Tourism

Bali postpones plan to allow back foreign tourists next month

The Indonesian island of Bali has postponed a plan to reopen the country's biggest tourism hub to international tourists on Sept. 11, its governor said, due to the rising level…

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Thailand to allow long-stay tourists in island of Phuket from October

Thailand will allow foreign tourists to visit for longer stays from October, a senior official said on Friday, as the government tries to revive a key economic sector that has…

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21

Aug

Airbnb bans parties at sites listed on its platform in fight against Covid-19

The short-term home rental company Airbnb has imposed an indefinite global ban on all parties and events at places listed on its platform as it tries to enforce social-distancing norms…

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Malta: Cancelled festivals were classified as ‘low risk’ – tourism minister

Four international festivals that were cancelled due to COVID-19 fears had been classified as “low risk” by a World Health Organisation matrix, the tourism minister has said. In a wide-ranging…

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Egypt says from September travellers must show coronavirus test results

Egypt will require all visitors to the country to present Polymerase Chain Reaction test results for the new coronavirus on arrival from Sept. 1, the prime minister said in a…

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Occupancy rates in Egypt’s major Red Sea resorts 20-40%

Hotel occupancy rates in the key Egyptian Red Sea resorts of Hurghada and Sharm el-Sheikh are 30-40% and 20-25% respectively, two tourism industry officials told Reuters. The coronavirus pandemic has…

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Oman opens tourist restaurants and swimming pools in hotels

Oman from Tuesday allowed the reopening of tourist and international restaurants, as well as gyms and swimming pools located in hotels, under certain regulations and requirements. Oman's ministry of tourism…

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Overnight restrictions anger business owners in Mykonos

Wary of a rise in daily coronavirus cases that threatens to undo its relative success in containing the pandemic so far, the Greek government is imposing local restrictions on businesses,…

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Cyprus restricting entrance to visitors from Spain, Malta and Australia

Malta, Spain and Australia will be moved to Group C from August 20, effectively restricting entry from those countries to Cypriots and residents, the health ministry announced on Monday. Japan…

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Germany warns against ‘party holidays’

Germany's health minister over the weekend criticised "party holidays" and defended a decision to declare nearly all of Spain, including the tourist island of Mallorca, a coronavirus risk region following…

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Chairman of Ireland’s Tourism Authority resigns for going on holiday in Italy

The chairman of Ireland's tourism authority, former Ryanair Chief Operating Officer Michael Cawley, resigned on Saturday after going on holiday to Italy, contrary to government advice to avoid non-essential travel…

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Hostels in Europe see modest recovery in bookings – Hostelworld

Youth hostels in Europe have seen very modest growth in bookings in the past few weeks, but the Americas, Asia and Oceania remain very depressed due to COVID-19, leading hostel…

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Malta: EasyJet cancels Malta trips after COVID-19 resurgence

Low-cost carrier EasyJet has cancelled all of its package holidays to Malta until the end of August. Source: Malta Today Updated: 15:00pm

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Malta: PD insists Tourism Minister must resign

Partit Demokratiku is insisting that Tourism Minister Julia Farrugia Portelli has no option but to resign immediately, holding her responsible for the bad handling of the Covid-19 crisis which has…

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Barcelona changes tourism tactics in the COVID era

The sight of local kids playing under the palm trees in an almost empty Plaça Reial square reminds Gloria Gomez of her childhood in the 1980s before tourism swamped the…

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Greece on course to join Britain’s quarantine red list

Greece could be added to Britain’s mandatory two-week quarantine list if the number of Covid-19 cases in the country continues to surge. Greece is experiencing its highest daily increase in…

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Malta: Tourism authority finds 12 establishments in breach of COVID-19 protocols

Twelve establishments have been found in breach of published COVID-19 protocols and will be subject to legal action, the Malta Tourism Authority said. Source: Times of Malta Updated: 15:00pm

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Marriott posts first quarterly loss in nearly nine years as virus hits bookings

Hotel operator Marriott International on Monday reported its first quarterly loss in nearly nine years, as extended travel disruption due to the COVID-19 pandemic hammered bookings. The company's loss attributable…

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Norwegian Cruise Line posts bigger-than-expected loss on pandemic hit

Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd reported a bigger-than-expected quarterly loss as travel curbs and no-sail orders due to the COVID-19 pandemic brought the industry to a grinding halt. The health…

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Spain to cover all COVID-related costs for tourists to Canary Islands

All Spanish and foreign tourists visiting the Canary Islands will have any potential coronavirus-related costs covered by the regional government, it said on Wednesday, in an attempt to rescue the…

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Most British, French, Germans would skip holiday if tests, masks involved – survey

As new coronavirus travel restrictions kick in across Europe, a survey showed at least half of German, British and French travellers would rather cancel a holiday than quarantine afterwards, take…

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Hotels group Accor to cut 1,000 jobs after coronavirus loss

Europe's biggest hotel group Accor plans to cut 1,000 jobs as part of a 200 million euro per year cost saving plan to mitigate the impact of the coronavirus crisis.…

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Malta: PL administration in a meeting with MHRA regarding the future of tourism in Malta

The Labor Party Administration met with the Maltese Hotel and Restaurant Association, MHRA, during which the progress made in the tourism sector was discussed, but also a thinking forward of…

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Spain’s international tourist arrivals drop 98% in June

International tourist arrivals to Spain fell 98% year on year in June, official statistics released on Monday showed, as the country continues to reel from the effects of the global…

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Malta: Malta Air vows to bring tourist volumes to Malta

Malta Air is positioning itself as the airline which will restore tourist volumes to Malta amid the new COVID-19 reality, the head of the Ryanair subsidiary has said. Malta Air…

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Tourism crisis hits British cities

Like other British cities which usually attract high numbers of international tourists throughout the summer, Edinburgh is quiet, and businesses are suffering. August’s festival had already been cancelled when news…

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Weak response for Austrian coronavirus testing push in hotels

Austria's push to test large numbers of hotel staff for the coronavirus in a bid to reassure tourists is falling far short of its target as too few people have…

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Opening to unsafe markets for the sake of reviving tourism out of the question – Cyprus Health Minister

The premature opening to big but unsafe tourist markets for the sake of reviving tourism is out of the question, Cypriot Health Minister Constantinos Ioannou said on Friday. Responding to…

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Malta: €4.5 million investment in schemes to support events, MTA faces reforms in sponsorship scheme

€4.5 million are being invested in two schemes that are aimed at supporting events while the Malta Tourism Authority’s (MTA) is undergoing a reform in the way its sponsorship scheme…

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Spain’s hotel occupancy crashes, some 40,000 bars and restaurants shut down

The rate of occupancy in Spanish hotels more than halved in the first six months of the year, a study showed on Thursday, as a three-month coronavirus lockdown, travel bans,…

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Passengers could face quarantine on return to Britain under new ‘red list’ alert system

Passengers due to travel abroad have been warned that they could be forced into quarantine on their return under a new system that could see "air bridges" collapse at short…

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Radisson adds six hotels in Africa in bet on future growth

Radisson Hotel Group has added six hotels to its African portfolio, the company said, as it pushes ahead with its expansion strategy on the continent despite the COVID-19 pandemic. Global…

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Singapore seeks local boost for tourism sector facing existential crisis

Singapore's tourism sector is facing an existential crisis, its tourism board chief said on Wednesday, laying out plans to boost local demand after a collapse in visitor arrivals due to…

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Only 4% of Italians will opt for vacation abroad this year

Economic reasons and health concerns has conditioned Italian's choices for their vacation this year. According to a study, reported by Corriere Della Sera, Italy is set to experience a strong…

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Carnival to resume trips in phases, operate as a “leaner” company

Carnival Corp announced it was planning to resume operations in a phased manner and would operate with a smaller fleet on its return, months after suspending trips due to the…

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Carnival’s AIDA Cruises to set sail in August after long hiatus

Carnival Corp's AIDA Cruises announced it would resume sailing operations in August, months after cruise operators were forced to pause voyages due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Germany-based cruise line…

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Malta: 20,000 passenger movements in first week since airport reopening

20,000 tourists have visited Malta after just one week of the airport reopening, Tourism Minster Julia Farrugia Portelli revealed on Thursday. Source: The Malta Independent Updated 17:25pm

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Dubai hotels ready to welcome foreign visitors as emirate reopens

Dubai's Atlantis resort, at the head of a palm tree-shaped island, workers in face masks clean cushions, sofas and king-size beds in luxury suites that have largely been vacant since…

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Spain is off the list of approved travel corridors for Scottish citizens

Spain is off the list of approved travel corridors for Scottish citizens, Nicola Sturgeon has announced. Scotland's First Minister today lifted quarantine requirements for 57 countries, only two less than…

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Malta: € 5 million generated in the economy from sports related tourism

In the last year, football-related sports tourism has left five million euros in the Maltese economy. Source: One News Updated 15:20pm

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British hospitality firms braced for £73bn coronavirus sales hit this year

The crisis in hospitality will cost the economy £73bn this year, experts warned as battered pubs and restaurants prepare to reopen on Saturday. A combination of lost tourism, weak consumer spending and…

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Anger in Portugal at exclusion from UK safe travel list

Portugal's tourism sector reacted with fury and disbelief at Britain's decision to maintain a quarantine regime for travellers coming from Portugal despite having a higher number of coronavirus cases and…

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Quarantine-free travel from UK to Cyprus to start Aug 1

Cyprus’ beleaguered tourism sector got some good news after the government announced on Friday that travelers from the U.K. will be allowed entry into the east Mediterranean island nation next…

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U.N. study shows global tourism stands to lose up to $3.3 trillion from COVID-19

Global tourism revenues are expected to fall by up to $3.3 trillion due to COVID-19 restrictions, with the United States standing to lose the most, according to a U.N. study…

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Egypt reopens airports

Egypt restarted international flights and reopened major tourist attractions including the Great Pyramids of Giza on Wednesday after over three months of closure due to the coronavirus pandemic. The country…

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Reports UK to ditch travel quarantine for 75 countries including Malta

The British government will effectively ditch its air bridge plans and simply end the quarantine rules for those arriving from 75 countries so that people can go on holiday, The…

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Greece warned to prepare for a “very difficult” tourist season

Greece should prepare for a “very difficult” tourist season, the country’s prime minister has said. Tourism officials say the country – which usually makes around 18.1 billion a year from…

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Ryanair expects to fly 4.5 million passengers in July

Ryanair expects to fly more than 4.5 million passengers in July as it returns to a more regular schedule with 40% of its usual capacity for the peak summer month,…

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Spain to uphold cruise liners ban

Spain is to uphold a ban on cruise liners from docking at its ports to stop the spread of Covid-19, according to a ministerial order published on Saturday. Cruise liners…

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Britain to announce safe countries for travel

Britain will ditch a 14-day quarantine period for people arriving from countries it deems to be lower risk for COVID-19 , the government said on Friday. Ministers are poised to…

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27

Jun