MOSCOW: Russia will stop all regular and charter flights into and out of the country from Friday, March 27. [huge_it_slider id=”531″] Moscow authorities also announced that all shops (excluding food stores and pharmacies), restaurants, cafes, and bars would be closed from March 28 to April 5, after the country’s coronavirus case tally rose to 840. Russian airlines will be allowed to operate rescue flights to bring citizens home. Flag carrier Aeroflot had planned to continue some international routes, including Amsterdam, Berlin, Brussels, Dublin, Geneva, London, Madrid, Paris, New York, and Rome. We have contacted the airline to clarify its latest…
Author: holidayweekly
The Tokyo 2020 summer Olympic and Paralympic Games will be moved to next year as the world battles the coronavirus outbreak. The event had been due to begin on July 24th. [huge_it_slider id=”530″] Following a decision earlier, officials at the International Olympics Committee (IOC) said the event would now begin “no later than summer 2021”. The move was confirmed in a joint statement by IOC President, Thomas Bach, and Abe Shinzo, Prime Minister of Japan. Organizers pointed to the unprecedented and unpredictable spread of the Covid-19 outbreak for the delay. On Monday, 23rd March, the Director-General of the World Health…
LONDON: Up to 75 million jobs are at immediate risk in global tourism due to the coronavirus pandemic, according to the World Travel & Tourism Council. [huge_it_slider id=”529″] The alarming figure, based on research from WTTC, shows a punishing tourism GDP loss to the world economy of up to US$2.1 trillion in 2020. The latest projection, which represents a 50 percent increase in jobs at risk on previous forecasts – represents a significant and worrying trend, with an astounding one million jobs being lost every day in the sector, the WTTC argued. Analysis by WTTC also exposes the depth of…
MADRID: In the face of an unprecedented challenge, the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), with the support of the World Health Organization (WHO), calls on innovators and entrepreneurs to put forward new solutions to help the tourism sector recover from COVID-19. With millions of jobs at risk as the pandemic hits tourism harder than any other sector, the United Nations specialized tourism agency has included innovation in its wider response to the pandemic. That response has seen UNWTO work closely alongside WHO to mitigate the impact and place tourism at the center of future recovery efforts and liaise closely with governments…
PARIS: When all depressing travel and tourism news was pouring in, the rare good news is that Airbus has said it expects production and assembly work to partially resume in France and Spain today, March 24. The manufacturer had stopped work for health and safety checks after the implementation of stringent measures to combat the spread of Covid-19. Airbus has carried out extensive work in coordination with its social partners to ensure the health and safety of its employees while securing business continuity. The implementation of these measures required a temporary pause in production and assembly activities at the French…
ABU DHABI: Etihad Airways will temporarily suspend all flights to, from, and via Abu Dhabi following a decision by the National Emergency Crisis and Disaster Management Authority, and the General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA), to suspend all inbound, outbound, and transit passenger flights in the UAE. This decision has been made to limit the spread of the coronavirus and to protect citizens, residents, and international travelers. The suspension of flights to and from Abu Dhabi International Airport will commence at 23:59 (UAE local time) on March 25 and will last for an initial 14 days, subject to further directives by…
JAKARTA: The Indonesian government has suspended the visa exemption policy for a short-stay visit, visa on arrival, and diplomatic/service visa-free facilities for all countries for a period of one month, starting March 20, to further curb the spread of Covid-19. The government has denied entry or transit in Indonesia for visitors who have travelled to Iran, Italy, Vatican, Spain, France, Germany, Switzerland and UK in the last 14 days. Earlier measures taken for visitors from China, and South Korea’s Daegu city and Gyeongsang province remain in effect. Retno Marsudi, Indonesia’s minister of foreign affairs, announced yesterday: “All foreigners/ travellers who…
MARYLAND: In an emotional video message to Marriott International employees on Thursday, March 20, CEO Arne Sorenson characterized the coronavirus crisis as more severe for the hotel chain than the Great Depression and World War 2. He added that the chain’s global business is running about 75 percent lower than normal, hundreds of hotels have closed, and some may never re-open. The current financial situation, he said, is more dire than the worst quarter ever in the company’s business, which saw roughly a 25 percent decline on average in hotel revenue globally. He didn’t detail which quarter that was. “In…
BRUSELLS: As many as 48,200 flights and 10.2 million seats could be scrapped after the European Union moved to close external borders for 30 days earlier this week. Olivier Ponti, Vice President with the analytics company, commented: “At present, it is not clear exactly what proportion of the 48,200 flights between the EU and so-called ‘third countries’ will be cancelled, because the EU guidelines clearly contemplate that a skeleton service needs to be maintained for essential travel and it is up to each member state to decide on the extent of implementation in their own territory. “However, it is inevitable…
NEW DELHI: India is preparing a $1.6 billion rescue package for the aviation sector, which has suffered immensely following the coronavirus outbreak, which has forced countries to close borders and brought air travel to a near-halt, said a report. The Finance Ministry of India is considering a proposal that includes temporary suspension of most taxes levied on the sector, including a deferment of aviation fuel tax, said a Reuters report citing sources who have direct knowledge of the matter. “Taxes could be deferred till the coronavirus spread is contained and the aviation sector can come back to its feet,” one…