Category Archives: NTO (National Tourist Offices)

The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) recently organised a one-week online contest to stay connected with Indian social media influencers encouraging them to create a nice video or photo story from their stock of materials of a fond #ThrowbackThailand memory.  Initiated by TAT New Delhi and Mumbai Offices, the contest represented a token of gratitude that TAT wanted to convey to Indian social media influencers. In a normal situation, they would usually travel to various parts of Thailand and share their experiences during the year. But this year, making trips to Thailand has not been possible due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Vachirachai Sirisumpan, Director, TAT New Delhi Office, said the activity was conceptualised with the Millennials in mind, considering that they would be the early travellers once the situation returned to normal. “We would like to thank all participants for joining this online event and keeping the spirit of travel and tourism moving during this challenging period,” he said. Taking place during the last week of May 2020, the online contest attracted over 100 high-quality unique entries, including many top award-winning ones. The contest was a huge success in terms of reaching out to the public through India’s social media influencer community, achieving more than 2.4 million impressions across the country. After a very careful selection process considering both quality and engagement, the winners were picked by the appointed committee. Out of the hundreds of participants, five were selected as Grand Winners and each received a GoPro Hero 8 Sports and Action Camera while 10 were chosen runner-up winners who also received gifts. Cholada Siddhivarn, Director of the TAT Mumbai Office, extended her warmest congratulations and appreciation to all social …

Saeed Al Saeed, Marketing Director, Department of Culture & Tourism, Abu Dhabi, says that every person who tests positive for Covid-19 on UAE soil will be treated courtesy Emirate. “They will be put up in star hotels and if they need to be hospitalised, they will be cared for at our hospitals free of charge.”

TravTalk and Etihad Airways are set to host an ‘Agent Connect’ webinar, a live journey of flying through COVID-19, today from 11 am onwards. Travel agents will get the chance to learn about Etihad Airways and UAE’s capital city – Abu Dhabi. To register, please email to jaspreet.kaur@ddppl.com or call +91 9650196532.

Etihad Airways and TravTalk are all geared up to host an ‘Agent Connect’ webinar, a live journey of flying through COVID, on Thursday, 9th July, 11 am onwards. Agents will get the chance to learn about Etihad Airways and UAE’s capital city – Abu Dhabi. To register, please email to jaspreet.kaur@ddppl.com or call +91 9650196532.

Ras Al Khaimah (RAK) Tourism Development Authority has confirmed that RAK has become the first city in the world to be certified as a ‘Safe’ destination by Bureau Veritas, the global leader in testing, inspection and certification services, having completed the ‘Safeguard Assurance’ programme. It has also become the first emirate to receive World Travel and Tourism Council’s (WTTC’s) Safe Travels Stamp. Through a strategic partnership with Bureau Veritas, the Authority has led the way in implementing stringent health, safety and hygiene measures across all Ras Al Khaimah hotels to mitigate any possible risk for employees and guests, and provide complete confidence in the destination. Through an ongoing series of independent audits of all its hotels in the Emirate, the partnership was designed to further validate the measures and processes already in place, and takes RAKTDA’s ‘Stay Safe’ Hotel Certification Program to the next level. In addition, the almost-50,000sqft Al Hamra International Exhibition & Conference Center is following the detailed protocols developed by Bureau Veritas’ global health, safety and hygiene specialists, and will become the first certified MICE (meetings, incentives, conventions & events) facility in the region. Adding to the global validation, Ras Al Khaimah is the first Emirate in the UAE to receive the World Travel and Tourism Council’s (WTTC) Safe Travels Stamp, the world’s first ever global safety and hygiene stamp for the travel and tourism industry, designed specifically to address COVID-19 and similar outbreaks. The protocols were developed in collaboration with WTTC members (including RAKTDA), leading industry associations and international organisations, and covers operational and staff preparedness, ensuring a safe experience, re-building trust and confidence and implementing enabling policies. It also follows the current guidelines of the …

Sri Lanka’s Tourism Promotion Bureau plans to launch a long-awaited multi-million-dollar global tourism promotion campaign. The final terms of references of the five-year campaign are being reviewed by a committee. The aim is to finish the procurement process by December and to kick off the campaign by January 2021.

In a Sri Lanka Tourism Virtual Summit, supported by Spiceland Holidays, Kimarli Fernando, Chairperson, Sri Lanka Tourism, said that her government has nominated a COVID-10 Task Force of which she is a part. “We are completely open to domestic tourists and the auditing process to receive international tourists is currently on. Indian travellers to Sri Lanka now need to apply for visas online and visa-on-arrival has been cancelled for now.”

Deep Knowledge Group recently completed a study assessing the Covid-19 condition in 200 countries and has ranked Switzerland as the safest country in the world, with a score of 752 points against all 130 parameters. The country recently announced plans to reopen its borders to all EU/EFTA states and the UK.

The Spanish government, LaLiga and the Confederation of Employers & Industries of Spain have come together to promote Spain as a safe destination for tourism and sport. It’s ‘Safe Sport, Safe Tourism’ campaign will boost Spain’s tourism and sports industries, both so crucial to the economy.

Sri Lanka Tourism is hosting a Virtual Summit today at 3:00pm, where experts will talk about Sri Lanka’s readiness to restart tourism. To register, please email to jaspreet.kaur@ddppl.com or call +9650196532. Panellists include Arundika Fernando, State Minister of Tourism and Aviation, Sri Lanka and Kimarli Fernando, Chairperson, Sri Lanka Tourism.