PARIS: Workers are preparing the Eiffel Tower for reopening next week, after the coronavirus pandemic led to the iconic Paris landmark´s longest closure since World War II. France´s tourism industry is opening back up, but the 324-meter (1,063-feet) tall wrought-iron tower won´t immediately welcome visitors the way it did before the country went into lockdown in March. Only limited numbers of people will be allowed in when the Eiffel Tower opens again on June 25. Elevators to the top will be out of service, and only the first and second floors will be accessible to the public. “At first, only…
Author: holidayweekly
LONDON: PM Boris Johnson has indicated that there will be no early end to the UK’s mandatory quarantine for people entering the country. Speaking at the Downing Street daily briefing on the UK’s battle against coronavirus, he insisted the rule that new arrivals should self-isolate for 14 days was necessary to prevent the spread of the disease. When asked about the prospect of air bridges to allow quarantine-free travel between certain countries with fewer cases of Covid-19, Johnson’s choice of words indicated these were not imminent. The government is not due to review the mandatory 14-day quarantine, imposed on June…
NEW YOUK: United Airlines has said it expects to have total available liquidity of approximately $17 billion at the end of the third quarter of 2020. The amount reflects a new $5 billion loan to be secured against the its loyalty program, MileagePlus. United estimates the value of its Mileage Plus program as a standalone business at $20 billion. The carrier gets revenue from partners who pay the airline to award miles to their own customers, such as credit card issues and hotels. It had sales of $5.3 billion last year, about 12 per cent of overall revenue at United.…
MUSCAT: The Royal Oman Police have announced that Visit and Express visas will be automatically extended till June 30, said a report. The move further extends the validity of the two visa types by two more weeks, said a report in Oman Daily Observer. “Visit and Express visas of all those who are in the country but are overstaying due to the airport closure, are automatically renewed and extended till June 30,” the ROP source said. Earlier, Ahmed al Mehrazi, Minister of Tourism, had said tourist visas that were issued between March 1 and August 31 will be reissued with…
As the world faces the devastating consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic, the tourism sector is among those being affected most severely. Travel is down, fear is up, and the future is uncertain. Tourism is an essential pillar of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The livelihoods of many depend on it, especially women and particularly in the world’s most vulnerable countries, including Small Island Developing States and Least Developed Countries. Moreover, in many parts of the world, the protection of biodiversity relies heavily on the tourist sector, from conservation to the revenue generated by those efforts. Tourism can be a…
Written By: Ch. Faisal Mahmood In these unprecedented times when the entire world is facing matchless crisis without an equivalence and large-scale social distancing is the most important note of the time. The ways, means and styles in which we operate and connect with one another and the world around us have changed drastically, the day World Health Organization declared (March 11, 2020) Covid-19 as Pandemic. [huge_it_slider id=”555″] Nowhere in any other field or in any other industry is this more apparent than when looking at the current state of the world’s travel trade, hospitality sector and tourism. Unfortunately, these…
Written by: Moazzam Ali Khan Former Chairman Pakistan Hotel Association The COVID-19 pandemic is a global crisis without a modern equivalence. The lack of precedent of uncertainty, the lives of each of us have impacted across the world. The economic experts explain why the public and private sectors had already started getting the strains way before the World Health Organization declared on March 11, 2020, this alarming situation as PANDEMIC. [huge_it_slider id=”554″] The actions taken by the respective governments, public sector, and the private sector will set a foundation for any such eventualities in the future and will at the…
MUSCAT: Special flights will be operated by Oman Air for people who wish to return to the Sultanate, as well as to the UK, France and Egypt. The measures have been taken by the Sultanate’s national carrier to transport people who wish to return to their home countries, with commercial flights to and from Oman having been temporarily halted during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. A statement from Oman Air said: “Oman Air will be operating two special flights between Muscat – Cairo – Muscat on 19 and 21 June.” The airline added: “Oman Air will be operating a special flight…
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan has ordered aviation authorities to restructure the cash-strapped national flag carrier Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) is making losses worth USD 3.68 million per month, according to an official statement. Khan said this while presiding over a meeting on the aviation sector on Monday in the backdrop of the recent Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) plane crash in Karachi that claimed 98 lives. The flag carrier’s Chief Executive Arshad Malik apprised the PM of the strategies to be worked out regarding the reorganisation of the national airline, during a meeting on reforming and restructuring PIA, according…
SYDNEY: In a creative bid to revive the country’s flagging tourism industry, businessman Barry Robinson, the boss of Gold Coast-based accommodation giant Wyndham, has suggested the Federal Government of Australia to take bold steps to save businesses from coronavirus devastation. Mr Robinson urged the Federal Government to offer all households tax deductions for spending on accommodation and flights over the next financial year. The businessman said the plan would give the tourism industry a massive boost and encourage Australians to spend, amid signs state borders may come down in the next month or so. The tax incentive scheme was put…