The Globus family of brands has instituted a travel policy which states that they are proactively suspending the operation of all China itineraries – and those vacations that include stops in China – through April 30, 2020. Travellers affected by these cancellations have been informed in order to adjust their travel plans. The step has been taken in response to COVID-19 outbreak and subsequent Health Ministry warnings to avoid all travel to China. As an added precaution for the health and safety of all of its guests, anyone who has travelled from/visited or transited through China, Macau, or Hong Kong, within the 21 days prior to the start of their vacation will be restricted on Globus family tours. Additionally, some governments have implemented wider restrictions that limit the arrival of travellers who have travelled from/visited or transited through countries beyond those currently within the Globus policy above. If they have recently travelled overseas, it is recommended that travellers check the current travel policy of their final destinations. The Globus family of brands continues to monitor the situation closely to determine if additional modifications and updates are needed in accordance with the Indian and international travel advisements and policies. Therefore, Globus is offering an interim policy for its travellers and agents to adjust travel plans and help alleviate immediate concerns and related penalties. At this time, all of its tours are operating as scheduled with the exception of mainland China. Further updates are available on the websites – CosmosVacations.in; GlobusJourneys.in

The Ministry of Tourism (MOT) has launched the multilingual website of Incredible India during an event in Delhi. The website which is currently hosted in English and Hindi has been revamped with a new design to provide more information about India’s tourist destinations, attractions, experiences and providing support in Chinese, Arabic and Spanish languages. Prahlad Singh Patel, Minister of State for Tourism & Culture (I/C) unveiled the new website at The Ashok Hotel, New Delhi in presence of key stakeholders of the Indian tourism industry. Incredible India website (www.incredibleindia.org) is a promotional website of MOT for projecting India as a ‘must-visit’ destination across the globe. Incredible India 2.0 website aims towards showcasing the varied tourism products of India at a global arena by providing visitors with relevant, personalized and contextual digital experience escalating tourism awareness, attraction and opportunities.

After announcing the cancellation of ITB Berlin 2020, organisers Messe Berlin have announced dates for the event in 2021. It will take place from March 10-14. On Friday, the German Federal Ministry of Health and the Federal Ministry of Economics had stated their opinion that ITB Berlin 2020 be cancelled in view of rapidly spreading coronavirus threat in Germany and other parts of Europe. More than 10,000 exhibitors from over 180 countries were expected to attend ITB Berlin 2020.

The German authorities have announced the cancellation of ITB Berlin, scheduled from March 4-8 in Berlin, Germany. The decision was taken in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak all around the world. As on Friday, 22 confirmed cases of COVID-19 have been reported in the country according to the German government’s health authority. Considered as one of the largest tourism fairs in the world, 100,000 visitors from across the globe were expected to attend the event. Paragraph 9.1 of the agreement between Messe Berlin (ITB) and exhibitors says if the event is cancelled due to higher force (authority) and in case neither Messe Berlin or the exhibitor has caused, exhibitors will not have to pay their stand fees. Making the announcement, Dr Christian Göke, CEO of Messe Berlin GmbH, said: “With more than 10,000 exhibitors from over 180 countries, ITB Berlin is of outstanding importance for the global tourism industry. We take our responsibility for the health and safety of our guests, exhibitors and employees very seriously. It is with a heavy heart that we look forward to the cancellation of ITB Berlin 2020, which has now become necessary”. The Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Messe Berlin Wolf-Dieter Wolf explained, “In their now 54-year history ITB Berlin and Messe Berlin have never before experienced a comparable situation. We would like to thank all exhibitors and partners around the world who have supported ITB Berlin in the past days and weeks, and look forward to continuing our trusting cooperation with our partners in the market”.

Coronavirus has hit Abu Dhabi, with two people testing positive for the virus and causing a lockdown of two hotels, W Abu Dhabi and Crowne Plaza in Yas Island. Reportedly, both of the affected persons are Italian citizens who came to Abu Dhabi for the UAE Tour cycling race. Over 100 tourists staying at the hotel have been told they cannot leave “until the sanitary authorities warn.” All guests in the hotels are now undergoing a screening process. Source: UAE News Agency WAM and BBC

Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Ministry has temporarily suspended the entry of foreigners for pilgrimage and tourism purposes, preventing travel to the country’s holiest sites over fears of the fast-spreading coronavirus. The foreign ministry said it was also suspending visas for tourists visiting from countries where the new virus has spread. The Ministry also called on citizens not to travel to countries where the new coronavirus is spreading. The authorities have also suspended the use of the national identity card to travel to and from the Kingdom by Saudi nationals and Gulf citizens, in order for the concerned authorities at the entry points to verify from which countries visitors came before their arrival to the Kingdom, and apply health precautions to deal with those coming from those countries.

Heavy downpours are expected to cause further flooding as yellow weather warnings are in place for Storm Jorge with the south-west and north-west of England, Wales and Northern Ireland expected to experience the worst of the deluge. The Met Office has warned that public transport is likely to be disrupted over the weekend with delays at airports, train stations, ferry ports and on Britain’s roads.

India has issued a travel advisory to avoid non-essential travel to Japan, South Korea and Italy due to increasing impact of COVID-19 infections in these countries. The government has also temporarily suspended Visa on Arrival (VOA) services for nationals of Japan and South Korea. ‘Regular visas continue to be processed and may be applied for,” the notification read. Earlier, India had on February 2 suspended e-visa facility for Chinese travellers and foreigners residing in China. The new advisory is applicable along with the existing advisories against travel to China.

Switzerland Tourism invites members of India’s travel trade to participate in its exclusive webinar series. The webinar series aims to educate the trade about one of the most popular travel destination for Indian travellers – Switzerland. The upcoming webinar on 5th Mar 2020 at 3:00 pm will highlight the summer attractions in Lucerne. Lucerne is a city in Central Switzerland situated on Lake Lucerne and surrounded by mountains. It is a popular destination for travellers and has numerous attractions and accommodation options in and around it. Viewers get a chance to learn about the various offerings in Lucerne in the summer months so that they can plan their clients’ itineraries accordingly. Travel partners who attend all the webinars also stand a chance of winning a trip to Switzerland. Those who are interested in participating can get in touch with  Jaspreet Kaur for further information either via email, jaspreet.kaur@ddppl.com  or call  9650196532.

The Indian Association of Tour Operators (IATO) will have its elections on April 25, 2020 at The Ashok, New Delhi. The information was shared by Rajesh Mudgill, Hony. Secretary, IATO during the last interactive luncheon meeting of the current Executive Committee of the association took place on February 28. He said that official notification about the election will be soon shared with the members. Akshay Kumar, CEO, Mercury Himalayan Explorations will be the returning officer.