Celestyal Cruises, that sails to the Greek Islands and the Eastern Mediterranean, has added to its fleet the Costa NeoRomantica from Costa Cruises. Built in 1993 and extensively refurbished in 2012, the 1,800-guest ship has 789 cabins, 132 of which feature balconies, as well as a variety of dining and entertainment venues, bars and lounges, two pools, a gym and a panoramic spa. Celestyal Cruises’ CEO, Chris Theophilides, says, “While Covid-19 has brought a temporary pause to our operations, it is important that we look to the future with optimism and continue to deliver on our strategic plan to grow the business and enhance the Celestyal experience through investment. This mid-size cruise vessel is ideally suited to our business model.” Details of the ship’s delivery and deployment will be announced at a later date. Celestyal Cruises’ existing 2021 and 2022 itineraries that were recently launched remain unchanged.

A recent Travel Consul survey that analyses the impact of COVID-19 on tour operators and agency owners suggests that 42% of businesses surveyed will not be able to sustain themselves for more than three months without government intervention. A meagre 3% said they have a chance of survival for 7-10 months.

Saeed Al Saeed, Marketing Director, Department of Culture & Tourism, Abu Dhabi, says that every person who tests positive for Covid-19 on UAE soil will be treated courtesy Emirate. “They will be put up in star hotels and if they need to be hospitalised, they will be cared for at our hospitals free of charge.”

According to the latest CAPA Insider edition for South Asia, as of the start of 2020, India’s largest airline, IndiGo was the 10th largest in the world by weekly seat capacity. The four largest carriers were all based in the US. It was the only Indian airline to be listed in the top 10 list.

Jyoti Mayal, President, TAAI, says that she is hopeful that bookings on repatriation flights will be opened for agents too. “Agents were kept at bay when it came to booking Vande Bharat flights. All repatriation flights should come on the GDS. Now that processes between countries and ministries are established, it should be opened to us.”

Sharing some details on member engagement, Pradip Lulla, Acting President and VP, TAFI, says, “Since a regular convention is not possible this year, we will conduct a virtual one in October or November 2020. We are in talks with technology partners and sponsors for this.” Hearing on TAFI’s sole petition filed in the SC against MoCA and DGCA is now on July 20.

The latest key findings from CAPA India’s exclusive ‘Traveller Sentiment Tracker’ indicate that the second quarter is increasingly looking like a washout. The outlook for Q3 will depend upon how fast the infection curve can be flattened so that consumer confidence is restored. But at this stage, the public does not appear to be in any rush to return to the skies, especially when it comes to international travel.

The railway ministry has offered nine routes to private players in the Northeast Frontier Railway zone that covers most parts of north Bengal and the entire North East region. It is estimated that the total project would bring in investments of Rs 30,000 crore. Among the routes selected are Guwahati’s link to Delhi and cities like Kolkata, Pune, Bengaluru and Bhopal.

PATA India Chapter will conduct its next webinar on 15th July, 2020. Titled, ‘Tourism PowerHouse in an Evolving Landscape’, the webinar will have key international speakers such as Dr. Mario Hardy, CEO, PATA and Oliver Ponti, VP Insights, ForwardKeys. They will share global trends and analysis on the impact of COVID-19 on the tourism sector and the way forward.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray has assured the Hotel & Restaurant Association of Western India (HRAWI) that the government is working on re-opening protocols. He said that they would re-open in a phased manner to avoid any backlash. Thackeray also informed that the government is working on certain concessions such as in excise fees to help revive the industry.