Travel habits exposed in global survey # YouGov international survey of over 17,500 people from across 15 destinations reveals almost two thirds of people globally are prioritizing travelling to places that their friends and families have already been to, fueling over tourism in certain locations and leaving other destinations broadly undiscovered. # 66% of tourists believe that travelling to a place that provides familiarity is important with just under half of respondents feeling uncomfortable travelling to places they know little about. # However of those that do travel to new destinations, 83% agree that they come back with a changed or broadened perspective. International tourists are less likely to consider exploring unfamiliar tourist destinations, opting to travel to...
Read MoreTag: travel bubble
Australia-New Zealand travel bubble launches with lopsided demand
A testing and quarantine free travel bubble between Australia and New Zealand launched with lopsided demand, according to airlines and data firms, with an unusually high number of the travellers departing from Australia. The initial results from Asia’s first restriction-free travel bubble since the pandemic hit, which opened on Monday, showed that travel patterns can depart from their norms after such a long closure and may take time to return to normal. FILE PHOTO: A passenger arrives from New Zealand after the Trans-Tasman travel bubble opened overnight, following an extended border closure due to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, at Sydney Airport in Sydney, Australia. REUTERS/Loren Elliott “Right now, it’s one-way traffic, with almost three times as much travel goi...
Read MoreQuarantine free travel with New Zealand starts from Monday Australia is no hurry to reopen its international borders and risk the country’s nearly coronavirus-free lifestyle, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Sunday. Australia closed its borders to all non-citizens and non-residents in March 2020 and has been permitting only limited international arrivals in recent months, mainly its citizens returning from abroad. FILE PHOTO: A tourist takes a photograph on their iPhone of the Sydney Harbour Bridge at sunset on a spring day in central Sydney, Australia. REUTERS/Steven Saphore The border closure, together with snap lockdowns, swift contact tracking and high community compliance with health measures, have made Australia one of the world’s most successful countries in curbin...
Read MoreSingapore has launched a travel “bubble” business hotel that allows executives to do face-to-face meetings without a risk of exposure to the coronavirus, in one of the world’s first such facilities. The hotel has meeting rooms outfitted with airtight glass panels to reduce the risk of transmission and even has a special compartment with an ultraviolet light to sanitise documents so they can be shared between participants. A view of a meeting room outfitted with airtight glass panels at short-stay facility Connect@Changi, a complex of hotel rooms and meeting halls near the airport which welcomes business "bubble" travellers from March, as part of the city-state's effort to resume international meetings and conferences amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Singapore. RE...
Read MoreSingapore is to allow a limited number of business, official and other “high economic value” travellers from around the world under a “bubble” arrangement that offers a glimpse into what visitors for this year’s relocated Davos summit might expect. The annual World Economic Forum (WEF) will make its debut in Asia in May after being moved from its usual home in the Swiss ski resort of Davos over coronavirus safety concerns. FILE PHOTO: A view of a cordoned off area at the Merlion Park is seen amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in Singapore. REUTERS/Edgar Su/File Photo Singapore’s borders have been largely shut for most of 2020 as part of strict rules to keep out a virus still raging across the globe, and it faces challenges hosting an event that usually attracts thou...
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 MoreEven though major economies across the Asia-Pacific (APAC) started negotiating travel bubble pacts with their key source countries to revive the tourism sector, recovery to pre-COVID-19 pandemic levels may take time even after all restrictions are withdrawn, says GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company. International tourist arrivals in the APAC region declined by more than 75% in the first eight months of 2020. Hong Kong reported a loss of more than 90% international visitors in the same period, followed by Japan, South Korea, Macau with more than 80%, and Singapore and Thailand by 79% and 75%, respectively. China, where the COVID-19 was first reported, reported the highest reduction in inbound visitors of 87% in Q1 2020. Aditi Dutta Chowdhury, Economic Research Analys...
Read MoreIn COVID-19 era, all our travel plans depend upon availability of travel bubbles! So, for your next romantic holiday here is a bubble for you… literally! You can experience social distancing in style with the Beach Bubble on a private sandbank under the stars at Seaside Finolhu Maldives. Sunset at Seaside Finolhu Whether you’re dreaming of where you’d rather be or planning a post-lockdown getaway, Seaside Finolhu’s Beach Bubble is the perfect place for a secluded stay and romantic reunion. Seaside Finolhu is opening again from coming October and India has also signed a travel bubble agreement with Maldives just ten days back. Hence, you have a perfect opportunity as well as bubble to make your travel plan realise. Dramatically located in a secluded spot along Finolhu’s famous 1.5...
Read MoreWith fear of another wave of coronavirus resurfacing, Thailand has delayed plans for a “travel bubble” agreement with select countries. New daily coronavirus cases are rising in parts of Asia, putting pressure on its vital tourism industry and complicating efforts to revive its battered economy. Thailand first proposed the idea in June to allow movement between select countries that have low infection numbers, without the need for travellers to undergo quarantine. But that has been shelved, officials said, amid second and third waves in East Asian countries that previously had their outbreaks under control. “We are delaying discussion of travel bubble arrangements for now given the outbreak situation in other countries,” Thailand’s coronavirus taskforce spokesman, Taweesin Wisanuyot...
Read MoreAviation regulator DGCA on Friday said the suspension of scheduled international flights to and from the country has been extended till August 31 amid the coronavirus pandemic. But DGCA approved repatriation flights and flights within designated ‘travel-bubbles’ will continue. The suspension of scheduled international commercial services was till July 31. In the wake of the pandemic, overseas flights were suspended in late March, while cargo flights and those approved by the DGCA have been permitted to operate. In a statement, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said the government has decided to "extend the suspension on the Scheduled International Commercial Passenger Services to/from India up to 2359 hours IST of 31st August". However, this restriction would not ...
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