Category Archives: NTO (National Tourist Offices)

According to Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority, Sri Lanka will re-open for tourists by early 2021 with caution and necessary protocols regularly reviewed by Ministry of Health (MOH). When Sri Lanka does re-open it will be for travellers from around the globe and they must abide by the following visa requirements. Evidence of a negative PCR Covid 19 test 72 hours before arrival, be tested again upon arrival, a third test to be carried out on day 7. All travellers must commit to a minimum stay of 14 days in the country and apply for an online visa. The Sri Lankan government has stated that all countries and nationalities are welcome to visit when they re-open for tourists. There will be no quarantine period if travellers follow all testing entry requirements, however if they are tested positive upon arrival, they will have to immediately report to the relevant authority.

Day 5 at Russian Expo Days (RED) would allow participants to attend live sessions on Samara and Krasnodar regions and presentation by Krasnaya Polyana Resort presents holidays in the mountains. At 12pm IST, one can watch webinar titled ‘Discover the amazing nature of the Samara region’ allowing the participants to learn about cruises along the Volga river, national parks and a lot of events and festivals. At 2:30pm IST, watch the webinar titled ‘Travelling to the south of Russia’ and learn about mountains, sea, delicious food, world famous Sochi and more wonderful things for tourists in the Krasnodar region. Watch Krasnaya Polyana Resort presents holidays in the mountains near Sochi at 4:30pm IST, and learn about accommodation and activities for Indian tourists. Watching all sessions live would allow them to win a fam trip to Krasnaya Polyana Resort in Sochi. Register for free at russiadays.travel. Register for free at russiadays.travel.

On Day4 of Russian Expo Days (RED), participants can attend live sessions on Kamchatka, Tula, Vladimir regions and St. Petersburg. At 10:30 am IST, at the session titled ‘Kamchatka: a magical journey to active volcanoes, geysers and untouched nature’, one can get information on tours, accommodation and prices. There will be a prize at the webinar. At 1pm IST, the webinar titled ‘Tula region presents active, cultural and gastronomy tourism in the region’ would allow one to find out why it is the land of craft masters, museums and natural wonders. At 3:30pm IST, one can attend webinar titled ‘Russian towns of the Golden ring and cultural routes for your tourists in the Vladimir region: a place of dozens UNESCO World Heritage sites’, while at 5:30pm one can attend ‘Saint Petersburg you never knew before: New Holland Island, eco parks, art clusters and other locations that will surprise tourists’ webinar. Attending all live sessions can make you win a fam trip to Krasnaya Polyana Resort in Sochi. Free registration at russiadays.travel.  

After conducting a series of webinars for the trade recently, Huzan Fraser Motivala, India Representatives, Tourism Ireland, says, “We look forward to welcoming Indian customers to Ireland when borders re-open. They will discover heart-warming moments and spectacular sights in Ireland. Indians can visit Ireland and UK on a single visa under the British Irish visa scheme.”

The Department of Foreign Affairs, Philippines  in cooperation with Department of Tourism & National Commission for Culture and Arts have launched “Fiesta Filipinas: An Online Celebration of Philippine Festivals”, a 6-part, multi-format online event series from December 2020 until May 2021, which will simulate the experience of a festival through a combination of live and pre-recorded videos and live workshops and activities. The project aims to introduce and showcase Philippine festivals, culture, and traditions to our global audience and invite them to the country when conditions are more favorable.

The two-day Virtual Spanish Travel Show concluded successfully with more than 1,300 buyers from India, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh interact with 20 Spanish exhibitors. Spain’s first-ever virtual roadshow witnessed more than 3,200 one-to-one meetings take place between travel agents and tour operators, and suppliers that included regional tourism boards, hotels and DMCs.

Tourism Ireland will conduct a webinar today at 4.30 pm with an interesting line-up of suppliers. Siobhán Naughton, its Marketing & Trade Executive (ME & Asia), says, “We will showcase fantastic accommodation offerings, amazing landscapes, and activities that are waiting to be enjoyed. To sign up, contact Jaspreet Kaur at jaspreet.kaur@ddppl.com or 9650196532.

Russian Expo Days (RED) are all set to start on Monday, 7th December. The event already has 1,300 colleagues from the trade on board. RED would allow buyers to visit virtual stands of Russia’s regions and find out the difference between them, including architectural beauty of St. Petersburg, wild nature in Kamchatka, Golden Ring itineraries and more. They can ask questions and get honest answers from representatives of Russian authorities and travel business in the networking section. They can also watch 5 days of live sessions and get the latest updates on tourism in Russia. At the end of the exhibition, they will receive a Russia Specialist Certificate. The event offers an opportunity to FIND reliable partners for organising trips to Russia – more than 40 companies are ready to cooperate with the buyers. Free registration at https://russiadays.travel/i/r/psRbpto .

The Utah Office of Tourism launched a revamped website to inspire visitors to consider Utah for their travel, increase well-prepared visitation and improve the customer experience. The redesign includes new visuals that highlight Utah’s diverse, vast landscapes and encourage deeper exploration; new site headings point to more experiences; significantly improved data and technical capabilities engage users more effectively; and there is more detailed information about places to visit and itineraries. The Red Emerald Strategic Plan encourages well-prepared year-round visitation, focusing on the quality of visits not just quantity of visitors, getting customers responsibly off the beaten path and helping communities that want to attract more tourists develop their destinations.  

Day one of the Virtual Spanish Travel Show saw more than 750 buyers from across the Indian subcontinent including  India, Nepal, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka meet 20 Spanish suppliers and conducted more than 2100 one-on-one meetings. Register for Day 2 of the show from 2 pm-7 pm IST at www.virtualspanishtravelshow.com