SYDNEY: Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd., a leading global cruise company which operates the Norwegian Cruise Line, Oceania Cruises and Regent Seven Seas Cruises brands, announced a voluntary suspension of all cruise voyages embarking between 13 March and 11 April 2020 for its three cruise brands. The temporary suspension is aimed at contributing to efforts around the globe to contain the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus. This measure is taken in an abundance of caution and the Company has not experienced any confirmed cases of COVID-19 across its 28-ship fleet. “The safety, security, and well-being of our guests and crew…
Author: holidayweekly
GENEVA: People and their wellbeing must come first, the World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) has said while acknowledging that tourism is the hardest hit sector by the growing global restrictions due to the novel Coronavirus outbreak. As the COVID-19 situation evolves, the WTO observes that full or partial travel restrictions have been – and continue to be – introduced across the world. These decisions are made with public health as the primary concern, it said. “For now, we must be patient and stand ready. By staying home today, we can travel tomorrow. And travelling tomorrow will support jobs, celebrate culture and…
The airline industry is warning that it must shed jobs and obtain state support to survive the coronavirus crisis, as carriers around the globe grounded the majority of their fleets and took steps to conserve cash. In the past 24 hours, United Airlines in the US, IAG (parent of British Airways, Aer Lingus and Iberia), Air France-KLM, EasyJet, Finnair, Air New Zealand, and Aeroflot all unveiled drastic measures to cut costs after several countries, including Germany and Spain, closed their borders. An Irish union source told The Irish Times: “The situation is grim. It looks like there will be a…
NEW DELHI: India’s tourism sector has taken a huge hit due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, with the outbreak affecting business worth $66.5 billion, said a report. During a recent meeting held by the Parliamentary Committee on Transport, Tourism, and Culture, the tourism ministry gave a detailed presentation in which they said that as much as 70 percent of the industry had been hit in this calendar year when half of the summer is gone, said a report in NDTV. It was also pointed out in the presentation that 95 percent of the small and medium scale industries were hit…
CHICAGO: Australia and Taiwan have joined a growing list of countries offering financial aid to their ailing aviation sectors as global airlines are forced to cut capacities due to plummeting demand and stricter border controls due to the coronavirus, said a report. US carriers have already asked Washington for $50 billion in grants and loans, plus tens of billions in tax relief, said a report. The Australian government said it would refund and waive charges to airlines such as domestic air traffic control fees worth $430 million, including A$159 million upfront, as it advised citizens against all travel outside the…
LONDON: Global airlines need to up to $200 billion of government support to help them survive the coronavirus crisis, the International Air Transport Association said on Tuesday. Issuing a rallying call for the aviation industry, IATA Chief Alexandre de Juniac said governments needed to act decisively to support carriers as many of the companies are running out of cash. “If we want to maintain a strong airline sector able to cope with this difficult crisis and provide the resources to ensure the recovery will happen in due time, we need governments to act strongly and quickly,” he said. The $150…
ISLAMABAD: While implementing the decisions taken by the National Security Council (NSC) meeting, the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has closed five major airports of Pakistan for international flights. The authority has also issued a notification in this regard which stated that the international flights will remain suspended at Peshawar, Faisalabad, Quetta, Sialkot, and Multan. The notification further stated that domestic operations will remain operational at the following airports across Pakistan. The Peshawar-bound international flights will now land at Islamabad, whereas, international flights for Quetta have been diverted to Jinnah International Airport Karachi, the notification added. The four international fights coming…
ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court of Pakistan on Wednesday permitted Air Marshal Arshad Mehmood Malik to continue as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Pakistan International Airlines Corporation Limited (PIACL). A three-judge bench of the apex court headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Gulzar Ahmed heard Malik’s appeal against the Sindh High Court order that restrained him from performing functions as CEO of PIA. The court remarked that it expected the Air Marshal to do well and deliver for the national carrier. The court summoned the management and the office-bearers of CBA PIA to deal with the issue of workforces…
LONDON: As many as one million jobs are being lost every day in the tourism sector due to the sweeping effect of the coronavirus pandemic, according to the World Travel & Tourism Council. [huge_it_slider id=”528″] According to the London-based international organisation, the growing job losses are affecting every level of the industry and are gathering pace as countries go into lockdown. The organisation argues the vast closure of hotels, suspension of the majority of international and domestic airline flights, cessation of cruise lines and growing global travel bans are all having a catastrophic ‘domino effect’ hitting huge numbers of suppliers…
TOKYO: A member of the Japanese Olympic Committee’s executive board has publicly broken ranks with the International Olympic Committee, telling a Japanese news outlet that she believes it is time to postpone the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. [huge_it_slider id=”527″] The world’s largest sports gathering, Tokyo Olympic Games are scheduled to begin July 24. Kaori Yamaguchi, a retired judo athlete, told Nikkei that she believes the IOC is “putting athletes at risk” by asking them to continue to train, as usual, in the wake of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, a message that president Thomas Bach and the IOC have communicated to athletes…