India has curtailed the number of visas on offer to foreign travellers as it seeks to contain an outbreak of the coronavirus. The country has so far confirmed 73 cases of the virus, the health ministry said in a statement. This number is expected to grow in coming days, however, …
Read More »Wizz Air pulls out of Italy as lockdown expands
Wizz Air has suspended flights from all destinations to Italy with immediate effect. The whole of the country is now in lockdown as the destination battles to contain the coronavirus. The latest figures show 9,172 cases of the virus in the country to date, and 463 deaths. Wizz Air flights …
Read More »Northern Italy off limits to British travellers
The Foreign & Commonwealth Office has begun to advise against “all but essential” travel to a number of regions in northern Italy. The move comes in response to various control and isolation measures imposed by the Italian authorities over the weekend. The Lombardy region – which includes the cities of …
Read More »Etihad suspends flights as Saudi Arabia partially closes borders
Etihad Airways has temporarily suspended all flights between Abu Dhabi and the kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The decision comes in response to a directive from the general authority for civil aviation in Saudi Arabia to help prevent the spread of Covid-19. The Saudi government has temporarily banned citizens and foreigners …
Read More »ABTA calls on UK government for coronavirus support
ABTA is calling on the government to consider extraordinary support measures for businesses operating in the tourism sector in the budget next week. The request comes in the context of the ongoing Covid-19 outbreak. Following a meeting with the tourism minister last week, ABTA conducted a survey among its members …
Read More »UNWTO: Coronavirus could cost tourism $50bn in lost revenue
The United Nations World Tourism Organisation has said it expects international tourist arrivals to fall between one and three per cent this year. If correct, this could cost US$30-50 billion in lost international tourism receipts. At the same time, IATA is predicting aviation alone could be hit with a bill …
Read More »Michelin Guide makes Malta debut
Michelin has launched its first guide to Malta. The new guide highlights the outstanding restaurants, breadth of cuisine styles and culinary skills located across Malta, Gozo and Comino. Established in the late 19th century, Michelin has maintained its benchmark of international gastronomy for more than 120 years, recognising some of …
Read More »Costa Rica Tourism Board welcomes uptick in UK guests
The latest figures from the Costa Rica Tourism Board show that 78,562 visitors from the UK travelled to the destination in 2019 – representing an increase of 5.7 per cent on the previous year. The United Kingdom retains its position as Costa Rica’s second largest source market in Europe. This …
Read More »Philippines seeks to mitigate coronavirus impact
Philippines minister of tourism, Bernadette Romulo-Puyat, has unveiled a series of measures to combat falling revenues in the sector in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak. Authorities have banned non-Filipino travellers arriving from China, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan in an attempt to stem the spread of the virus. The …
Read More »Tenerife coronavirus outbreak reaches completion phase
Tourism authorities in Tenerife have moved to limit the damage done to the sector following an outbreak of the coronavirus. Claiming the situation is already in its “completion phase,” officials said strict compliance with the protocols laid out by the World Health Organisation had successfully limit the spread of the …
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