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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Japan’s government is considering the resumption of inbound tourism on a limited basis from the spring as Tokyo prepares to host a delayed summer Olympics, the Asahi newspaper reported on Sunday. Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga’s administration is leaning toward allowing small tour groups from Asian countries where coronavirus infections are well under control, such as China and Taiwan, the Asahi reported without citing sources. Japanese government officials did not return calls from Reuters seeking comment. Suga’s government has launched a subsidy programme to revive domestic tourism, a key driver of economic growth in recent years, but the scheme has been criticised because Japan is struggling with a third wave of coronavirus infections. New cases have spiked to record hig...
Read MoreAustralia is considering opening its borders to Asian countries, including parts of China, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Tuesday, as Canberra seeks to revive an economy ravaged by COVID-19. Australia in March shut its borders to all non-citizens and permanent residents, though in October Canberra allowed New Zealand residents to enter. Internal travel is limited, although those restrictions are scheduled to be removed by the end of the year. Morrison ruled out entry from the United States or Europe, but said Australia may allow people from low-risk countries such as Taiwan, Japan, Singapore and even provinces in China. People walk through a congested intersection in the city centre of Sydney, Australia, November 9, 2020. REUTERS/Loren Elliott “We ... are looking at wha...
Read MoreTourists are to be given greater legal protection as consumers under new plans being advanced by the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO). With restoring confidence a key priority for the sector, the International Code for the Protection of Tourists advanced by UNWTO with the support of almost 100 Member States so far, will make the support available to tourists affected by emergency situations clearer and more consistent globally. In its first meeting, the Committee for the Development of an International Code for the Protection of Tourists has featured the active participation of 92 UNWTO Member States. Together, they adopted a concrete plan of action to restore tourists’ confidence through a common and harmonized framework. Within the next weeks, international organizations, the Europ...
Read MoreChef Emily Wells was unsure what to expect as she opened the doors of her seasonal restaurant in rural Prince Edward Island the same day Canada’s four Atlantic provinces bubbled together, allowing travel between them while keeping their borders restricted to everyone else. The result was far better than she could have imagined. “It was a remarkable summer, I was floored by it,” Wells said. “The bubble made all the difference. It certainly worked for us.” The border restrictions along with tough public health measures helped the east coast provinces, which have a combined population of 2.4 million, tamp down COVID-19 early on and largely keep the virus at bay even as the rest of the country entered a second wave of infections. FILE PHOTO: A resident views the first iceberg of t...
Read MoreSouth Africa will keep barring tourists from high-risk countries including India
South Africa will not allow tourists from countries with higher coronavirus infection and death rates, including India, Britain, the United States and France, to enter when its borders open up on Oct. 1, ministers said on Wednesday. But business travellers with scarce and critical skills including diplomats and investors from countries considered “high-risk”, which also include the Netherlands and Russia, can enter, Foreign Minister Naledi Pandor said. “We will review the data every two weeks,” Pandor told a news conference, saying the government would be guided by epidemiological data when deciding which countries were deemed high-risk. President Cyril Ramaphosa this month loosened pandemic restrictions in South Africa, which had one of the world’s strictest lockdowns at the...
Read MoreWhen Kashmir went into a coronavirus lockdown in March, tourism in the Indian-administered territory had already been hobbled by eight months of tight security restrictions that New Delhi imposed after revoking the region’s semi-autonomous status. Now hoteliers, taxi drivers and others relying on tourism in the region say the pandemic has compounded the financial shock to the industry and they fear it could take years to recover. The state of tourism in Kashmir is “a typical case of out of the frying pan into the fire,” said Faiz Bakhshi, a prominent businessman and former secretary general of the Kashmir Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCC&I). Fall season is almost gone in Kashmir “I don’t see any resumption of tourism in Kashmir until there is zero incidence of COVID-1...
Read MoreArunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu on Monday hinted that the state will reopen for tourists after October. Attending a virtual programme organised by the central government, Khandu said that the tourism sector has suffered a lot in the last six months due to the COVID-19 pandemic which affected the livelihood of thousands of people and dented the state's revenue. "Tourism is one major source of revenue and employment. Keeping all considerations in mind, we will be re-opening the sector. If everything goes well, after October we will be open to visitors," he said at the Destination North East programme. Destination North East is a calendar event of the Ministry of Department of North Eastern Region (DoNER) showcasing the region's rich heritage, diversity and tourism ...
Read MoreThe Odisha government has decided to reopen all tourist destinations from October, more than six months after they were shut due to the COVID-19 pandemic, a minister said on Sunday. Tourism Minister J P Panigrahi said his department has prepared a master plan to promote various destinations in the state to attract tourists. Birding season will start soon in Odisha "We have decided to reopen all the tourist spots from October with strict adherence to health safety guidelines amid the COVID-19 pandemic," he said after a programme organised to celebrate 'World Tourism Day 2020'. Panigrahi did not mention the date for reopening of tourist destinations. Urging people to come to the state, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik said all precautionary measures have been taken for the health s...
Read MoreUttarakhand further relaxes entry rules, negative COVID-19 report now not needed
Just a day after the new set of rules came into force on Monday, Uttarakhand government further relaxed post-COVID norms for entry of travelers into state, bringing it almost at par to those of neighbouring hill state of Himachal Pradesh. Two important conditions have been done away with in the new notification issued on Tuesday, September 22, 2020. Now there will be no prebooking of minimum two nights required to enter the state. More importantly, no negative COVID-19 test report will be now required. Travelers as well as the hotels of their stay will have to keep an eye on symptoms and in any case of a symptom related to COVID-19 showing up, they will have to immediately inform the concerned health authorities. Two things will still be checked on the state bor...
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