Competition
Travelling with the new normal: Revamping the path for Outboundedit
News X – Online
Ankush Nijhawan, CoFounder TBO Group and MD Nijhawan Group strongly believes that Dubai and Maldives will lead the path for restarting Indian outbound travel. Especially, the IPL poses as an enormous opportunity to pace tourism activities.
Thailand delays hosting of first foreign tourists since Apriledit
Reuters – Online
Thailand is pushing back plans to receive its first batch of foreign tourists due to administrative issues, a senior official said on Thursday, adding to uncertainty about when it will welcome back visitors vital to its economy.
Thai Sept consumer mood drops for first time in 5 months, protests weighedit
Reuters – Online
Thailand has recorded no foreign tourists since April and relatively few infections due to a travel ban designed to keep the coronavirus at bay. It aims to receive its first visitors later this month as part of an incremental reopening, but only a small fraction of the usual influx.
Singapores cruises to nowhere to start from next monthedit
Live Mint, BW Hotelier Business World – Online
Two cruise ships will start sailing from Singapore from next month into the open seas and back as the citystate aims to give residents some outlet for their wanderlust amid the coronavirus pandemic. Genting Cruise Lines World Dream and Royal Caribbean Internationals Quantum of the Seas will begin roundtrip journeys from November and December respectively, the Singapore Tourism Board said in a statement Thursday.
Royal Caribbean and others will test how travelers like sailing in big circles with Singaporebased cruises to nowhereedit
Business Insider – Online
The Singapore Tourist Board gave permission to Royal Caribbean and Genting to start offering cruises that depart and arrive in its port that dont dock anywhere else, according to MarketWatch.
How Singapores travel to nowhere mantra is changing the face of tourism during COVID19edit
Times Now News – Online
Key Highlights For those missing the sound of a jet engine roaring or the scenic views on offer aboard an airplane, several international airlines have imagined a way to travel without actually going anywhere The countrys national carrier, Singapore Airlines had also dallied with the flighttonowhere concept but abandoned the idea following a market study and comprehensive review Starting next month, two cruise ships will sail out of Singapore, hitting the open seas before returning to the same port
Industry
Tourism going to be next growth driver for India: FAITHedit
CNBC TV18, Travel Biz Monitor – Online
The tourism sector is going to be the next growth driver for India but to achieve that, it needs to survive the impact of the COVID19 pandemic and revive, the Federation of Associations in Indian Tourism and Hospitality (FAITH) said on Thursday. Currently, each vertical of the tourism industry is under deep stress, it added.
IATA & UNWTO signed a joint work agreement on the restart of world tourism Travel And Tour Worldedit
Travel and Tour World – Online
IATA & UNWTO signed a joint work agreement on the restart of world tourism Published on : Thursday, October 8, 2020 IATA and UNWTO have recently signed a joint work agreement on the restart of world tourism. This agreement will see the two bodies aiming on providing improved consumer confidence in tourism and giving sustainability a central focus of future growth in travel sector.
WTTC and global Travel & Tourism CEOs present plan to save 100 million jobs during G20 Tourism meetingedit
BW Hotelier Business World – Online
This was followed by a keynote from Chris Nassetta, President & CEO of Hilton and WTTC Chair and contributions from CEOs and Ministers representing all regions of the world, including Argentina, UK, UAE, Singapore and Spain, who joined the private sector with a unified voice to agree that through joint collaboration, the recovery of Travel & Tourism can be accelerated.
Tourism industry seeks reduction in GST rate, tax benefits to revive sectoredit
Business Standard – Online
In order to reduce the burden on business owners and consumers, the bodies have demanded a reduction of GST for tour operators to 1.8 per cent, with full setoffs, from 5 per cent at present. Further, a reduction of the existing 18 per cent GST rate on hotel rooms costing Rs 7,500 per day or above to 12 per cent, has been put forward. And gradually it should be brought down further, to below 10 per cent with full setoffs, in line with global trends, they said.
Mention
The anxiety and nostalgia of literary festivals in times of covidedit
Live Mint – Online
Few literary festivals anywhere were as illfated as Hong Kongs in 2003. It got underway just as the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) was migrating from southern China to Hong Kong. V.S. Naipaul, among others, cancelled a fortnight before the event. One panel discussion stood out for its topsyturvy before and after.
Specific
Singapore hopes to start talks with Hong Kong on possible travel bubbleedit
Business Traveller India – Online
Hong Kong Singapore says it hopes to start talks with Hong Kong about a possible air travel bubble. Travel bubbles are exclusive agreements between countries or regions that have shown success in containing Covid19 within their respective borders. These countries then go on to reopen borders between them and allow people to travel freely within the zone without having to undergo a 14day quarantine period.
‘Be one with the fish’ aquarium yoga among Hong Kong Ocean Park’s new offerings amid coronavirusedit
Hindustan Times, Devdis Course – Online
Against the vivid backdrop of a giant aquarium filled with sharks, manta rays and other aquatic life, a yoga group on Thursday performed side planks, chair poses and lunges, their arms outstretched to the ceiling.
Hong Kong Tourism Board launches a standardised hygiene protocol to assure visitors of a safe and healthy stayedit
BW Hotelier, Travel and Newsy, Insights eHotelier – Online
The protocol will cover shopping malls, hotels, restaurants, retail stores, coach companies, tourism attractions, travel agencies, and more. Participating businesses and outlets are required to comply with a series of hygiene and anti-epidemic measures.