76th Annual General Meeting (AGM) unanimously resolved to urgently call on governments to re-open borders to travel. IATA is proposing systematic testing of international travelers which would permit the lifting of border restrictions and provide an alternative to current quarantine rules. Quarantines essentially kill demand for air travel and governments need to immediately consider the drastic socio-economic effect this is having. International air travel continues to be down 90% on 2019 levels. Current estimates are that as many as 46 million jobs supported by air travel could be lost and that the economic activity sustained by aviation will be re...
Read MoreA travel bubble between Hong Kong and Singapore will begin on Nov. 22, the two cities announced on Wednesday, as they moved to re-establish overseas travel links and lift the hurdle of quarantine for visiting foreigners. Hong Kong’s Commerce Secretary and Singapore’s Transport Minister said the scheme would begin with one flight a day into each city, with a quota of 200 travellers per flight. This would be increased to two flights a day into each city from Dec. 7. People walk across a street at Mong Kok, as the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak continues, in Hong Kong, China November 10, 2020. REUTERS/Lam Yik If the COVID-19 situation deteriorated in either city the travel bubble would be suspended, they said. Singapore’s Transport Minister Ong Ye Kung said he believed t...
Read MoreAirports Council International (ACI) World and the International Air Transport Association (IATA) have today made a joint call for a globally-consistent approach to testing international passengers as an alternative to quarantine measures. The global shut down of air transport as a result of COVID-19 travel restrictions has had a catastrophic impact on employment. Some 4.8 million industry jobs have been lost or are under threat. A Covid testing facility at Heathrow Airport Governments must cooperate to remove quarantine restrictions and restart air travel. A systematic approach to COVID-19 testing will provide an effective way to give governments the confidence to re-open borders without quarantine. The aviation industry, focused on the health and safety of passengers and the...
Read MoreWith less than 90 days to go before the year-end holiday season, European aviation bodies have intensified their call to replace quarantine measures with passenger testing. This will provide far greater assurance and ability for cross-border travellers to plan family reunions or vacations during this important holiday period. It will also serve as a lifeline to the millions of workers in the travel and tourism sectors whose jobs remain at risk. Following their direct call to action together with the wider travel and tourism sectors in a letter to European Commission President von der Leyen on 17 September, aviation bodies ACI EUROPE, Airlines for Europe (A4E) and IATA have submitted a framework for how an EU-wide Testing Protocol for Travel (EU-TPT) could work. ...
Read MoreThe International Air Transport Association (IATA) called for the development and deployment of rapid, accurate, affordable, easy-to-operate, scalable and systematic COVID-19 testing for all passengers before departure as an alternative to quarantine measures in order to re-establish global air connectivity. IATA will work through the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and with health authorities to implement this solution quickly. International travel is 92% down on 2019 levels. Over half a year has passed since global connectivity was destroyed as countries closed their borders to fight COVID-19. Some governments have cautiously re-opened borders since then, but there has been limited uptake because either quarantine measures make travel impractical or the frequent chan...
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