Tag Archives: COVID-19 pandemic

With the country reeling under the havoc caused by the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, tour operators in Kerala have come to the rescue. Amidst shortage of oxygen, ambulances and other medical supplies, these tour operators in the state are now converting their buses and vans into ambulances fitted with oxygen cylinders, many offering the service free of charge.

Cruise ship Karnika, operated by Jalesh Cruises, has been sold at an auction in India for $11.65 million. Having debuted in 1990, Karnika has operated for numerous cruise lines throughout her history. It was in April 2019 that a cruise ship Pacific Jewel was renamed Karnika at a ceremony held at the Princess Dock of the Mumbai Port Trust. Jalesh Cruises has suspended operations because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Embassy/ Consulate of Turkey has announced that they will provide long-validity visas (24 months) for applicants during COVID-19. In addition, the Embassy/ Consulate of Turkey will issue a new sticker visa for applicants who already had a sticker or e-visa visa but were not able to use it because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The new visa will also have a validity of 24 months. Therefore, those who could not use their valid visa due to pandemic should re-apply for their visa free of charge. The application should be submitted in New Delhi, Mumbai and Hyderabad Turkey visa application centres.

IndiGo has said that it will keep adding new aircraft to its fleet even though it can’t give any firm guidance on future capacity growth because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The airline, the world’s biggest customer for Airbus SE’s best-selling A320neo jets, plans to return its entire fleet of 120 older, fuel-guzzling planes to lessors in the next two years, CEO Ronojoy Dutta said in a conference call with analysts and investors after the carrier reported fourth-quarter earnings Tuesday. “Almost all or close to all” of those aircraft will be replaced by new jets, Dutta said, without giving a time frame for that to happen. “We are in active discussions with Airbus — we will take a large number. It will all depend on the revenue picture and the pricing we get and so forth, but we will take a large number,” he added. IndiGo, which had earlier expected capacity to increase 20 per cent in the year ending March 2021, refrained from giving any guidance as it declared quarterly financial results. It posted a loss of Rs 8.7 billion for the fourth quarter ended March 31, compared with a profit of 5.9 billion rupees in the same period a year earlier.  

In a bid to assess the extent of losses, current needs, and proactive measures to be taken in the light of the COVID-19 pandemic, Goa Tourism in association with KPMG Advisory Services is conducting a state-wide survey among tourism stakeholders including hotels, activity operators, tour and travel services, event organisers, taxi drivers, tourist guides, photographers, and others. The survey will also factor in expectations the sector has of the government. In a statement, the tourism authority said that the hospitality industry in the state has been hit the most due to the pandemic. All the stakeholders can access the survey at http://goa-tourism.com/covid19survey. The data, as per the statement, will remain fully confidential. For the sake of data security, you will be required to use an OTP. Goa Tourism said that the opinions of stakeholders would be helpful in developing a suitable strategy to revive tourism in the state and collectively come out stronger from this crisis.

World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC), in its annual Economic Impact Report (EIR), shows how big a part travel and tourism played in driving the economy in the region last year, based on which the findings reveal how vital the sector will be for the region’s economic recovery from COVID-19. It shows the sector supporting one in 10 (330 million) jobs, making a 10.3% contribution to global GDP and generating one in four of all new jobs. Gloria Guevara, President & CEO, WTTC, says, “WTTC’s 2019 Economic Impact Report (EIR) shows how intrinsic Travel & Tourism was last year to the economy in Asia-Pacific, making it the fastest growing region in the world in terms of its contribution to GDP, supporting more than 182 million jobs or 9.6% of the total number of people employed.”

A joint survey carried out by Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA), China Comfort Travel Group and Ivy Alliance Tourism Consulting aimed at understanding Chinese tourists’ intent and needs to travel after the end of the COVID-19 pandemic reveals that if the situation is effectively controlled in April, travel demand in the summer of July and August could be relatively strong. While 41% of tourists surveyed said they would travel after the pandemic but the exact time was still uncertain, 32% indicated that they have plans to travel during the summer in July and August. In terms of destination selection, 56% of tourists surveyed chose to travel to other cities or scenic places in the country, and 45% indicated that they will travel abroad.