Indonesia's holiday island of Bali reopened to foreign tourists after 18 months of pandemic hiatus on Thursday, but the island is lacking one crucial ingredient: international flights. The government recently announced Bali's reopening after a sharp fall in coronavirus cases since July, when Indonesia was Asia's COVID-19 epicentre. But new visitors from overseas were nowhere to be seen on Thursday. Passengers stand in line at Ngurah Rai International Airport as Indonesia's resort island of Bali is set to reopen for international flights on October 14 after border closures due to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, in Badung, Bali, Indonesia October 9, 2021, in this photo taken by Antara Foto. Antara Foto/Fikri Yusuf/via REUTERS Though the island's Ngurah Rai internati...
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Czech restaurants, bars and nightclubs can serve customers indoors from Monday, Health Minister Adam Vojtech said, announcing a quicker-than-planned easing of COVID-19 restrictions following a court ruling. The Czech Republic will also open up to tourists from some European and overseas countries who have at least had their first COVID-19 shot, effective Tuesday. The Czech government, which has been battling one of the world’s most severe second waves of the pandemic, had planned to open indoor facilities from mid-June. A bartender drafts a plastic bottle of beer as the Deminka pub remains closed due to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) restrictions in Prague, Czech Republic,. REUTERS/David W Cerny But last week the Supreme Administrative Court ruled that blanket restrictions...
Read MoreHotels and boarding houses may reopen as of May 24 in Czech Republic. Industry and Trade Minister Karel Havlicek said journalists after a cabinet meeting that he will submit a proposal to the government next week so that they can reopen without capacity limits. The government has been relaxing the economic restrictions based on six packages and on the number of new Covid-19 infections per 100,000 in the past seven days, which was 102 on last Sunday. Under the package number four, which was on the agenda in meeting, facilities and services including hotels and boarding houses might resume operations as of next Monday. A 25 percent capacity limit has been set for hotels and boarding houses. The condition was criticized by entrepreneurs, which is why the government decided to postpone the...
Read MoreGlobal airline industry body IATA called on governments to provide alternative forms of support and stimulus for the aviation sector as it warned that borders may not fully open until October. The deepening nature of the crisis for airlines was highlighted by IATA’s plans to delay its annual meeting from June to October because it does not expect borders to have properly re-opened to allow such a gathering by late June. Many European airlines have said they need a summer holiday season if they are to survive after almost a year of COVID-19 restrictions which have stopped travel. IATA Director General Alexandre de Juniac said that governments had already provided $225 billion to help airlines, through direct aid, wage subsidies, tax relief and loans, but warned more was needed...
Read MoreThe Indian Ocean island destination has announced that it will be welcoming visitors from across the globe, irrespective of their vaccination status, as from March 25, 2021. Visitors from South Africa will still not be permitted to enter Seychelles for the time being until further review. The announcement was made by the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Tourism, Sylvestre Radegonde in a press briefing this morning, Thursday, March 4, 2021, at the Seychelles Tourism Board (STB) conference room at Botanical House following the Tourism Task Force Committee meeting. Visitors will now only be required to present a negative PCR test taken 72 hours prior to departure. There will be no quarantine requirement nor restriction on movement upon entry into Seychelles. Additionally, the minim...
Read MoreThailand’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...
Read MoreKerala on Monday opened its tourism destinations, barring beaches, for visitors by strictly adhering to COVID-19 protocol, signalling the revival of the revenue-generating industry that remained shut for the last seven months following the outbreak of the pandemic. As per the Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) issued by the Government in this regard, the visitors will have to follow Break the Chain norms including wearing of masks, use of soap and sanitizer and social distancing. The destinations and services that have resumed receiving guests include houseboats on backwaters, personalized boating and adventure tourism spots, which normally have controlled access where it is easy to implement the SMS (Social distancing, Mask and Soap Sanitizer) ...
Read MoreA majority of destinations around the world (53%) have now started easing travel restrictions introduced in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Though many remain cautious in view of the development of the pandemic, the seventh edition of the UNWTO “COVID-19 Related Travel Restrictions: A Global Review for Tourism” confirms the ongoing trend towards the gradual restart of tourism. Analysing restrictions up to 1 September, the research carried out by the United Nations specialized agency for tourism found that a total of 115 destinations (53% of all destinations worldwide) have eased travel restrictions, an increase of 28 since 19 July. Of these, two have lifted all restrictions, while the remaining 113 continue to have certain restrictive measures in place. UNWTO Secretary-Genera...
Read MoreMore than six months after it was closed down for visitors in the wake of the pandemic, the Taj Mahal will open its doors to the public from September 21. Archaeological Survey of India has confirmed this. However, there will be a cap of 5,000 on the number of visitors allowed per day. Even as all other ASI-protected monuments in Agra were allowed to open from September 1, Taj Mahal and Agra Fort remained shut as per the district administration’s orders as they were located close to containment zones. Agra Fort will have a cap of 3,000 visitors daily. Previously scheduled opening of the monument in July alongwith all ASI monuments nationwide was also put off. When the Taj opens on September 21 morning, visitors will have to follow all guidelines issued by the Centre such as soci...
Read MoreThe city-state of Dubai, known for its mega malls, high-end restaurants and five-star hotels and resorts, has now reopened its doors to international visitors this week with a “welcome” passport sticker and coronavirus tests on arrival, in the hope of reviving its tourism industry after a nearly four-month closure. Dubai has been one of the most popular overseas destination for Indians, as Indians also form a large part of Dubai’s expat community. But as of now Indian’s will not be able to enjoy the relaxation as India has yet not started its international flight operations. But businesses are mainly betting on those already living in the gleaming desert city to energise its ailing economy and serve as a test run before wary foreign holidaymakers return. “A warm welcome to your sec...
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