Travel and Tourism

Uzbekistan is reopening to international tourists with a big promise: if they become infected with COVID-19 during their trip, they will receive US$3000 in compensation. ‘We want to reassure tourists they can come to Uzbekistan’, Sophie Ibbotson, Uzbekistan’s tourism ambassador to the UK, said in a statement. ‘The government is so confident that the new safety and hygiene measures being...

Belgium is giving all residents free train journeys and cultural vouchers in an effort to boost domestic tourism as lockdown ends. The government announced last week that it would provide all residents with a free 10-journey rail pass as it emerges from three months of lockdown. Valid from July until the end of December, the rail pass can be used anywhere...

Egypt cabinet recently announced to open up its main seaside resorts for international flights and foreign tourists from July 1. Egypt suspended regular international flights in March and shut down restaurants, hotels and cafes. Apart from the resorts, other international flights will remain suspended until further notice. Hotels were allowed to reopen for domestic tourists last month at reduced capacity if...

With lockdowns easing globally and countries reopening following restrictions, trying to put in place phased plans for sustainable and safe tourism. South Africa has become one of the latest countries to outline how it hopes to achieve this, but international tourists may have to wait until next year to visit. “Based on the Covid-19 epidemic’s expected trajectory, the first phase...

UK government ministers say that summer holidays for 2020 are cancelled as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, but without giving any indication of why they reach that conclusion – nor when British travellers will be given any further certainty. Meanwhile, Europe’s biggest budget airline and largest holiday company say they are restarting in late June. Ryanair and Tui will...

With the world carefully and slowly opening up again in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, Emirates has announced its plan to operate scheduled flight services from 21 May to nine destinations. These include London, Frankfurt, Paris, Milan, Madrid, Chicago, Toronto, Sydney and Melbourne. It will also offer connections in Dubai for customers travelling between the UK and Australia. In...

All over the world, travel and tourism industries have been greatly affected by the impact of COVID-19. Following the restrictions on movements, and travels, lockdowns and cancellations of major events. Prior to the pandemic, it was predicted that ‘tourist destinations were to hit 1.6 billion international arrivals globally in 2020’, providing 10% to global GDP as a major contributor...

Italy’s largest Mediterranean island, Sicily, has proposed various schemes intended to revive the island’s post-pandemic tourism economy, including a 50% Discount on all Post-Pandemic Flights. Following the ban on non-essential travel in light of the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, the Sicily economy which relies heavily on tourism has taken an almost irrecoverable hit, losing over USD$1.09 billion in revenue since imposing...

With a significantly reduced demand worldwide for hotel stays due to the COVID-19 pandemic, some forward-thinking initiatives could benefit guests who are prepared to invest now and reap the rewards later. Several hotels are offering deals in which people can buy gift vouchers now for future stays, and they will increase in value by the time they are redeemed. One...

The coronavirus outbreak has changed everything about life including travel. The travel industry has been badly hurt following the various lockdown policies and restrictions placed on travels and movements.  However, if you must travel here is a list of travel tips compiled by the United States Transportation Security Administration to help these travelers amid the coronavirus pandemic. The first tip recommends that travelers...