According to a recent survey commissioned by Airbnb, 58 percent of Indians prefer to spend their money on experiences over things, and 65 percent plan to increase their spending on experiences in 2020, particularly women and young adults (Gen Z, millennials). In Asia Pacific, Generation Z guests comprise the fastest growing guest segment for Airbnb Experiences.

According to recent study by ForwardKeys, 15 regional destinations have seen a drop in bookings from the USA in the past five weeks. South East Asia saw a decline of 94.1%, while South Asia bookings fell by 23.7%. Oceania saw of drop of 21.3%, Caribbean (12.5%), Central/Eastern Europe (7.7%), Northern Europe (5.5%), Middle East (4.2%), South America (3.4%), North America (3.3%), Southern Europe (2.8%) and Western Europe by (1.7%).

In a recent mailer, Somon Air has said, “Somon Air is temporarily suspending its operations from Delhi until further notice. However, we are operating a flight on 15th March 2020 and  any Indian or Tajik nationals who want to avail direct services can book the tickets at our office. After the situation is normalised the flight operations will start again.”

Hotel occupancy in India declined by 0.15% in January 2020 as compared to December 2019, reveals Hotels & Hospitality Overview (H2O), the monthly update report by HVS. However, the occupancy was up by 0.50% as compared to January 2019. The RevPAR in January 2020 also declined by 2.23% as compared to December 2019, reveals the report.

Switzerland Tourism invites members of India’s travel trade for participate in its exclusive webinar Zurich, Switzerland’s largest city. Zurich is a cosmopolitan city and is abuzz with activities, experiences, and countless events, day and night. The webinar will take place on Friday, 20th March 2020 at 3:00 pm and will highlight popular attractions and experiences that can be explored in and around Zurich. Participants get the opportunity to learn about the various products as well as get the latest news and updates from Zurich. Travel partners who attend all the webinars also stand a chance of winning a trip to Switzerland. For more information, please contact Jaspreet Kaur on 9650196532 or jaspreet.kaur@ddppl.com.

Due to outbreak of COVID-19 situation, tickets issued on SriLankan Airlines will be eligible for one free date change as per the condition below: Tickets issued on or before March 31 2020. Ticketed to travel for any date. Irrespective of cabin /journey type/fare type/fully utilised or partially utilised . Fare difference may apply Ticket endorsement” PR006/26JAN20″ All date or flight changes to be finalized by 31st May 2020. No-show fees shall apply for tickets with the suspended coupon status if pax do not attend to travel, inform pax to cancel reservation as early as possible. Cancellation/refund Refund is permitted with the applicable charges (Please refer the fare rule)

Commercial Policy Bulletin by Virgin Atlantic states below: Eligibility only for passengers with an original ticket issue date from 04 March 2020 to 31 March 2020 inclusive Original Travel Date                                    Affected Destination   04 March 2020 – 30 September 2020        VS issued tickets from/to/through All Destinations when travelling on a VS/VS* Flight Number Permitted Travel Period Travel can be rebooked 03 March 2020 – 30 September 2020 Applies to VS and VS* tickets issued between 04 March 2020 and 31 March 2020 inclusive To assist VS/VS* passengers impacted by the global health concerns of the Coronavirus Future Travel Rebooking Options: 1. This policy entitles passengers to one change with the change fee waived only 2. This policy applies regardless of the flexibility of the ticket – for example where a booking is made in Light, this policy will grant one change with the change fee waived, even if typically the booking would be non-changeable 3. When rebooked travel occurs on or before 30 September 2020 the change fee will be waived if ticket is reissued on or before 30 September 2020, though fare difference will apply on the new itinerary, regardless of booking class. If the new quoted fare is lower than the current ticketed fare no refund will be applied 4. No refunds are permitted as part of this policy Class to Class Rebook: Rebooked flights must be in the same booking class that the customer was originally booked in. Example: Customer originally booked in T, new itinerary must be booked in T. Rebooking to JV partners is allowed Class …

Following the implementation of Visa restrictions by India government due to the Corona virus outbreak, Kenya Airways has cancelled flights between Nairobi and Mumbai with schedule change between March 17 and April 15. FOR WHOLLY UN-UTILISED TICKETS Full refund is allowed for KQ210/KQ211 only for travel dated March 17- April 15 2. Refund application should be submitted on or before March 31 2020. 3. endorsement while refunding: Cancellation of KQ(Flight NBR)/ Date FUTURE ITINERARY CHANGES Customers can change to a flight of equal or lesser value with no change fee . If the new fare is of lesser value, there is no refund or residual of the fare difference. If the new ticket is a higher fare, the customer only pays the fare difference

Due to the impact of COVID-19, the Company today announced the decision to postpone the launch of service to Bengaluru, scheduled to start during the summer schedule of 2020. Note 1 – Customers holding a reservation will be contacted by a company representative. Note 2 – Launch date will be determined based on the status of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19)

The Sultanate of Oman has suspended the issuance of tourist visas to all countries for one month starting March 15, Oman News Agency reported. The Supreme Committee also suspended sporting activities and non-class student activities for 30 days. All cruise ships will be banned from entering Omani ports for a period of one month. The ban also extends to cruise ships that are prohibited to enter Omani ports, the committee said. Additionally, for 30 days, court attendance is limited to only those involved in cases. The country has decided to prevent sheeshas in authorised places. The Committee also recommended not to travel outside the Sultanate except for extreme necessity. The authorities also advised to take preventive measures during religious rites, family and social gatherings, and not to go to cinemas.