Tourism

“Europe needs a break” – EU Commission’s post Covid-19 tourism strategy

Tourism normally brings some 150 billion euros every season form June through August with some 360 million international arrivals, according to the Commission. Tourism, that normally contributes almost a tenth…

Read More Here

Egypt sets strict conditions for hotels to re-open amid Covid-19

Minister of Tourism and Antiquities Khaled Al-Anani said during a cabinet meeting that hotels will operate at a maximum rate of 25% until the beginning of June after a long…

Read More Here

International tourism to plunge up to 80% due to coronavirus

The number of international tourist arrivals could plunge by 60 to 80 per cent in 2020 owing to the coronavirus, the World Tourism Organisation said on Thursday (May 7), revising…

Read More Here

Lufthansa negotiating a 9 billion euro bailout programme

Lufthansa is negotiating a 9 billion euro ($9.71 billion) bailout with Germany's economic stabilisation fund to ensure its future, the airline said on Thursday. The "stabilisation package" includes a non-voting…

Read More Here

Over 40,000 firms, 184,000 jobs at risk in Italian tourism sector

The coronavirus crisis is threatening the survival of over 40,000 firms and a total of 184,000 jobs in the Italian tourism sector, research company Demoskopika said Wednesday. The firms risking…

Read More Here

France to limit international travel this summer

French President Emmanuel Macron said Tuesday that it was unlikely that French people would be able to undertake major foreign trips this summer and that even trips within Europe may…

Read More Here

Norwegian Cruise Line doubts it will be able to continue operating

Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd, the world’s third-largest cruise operator, raised doubts about its ability to continue operating on Tuesday, the first in the sector to signal it may succumb…

Read More Here

Sicily to subsidise holidays for both domestic and international tourists

The Guardian reports that Sicily’s regional government is offering to subsidise holidays on the island for both domestic and international visitors in an effort to kickstart tourism after the coronavirus…

Read More Here

Malta: ‘Dead’ tourism sector needs €2 billion to revive – Robert Arrigo

Malta’s tourism industry is in dire straits and will require a major investment if it is to return to normal after COVID-19, PN MP Robert Arrigo has warned. Source: Malta…

Read More Here

Europe’s tourism industry not expected to return to pre-coronavirus levels until 2023

The coronavirus crisis has flung Europe’s tourism sector into chaos, with borders closed and airlines grounded. But if that is frustrating for holidaymakers, it risks ruining holiday businesses and devastating…

Read More Here

Germany expected to extend travel warning for tourist trips abroad to mid-June

The German cabinet will on Wednesday extend a travel warning for all tourism trips abroad until at least June 14, magazine Der Spiegel reported, saying that a Foreign Ministry document…

Read More Here

Hotels in Poland to open for summer holidays

Hotels in Poland will be open for summer holidays, government spokesman Piotr Muller told state radio on Wednesday, while adding that the novel coronavirus infections were still on the rise…

Read More Here

Saving the tourism sector from the coronavirus pandemic

Hotel Metropole is one of the most iconic tourist hotspots in Brussels, and has been welcoming guests in its lavish rooms since 1895. But this hotel has also fallen victim…

Read More Here

Countries should not run to reopen tourism destinations too early – German foreign minister

German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas on Sunday urged European countries not to reopen tourism destinations too early, or risk another wave of coronavirus contagion. “A European race to see who…

Read More Here

Greece to re-write tourism playbook for post Covid-19 reality

Packed pools, beaches and tour buses, as well as middle seats, hotel minibars and scrums at airport check-ins, may all be a thing of the past as Greece’s tourism industry…

Read More Here

G20 vows to boost tourism sector battered by Covid-19

G20 nations pledged Friday to cushion the economic blow of the coronavirus pandemic on global tourism, one of the hardest-hit industries in which millions risk losing their jobs. COVID-19 lockdowns…

Read More Here

The ‘last cruise ship on Earth’ finally docks

The three last cruise ships still sailing with passengers will dock today - and one has had quite the odyssey. The MSC Magnifica left Europe in January, and was in…

Read More Here

19

Apr

Airbnb landlords suffering the pain of the Covid-19 impact

Summer is canceled — at least for the thousands of Airbnb hosts who have seen their entire year’s income disappear due to the coronavirus crisis. As people cancel their holiday…

Read More Here

Spain’s tourism industry unlikely to fully reopen before end of year

Spain's COVID-19 lockdown is unlikely to be fully lifted until the end of 2020, the Government has warned, according to a report published on The Olive Press. The report said…

Read More Here

First in, last out

by Jesmond Saliba Tourism was the first sector to feel the brunt of the coronavirus and, given the overlapping nature of the situation, it may be the last to emerge…

Read More Here

Tunisia tourism sector could lose $1.4 bln

Tunisia’s vital tourism sector could lose $1.4 billion and 400,000 jobs this year due to the new coronavirus pandemic, an official document showed, as the country seeks a loan…

Read More Here

UN Global Tourism Crisis Committee releases coronavirus recovery blueprint

The World Tourism Organisation has released a set of recommendations calling for urgent support for the global tourism sector. If followed, the body hopes the sector will not only…

Read More Here

Royal Caribbean, NCL, Costa Cruises suspend operations due to coronavirus pandemic

Royal Caribbean Cruises and Norwegian Cruise Lines are both suspending all cruises for the next 30 days. The decision comes as officials recommend people forgo taking cruises during the coronavirus…

Read More Here

Coronavirus ‘could cost millions of tourism jobs’

The global coronavirus outbreak means millions of travel and tourism jobs are at risk, says a leading industry body. The World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) says up to 50…

Read More Here

Thailand cancels visa on arrival for 18 countries, Malta included, due to spread of coronavirus

Thailand on Wednesday cancelled the grant of visa on arrival for 18 countries and visa exemption for three others to contain the spread of the coronavirus, the country’s interior minister…

Read More Here

Malta & COVID -19 – This is not business as usual

We find ourselves at a point today where our immediate neighbours, and the world as a whole potentially face one of the most serious episodes in living memory. Not for…

Read More Here

Tourism sector in Italy to lose ‘7 billion euros’

The coronavirus is expected to cost Italy's tourism sector 7.4 billion euros in losses in the upcoming trimester - March 1-May 31 - with an estimated loss of 31.625 million…

Read More Here

Doubts on ITB Berlin due to coronavirus outbreak

A banner advertising the International Travel Trade Show ITB Berlin hangs on the facade of the Messe Berlin convention centre in Berlin, Germany, 28 February 2020. According to media reports,…

Read More Here

Tourist cancellations reach 90% in Rome over coronavirus fears

Tourist cancellations have reached 90% in Rome for March due to the coronavirus emergency, sector bodies said Wednesday. Bookings are down 60% for next month, Assoturismo Confesercenti Roma e Lazio…

Read More Here

Problems expected tomorrow at Brussels airport passport control

There might be some chaos on Friday in Brussels airport after the Belgian airport police announced they will be carrying out a work to rule at passport control. The action,…

Read More Here

Russia relaxes visa rules for EU citizens

Russia is to relax its draconian visa rules from 2021. The 16-day e-visas will go into effect Jan. 1, 2021, for citizens of the European Union and different countries in…

Read More Here

Amsterdam seeking to bar tourists from buying cannabis

The mayor of Amsterdam has sought to win political backing for her clean-up of the overcrowded red-light district by revealing that a third of foreign would be less likely to…

Read More Here

Companies feel impact of coronavirus outbreak in China

Companies around the world have warned that a coronavirus outbreak in China could disrupt supply chains or hurt bottom lines as factories and shops shut and airlines suspend flights. Apple…

Read More Here

Cruise ships ordered into quarantine increase to two

Thousands of passengers and crew on two cruise ships in Asian waters were placed in quarantine on Wednesday, as the death toll from an outbreak of a fast-spreading coronavirus rose…

Read More Here

Cruise lines apply measures on coronavirus risk

Major cruise lines operating in Asia are banning tourists who have been in the city of Wuhan or come from Hebei Province in a bid to prevent an outbreak of…

Read More Here

Plan for barrier around Rome’s iconic Trevi Fountain

Barriers are set to be placed around the iconic Trevi Fountain in Rome to stop tourists sitting on the monument, after the city council approved a motion to protect it.…

Read More Here

Spain to crack down on alcohol-fuelled holidays

Spain's Balearic Islands have passed a law banning pub crawls and happy hours in three popular tourist destinations in a bid to crack down on alcohol-fuelled holidays. Restrictions apply to…

Read More Here

New travel advice for British travelling to EU after Brexit

The travel industry is trying to reassure tourists that their summer holidays won't be affected by the UK's departure from the European Union. Little is certain about how travellers may…

Read More Here

Australian tourism industry seeks urgent help as cost of bushfires grows

Australia’s peak tourism body estimated the country’s bushfire crisis has so far cost the industry almost A$1 billion ($690 million) and called for urgent help from the government to lure…

Read More Here

Photo Story: Amsterdam’s largest hotel opens its doors

The exterior of Hotel nhow Amsterdam RAI, The Netherlands. The largest hotel in Amsterdam opened on Friday, has 650 rooms and is a design by architectural firm OMA of Rem…

Read More Here

Calls for tourism boycott to Cyprus adds to pressure to reopen rape trial

Pressure is mounting on the Cypriot authorities to reassess the case of a British teenager found guilty of lying about being gang-raped as anger rises over the verdict. Calls for…

Read More Here

The Netherlands doesn’t want to be called Holland anymore

The Netherlands will stop using Holland as its nickname in the new year as part of a €200,000 rebranding campaign. The country's government is looking to update its international image…

Read More Here

Japan Airlines to offer 50,000 free round-trip domestic flights to foreign tourists

Japan Airlines Co. has said it will launch a campaign to offer free round-trip domestic flight tickets to up to 50,000 foreign nationals who visit Japan next summer. The initiative,…

Read More Here

Tourists stay away from Taj Mahal, other Indian attractions as protests flare

India’s tourism industry has been hit by a wave of violent anti-government protests against a new citizenship law that have rocked several cities this month, with at least seven countries…

Read More Here

Tourist bookings to Venice down 40 %

Hotel bookings in Venice are down by 40 per cent as images of the city under water during last month’s record flooding dissuade tourists around the world from visiting. Tens of…

Read More Here

EU court rules Airbnb is not an estate agent

The accommodation-booking service Airbnb does not need an estate agent's licence to operate in France, Europe's top court has ruled. The French tourism association had complained that Airbnb did not…

Read More Here

Latest developments in Malta puts Manchester United’s sponsorship deal under spotlight – The Sun

The sponsorship deal between Manchester United and Malta is back in the spotlight because of the island’s ongoing political scandal. According to a report on The Sun the resignation of…

Read More Here

Kraków chosen as best city break destination in Europe for third year running

Members of leading British consumer association Which? have chosen Kraków as Europe’s best city break destination for the third year in a row. The Polish city finished ahead of Spanish…

Read More Here

Saudi Arabia opens tourist visas to U.S., European visa holders

Tourist visas for Saudi Arabia are now available online and on arrival to holidaymakers who already hold a visa from the United States, Britain or the EU’s Schengen zone, expanding…

Read More Here

Thailand to demand proof of health insurance for ‘risky’ long-term visitors

Reuters reports that foreigners in the “risky” over-50 age group will have to present proof of health insurance when applying for Thai long-term non-immigrant visas, a minister said on Wednesday,…

Read More Here

Final Thomas Cook holidaymakers to return home to Britain

The final contingent of holidaymakers stranded overseas after the collapse of tour company Thomas Cook last month will return to Britain on flights that departed on Sunday, bringing to an…

Read More Here

Controversy over €430 paid for two spaghetti plates in Rome

A couple of Japanese tourists dining in Rome were shocked to receive a bill for more than €429.80 after ordering two plates of spaghetti and fish and two glasses of…

Read More Here

Saudi Arabia to open up to foreign tourists

Saudi Arabia will open its doors to international tourists for the first time as part of a broader push to cut its economic dependence on oil. On Friday, the kingdom…

Read More Here

German airline Condor gets financial help

The immediate future of Condor, the German airline and subsidiary of the now insolvent Thomas Cook travel agency, was secured on Tuesday night following the German state's assurances of a…

Read More Here

Planes put on standby to rescue travellers as talks continue for last-minute bailout of Thomas Cook

An emergency fleet of airlines is on standby to rescue 150,000 UK holidaymakers as talks continue between Thomas Cook and the government over a last-minute bailout. Sources described the negotiations…

Read More Here

Haarlem in the Netherlands to tackle over-tourism

Haarlem is taking action to stop the city becoming a victim of its own success as a tourist destination, by focusing on ‘quality visitors’ and making sure the wishes of…

Read More Here

Ten European cities seek EU help in battle between tourists’ impact on short-stay lettings and residents needs

Ten European cities have demanded more help from the EU in their battle against Airbnb and other holiday rental websites, which they argue are locking locals out of housing and…

Read More Here