The travel and tourism industry, unarguably, is one of the most affected sectors since the onset of COVID-19. With country borders sealed, cities brought to a standstill and all transportation stationary, it is difficult to imagine the recovery trajectory of travel. Industry experts suggest that while travel will eventually recover in stages, a shift in both travel norms and traveller behaviour is expected. Addressing some common questions on every traveller’s mind, VFS Global has shared guidelines to assuage their concerns and help navigate their holiday plans once international borders open again. • What happens to passports submitted before services were suspended? Following the national lockdown in India, Visa Application Centres had to shut down operations in adherence to directives from central and local authorities and diplomatic missions. When the Visa Application Centres are allowed to re-open, VFS Global will be able to evaluate at which stage of assessment each application is and resume the applicant return process accordingly. If you have a query about your passport that was submitted with your visa application, please write to customercare@vfsglobal.com. • Will Visa Application Centres open for appointments once the national lockdown lifts? Visa Application Centres in any city/country operate according to the directives of the central and local authorities and the diplomatic mission / the country being applied to. In some cases, even if central/local authorities lift the lockdown, the country you are applying to may not be accepting visa applications. In this scenario, an open Visa Application Centre might not serve your purpose. Make sure you’re checking regulations by not only your government but also that of the country you plan to visit. • What are health and safety precautions implemented …

Tourism Minister of Telangana, V Srinivas Goud has directed the tourism department to prepare Detailed Project Reports (DPRs) for development of their respective vacant lands which will be considered for development of tourism. He directed to identify vacant lands belonging to the tourism department and prepare three DPRs for each proposed project. The tourism authorities were asked to prepare proposals to develop the existing hotels and restaurants of Telangana State Tourism Development Corporation and make them profitable ventures. The proposals will be taken up with Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao for approval. The officials were asked to list out cases pertaining to land leases and rents pending in courts, for filing counter-affidavits. The Minister also sought to know minor disputes and cases with the leaseholders including the extension of the tourism activity in violation of existing norms, for initiating necessary legal action. He directed them to increase the lease amount and rents of tourism properties wherever necessary.

The COVID-19 pandemic has prompted all destinations worldwide to introduce restrictions on travel, research by the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) has found. The data shows that shows that 100% of destinations now have restrictions in place and 72% of them have completely closed their borders to international tourism. UNWTO has found that 83% of destinations in Europe have introduced complete closure of borders for international tourism. In the Americas, this proportion stands at 80%, in Asia and the Pacific it is 70%, in the Middle East it is 62% and in Africa it is 57%. Out of all 217 destinations worldwide, 156 (72%) have placed a complete stop on international tourism according to the data collected as of 27 April 2020. In 25% of destinations, restrictions have been in place for at least three months, while in 40% of destinations, restrictions were introduced at least two months ago. Most importantly, the research also found that no destination has so far lifted or eased travel restrictions. Zurab Pololikashvili, Secretary-General, UNWTO said, “Tourism has been the hardest hit of all the major sectors as countries lockdown and people stay at home. UNWTO calls on governments to work together to coordinate the easing and lifting of restrictions in a timely and responsible manner, when it is deemed safe to do so. Tourism is a lifeline to millions, especially in the developing world. Opening the world up to tourism again will save jobs, protect livelihoods and enable our sector to resume its vital role in driving sustainable development.”

The Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) has come up with a draft Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for commercial flights as preparations are underway to start domestic air travel in India. The ministry said that passengers might have to fill a detailed questionnaire, carry no cabin baggage and use Aarogya Setu app mandatorily. Passengers might also have to reach the airports at least two hours before departure, according to the ministry’s suggestions. The draft does not address the issue of keeping the middle seat vacant. The final SOPs are yet to be issued by the ministry. Till now, the suggestions have been sought on a draft discussion paper from airlines and airports. The draft SOP proposes that passengers would need a green status on Aarogya Setu app and would have to do web check-in as well as undergo temperature checks. A questionnaire to be circulated to the passenger and filled up by them in advance about their past history related to COVID-19 and quarantine, if any, in the last one month. Any passenger who has undergone quarantine in the last one month to be sent for security at the isolated security check unit only. The ministry has also suggested airlines maintain the same set of cabin and cockpit crew in the roster for as long as possible to prevent cross-contamination. Further, the ministry has suggested that passengers denied travel due to high temperature or age should be permitted to change their date of travel without penalty and airlines would have to maintain their records. Airports should have an isolation zone in the terminal building. State governments should provide requisite help with medical infrastructure if the airport does not have an APHO …

In a free-wheeling webinar interview organised by CAPA – Centre for Aviation recently, József Váradi, Chief Executive Officer, Wizz Air, said that his airline is doing well in terms of stimulating demand in the market. “Of course, the level of demand is not the same as before Covid-19. But if I were to look at our numbers, we are operating quite a few flights. We are performing at 10 per cent of our capacity as we speak and we are achieving a load factor of 70 to 75 per cent – an average of 200 seats per aircraft. I think we are doing quite well with regard to stimulating demand. However, we are seeing significant no-shows although it is improving. Also, while we are operational in 45 countries, no two countries have the same restrictions in place. So there are a lot of complexities out there.” He added that Wizz Air currently has an operating fleet of 121 aircraft which will go up to 135 within a year. In that period, it will be taking 22 new aircraft deliveries and retiring eight older aircraft.    

Luxury takes many forms in New Zealand. Clients can tailor their holiday to suit their needs, whether enjoying some pampering, tucking themselves away in a secluded paradise or packing in loads of adventurous activities. For more inspiration on how to include ‘New Zealand Luxury – Relaxation & Wellness’ in your itineraries, sign up for the webinar today at 1430 hrs (2:30 pm). To participate, contact Jaspreet Kaur at jaspreet.kaur@ddppl.com or call 9650196532.

Speaking at one of the sessions of the of the virtual conference, Hospitality Tomorrow, Puneet Chhatwal, MD and CEO IHCL said, “Among the segments that will come back first, I think opportunistic business is going to be key like repatriates, which we did not even know where it came from, we did not even realize that it could be a new market. Secondly people will take domestic trips, within driving distance to begin with, then some corporate demand will come up once the airports start functioning, as well as railways and highways. Step by step business demand will resume, maybe not at the same pace. Maybe some people will take vacations within the same city for an extended weekend. Since people are fed up of being inside their houses. ”

The British Prime Minister and President Macron have stressed the need for close bilateral, European and international cooperation in the fight against Covid-19. No quarantine measures would apply to travellers coming from France to the UK at this stage; any measures on either side would be taken in a concerted and reciprocal manner. The leaders spoke about the need to manage the risk of new transmissions arising from abroad, as the rate of coronavirus decreases domestically. In this regard, the Prime Minister and the President agreed to work together in taking forward appropriate border measures. This cooperation is particularly necessary for the management of our common border. A working group between the two governments will be set up to ensure this consultation throughout the coming weeks.

After the overwhelming response for the first and second editions of its Digital Conclave, TravTalk is all set to bring the third edition of the online conference on May 15 from 10 am to 1:30 pm, which would discuss pertinent issues in the industry at the time of COVID-19 crisis. There will be 3 sessions of 1 hour each and will see experts from different segments of travel, deliberating on the way forward. The panelists for first session, titled ‘The Reality of NO tourism!’ will be Rajiv Mehra from IATO, Bharat Atree from Caper Travel Company, and Debjit Dutta from Impression Tourism Services. Second session, titled ‘Hotels in the age of social distancing. Where are the robots?’ will have Mandeep Lamba from HVS ANAROCK, Dilip Puri from Indian School of Hospitality and Jatin Khanna from Marriot Hotels. For the third session, titled ‘Big ticket business! When do we start looking at weddings, corporate and M!CE travel?’, the panelists include Rajeev Jain from Rashi Entertainment, Rajdev Bhattacharya from Wipro Limited, and Rajeev Kale from Thomas Cook India.

Opening the second session titled ‘Where is the money? Selling domestic luxury’ in the second series of the Digital Conclave spearheaded by TravTalk, was Arjun Sharma, Chairman, Select Group, who believes that there is a great scope and need to develop tourist circuits on specific themes to attract the tourists having special interest in visiting such places. “Why is it that the circuits or packages available for the inbound tourists are not available for the Indian domestic traveller? There is a need to bring our circuits back to the forefront. Domestic tourism should not be positioned just as a weekend package. We should make it a five or six-day package, whether it is religious, wildlife, or experiential in nature. We need to mix and match, add standalone hotels in the itinerary. Trust me, we don’t have to fear the online giants. We have to work with them,” he says. In fact, the Government of India, Ministry of Tourism had launched the Swadesh Darshan Scheme for integrated development of theme based tourist circuits in the country in 2014-15.