Category Archives: NTO (National Tourist Offices)

Britain has unveiled a £10 million global tourism campaign, called the GREAT tourism campaign, at Expo 2020 Dubai in a bid to strengthen close trade ties with the UAE. The global initiative is aimed to drive inbound tourism to the UK, as the country gears up for a year of big events including Queen Elizabeth II’s platinum jubilee celebrations and the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham. The launch event was hosted by Visit Britain, and was held before UK National Day at Dubai Expo 2020. The tourism campaign will highlight major British events this year, set to be global visitor draws, especially the queen’s platinum jubilee, the Commonwealth Games and ‘Unboxed’, a UK-wide celebration of creativity. VisitBritain also hosted senior trade delegation from India in Dubai at a roundtable with Dame Judith Macgregor, Chairperson, VisitBritain, along with West Midlands Growth Company in the afternoon before the launch of new GREAT tourism campaign. The delegates included Sunil Suresh, Chief Marketing Officer, MakeMyTrip; Anoop Kanuga – Chairman, Tourism Services Committee at TAAI; Jitul Mehta, Chairman, Western Chapter, TAAI and Riaz Munshi, President, OTOAI.

Effective 4am, 11 February 2022, major changes to UK’s coronavirus (COVID-19) travel rules have come into force, which will make international journeys cheaper and easier for passengers ahead of the half term. Eligible fully vaccinated travellers arriving in the UK no longer need to take any COVID-19 tests – resulting in the UK having one of the most free-flowing borders and open societies in Europe. Hence, they only need to fill out a simplified passenger locator form, confirming their vaccination status, travel history and contact details. Also, arrivals who do not qualify as fully vaccinated will only need to take a pre-departure test in the 2 days before they depart for the UK and a PCR test on or before the end of day 2 after they arrive in the UK, as well as completing the passenger locator form. These passengers will not need to self-isolate on arrival and will only need to do so if they test positive. Changes come as children aged 12 to 15 in England can now prove their vaccination status or proof of prior infection for outbound travel with the digital NHS COVID Pass. Sally Balcombe, CEO, VisitBritain said, “Britain’s tourism industry is ready to welcome international visitors, we know there is pent-up demand for travel and our priority is to build back visitor spending as quickly as possible, competing hard for international visitors who contribute billions to our economy. Our £10 million global GREAT Britain marketing campaign is already rolling out across our major overseas markets, showing that Britain is packed full of fresh and exciting experiences to come and enjoy today. This year’s landmark events including HM The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, the Commonwealth …

Australia has announced that it will reopen its borders to fully vaccinated tourists from February 21. The announcement has been made by Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison. “It’s almost two years since we took the decision to close the borders to Australia,” Morrison said during a media briefing.

The Sultanate of Oman has prepared to combat COVID-19 in accordance with His Majesty Sultan Haitham bin Tariq’s high directives to form a Supreme Committee to deal with the pandemic. The committee has issued multiple decisions on various aspects of reacting to the pandemic and has recommended precautionary measures. In order to minimise the transmission of the virus at any stage of the pandemic, standard measures must be followed in the preparation for the gradual restoration of tourism activity following the slow receding of COVID-19. In support of these initiatives, the Ministry of Heritage and Tourism, in collaboration with the Ministry of Health and travel and tourism agencies, has developed a set of preventative measures to avoid the spread of COVID-19 when the tourism industry reopens. The pre-arrival procedures are as follows: Make sure that COVID-19 safety information is included in tourist marketing and booking procedures. Tourists entering the Sultanate of Oman are required to provide a medical certificate or other permit. The Sultanate must be visited for no more than two weeks. A hotel or resort reservation is necessary in advance. Prior to arriving in the Sultanate, register in the Ministry of Health’s (Tarassud+) system. Upon arrival in the Sultanate, tourists will be subjected to a PCR test and be quarantined in a hotel until the test results are negative. A room or a separate area will be provided in the hotel or resort for each tourist or family. Making reservations online or through an electronic platform is preferable. Avoid using paper documents and limit cash transactions as much as possible. It is mandatory to have international health insurance that covers the cost of COVID-19 treatment for the duration …

As of 24 January, a ‘vaccination pass’ is now required for people aged 16 and over in almost all places where the Health Activity Pass was previously necessary. The ‘vaccination pass’ requires proof of double vaccination and A negative Covid-19 test (PCR or antigenic) will no longer be sufficient.  The “vaccination pass” does not apply to adolescents between 12 and 15 years of age. However, they are required to have a “health pass” to access the places mentioned above (bars and restaurants, leisure activities, large shopping centers, inter-regional transport). Vaccines accepted by France are those recognised by the European Medicines Agency: Pfizer, Moderna, AstraZeneca/Vaxzevria/Covishield and Johnson & Johnson. For more information, log on to: https://www.diplomatie.gouv.fr/en/coming-to-france/coming-to-france-your-covid-19-questions-answered/

Qatar Tourism has announced new superyacht luxury cruises in partnership with Emerald Cruises, sailing from Doha launching in January 2023. Emerald Azzurra will offer a seven-night, eight-day itineraries from Doha, with stops at Sir Bani Yas Island, Abu Dhabi; Khasab, Oman; Fujairah, UAE; Zighy Bay, Oman; and Dubai and vice versa. Pre and post cruise tours are available where guests can opt for a three-day package to explore the sites and culture of Qatar. Highlights include the National Museum of Qatar, designed by French architect Jean Nouvel, in the style of a desert rose; or a visit to Souq Waqif, to purchase local souvenirs and spices. Visitors can take a trip into the desert and visit the Inland Sea, before enjoying dune bashing and a camel ride. The news comes as construction continues on the new Grand Cruise Terminal located in central Doha, near the Museum of Islamic Art and Souq Waqif. The terminal will have the capacity to host two megaships and will offer various attractions, including an aquarium and art gallery. Chief Operating Officer of Qatar Tourism, Berthold Trenkel, said: “In line with the national strategy, Qatar National Vision 2030, we are expanding our tourism value proposition and are excited to welcome travellers from around the world to experience the best of Qatari hospitality both on sea and land. The new itineraries launching with Emerald Cruises are another step towards achieving this vision. “Qatar has an incredible range of hotels, restaurants, activities and cultural landmarks which can be enjoyed pre and post the cruise, allowing guests the freedom to explore Qatar at their leisure. We welcome travellers from around the world to experience our beautiful country and the best …

Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi has released a comprehensive guide for vaccinated and unvaccinated visitors to ensure streamlined and stress-free travel into the UAE capital. When planning a trip to Abu Dhabi, all inbound tourists are reminded first to check DCT Abu Dhabi’s destination website for latest travel guidelines, which reiterates that a booster (third) vaccination dose is not necessary to enter the emirate. Also, for those entering Abu Dhabi via the Dubai/Abu Dhabi Road entry point, DCT Abu Dhabi has assigned the far-right lane (Lane 1) as a dedicated tourist lane.  Fully vaccinated tourists must present vaccination  proof and a negative 48-hour PCR test obtained from their home country.

VisitBritain has launched the ‘GetReadyForBirmingham’ campaign with TravTalk to promote West Midlands, England region, using the upcoming Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games as a hook. Log on to www.GetReadyForBirmingham.com and get clicked at the virtual photo booth offering the most scenic backgrounds in West Midlands, which is playing host to the games.

Tourism & Events Queensland, in conjunction with Tourism Australia, has specially produced tutorial guides on how to capture the best ‘Night’, ‘Action’ and ‘Landscape’ photography shots. These tutorials (a series of 3 x 2mins videos) are produced in association with Queensland’s content creator Jesse Lindeman. To inject a bit of fun, the State Tourism Organisation is running a photography contest only for its India-based trade partners. The first 25 qualified entries will win a A$20 Amazon vouchers. In addition, the top three winners will also win one of Jesse’s exclusive Queensland print (framed).     The contest is open to all outbound travel trade staff based in India. However, the participant will need to register as an Aussie Specialist Program (ASP) agent in Tourism Australia’s online portal. It is easy. All the staff need to do is to login (or register if he/she is not yet an ASP agent) to learn from a few easy tips explained in the tutorials. Each participant then submit his/ her your own favorite photo(s) to Diksha Singh (dsingh@tourism.australia.com) by 28th January 2022. Participant may choose to submit his/her photo under any of the below categories (note : please indicate chosen category in their email headline): (A) Night (B) Action (C) Landscape He/she can submit up to 3 photos per category. There is also the flexibility to submit across ONE, TWO or all THREE categories. Winners will be announced at the Queensland ‘Scenic Rim – ‘Top 10 destinations to visit in 2022’ webinar on 4 February 2022 at 11am IST. Do register your seat at this webinar: Webinar Date: 4 February 2022 Time: 11 AM – 12 PM IST Register here for the webinar

Thailand’s Centre for COVID-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) ordered a temporary suspension of the Thailand Pass for all new TEST&GO and Sandbox applications (except Phuket Sandbox), effective from 22 December 2021, citing the rising number of Omicron variant cases in the country. However, travelers can travel to Thailand via Phuket. Phuket remains open for Indian travelers under the Phuket Sandbox scheme. Under this program, travelers will only need to do a PCR test and wait in the hotel until the result is received. If tested negative, they can then move around in Phuket. The second RT PCR test will be done on the 5-6th day post which they can travel to other parts of Thailand after completing seven days of stay in Phuket (No Quarantine required) or return to their home country within 7 days.  Cholada Siddhivarn Director, Tourism Authority of Thailand, Mumbai office says we are happy to welcome Indians to Thailand. However, we have just altered the entry rules for people entering our country from different entry points except for Phuket. The step comes in after the rise in new variant cases. We believe it is better to take necessary precautions while we still are ready to welcome travelers from different parts of the world. She further added, “Travellers wanting to travel to Phuket can register for Thailand Pass under the Phuket Sandbox program and Happy Quarantine. The TAT India team will work closely with the travel trade partners to assist them with client queries and help them serve the clients better.”