World Tourism Day: Jaipur, Goa, Kochi to be most popular leisure destinations.
The novel coronavirus pandemic has altered our lives in unimaginable ways; social distancing has become the — new normal and the — big fat Indian wedding has now embraced smaller, more intimate weddings. It definitely seems small is the new big!
Instead of worrying about what it used to be, couples are chasing the silver lining in this new situation. With restrictions on guest lists, many to-be-weds are leveraging this opportunity to make their dream destination wedding come true!
The pandemic has given couples the chance to tie the knot against the backdrop of an exquisite location, either outside the city without worrying about going over the budget.
A destination wedding that doesn’t burn a hole in your pocket is no longer just a fantasy. Expert from Weddingz.in shares the five most budget-friendly cities to host one’s small and dreamy wedding.
Welcome Hotel The Savoy.
Goa
With its sun-kissed beaches and breathtaking views, Goa makes for the perfect destination for an intimate and fun wedding. Couples can choose to host their wedding ceremony at a stunning beach resort without having to spend exorbitantly. Goa is host to umpteen affordable resorts with private beaches, little old-style Portuguese inns and budget-friendly homestays. Apart from being easily accessible via road, air and rail, Goa has a host a lot of restaurants which blend local and continental flavours, and this makes it a perfect destination for a small wedding.
Jaipur
Known as India’s Pink City, Jaipur is steeped in royal history and culture. Apart from being a favoured tourist hotspot, it is also a viable destination for weddings. Jaipur is home to an array of new-age boutique guest-houses and homestays that are pocket-friendly and ideal for wedding festivities with a limited guest list. At homestays and inns, couples can choose curated cuisine, customised dining setup and much more. Jaipur is also easily connected to all major Indian cities and towns and hence, makes for a perfect mini wedding destination.
Pune
Nestled in the lap of the Sahyadri Mountains, Pune makes for an ideal location for a small destination wedding. The city has tons of budget-friendly hotels, farms, resorts and holiday homes. Also, apart from its proximity to all major cities and towns in and around Mumbai, Pune city has the right mix of old-style Maharashtrian culture and new-age city vibes. The cool and dry weather is another upside for those looking to have outdoor weddings.
World Tourism Day: Jaipur, Goa, Kochi to be most popular leisure destinations.
Mussoorie
This hill station town in the foothills of the Garhwal Himalayan range is nothing short of a paradise for couples looking to get hitched. Mussoorie provides an array of breathtaking locales and vistas that couples can choose from. The hill town is full of homestays, hotels and little rustic inns, with local vendors offering reasonable prices for all necessary wedding prep as compared to mainstream cities. This makes for a perfect destination to host a low-budget yet festive wedding.
Chandigarh
With a host of 3-star hotels and farmhouses, the city blends well for small budget-friendly weddings. Hosting an outdoor farm wedding requires minimal spending on the decor, instead one can add some DIY decor personalised as per the couple’s taste. An extremely well-connected city- Chandigarh is also home to some of North India’s cuisine and is one of the greenest and cleanest cities in India. Add up all these factors and you have your perfect micro-wedding destination!
The pandemic may have played spoilsport for a lot of the couple’s grand wedding plans, but on the brighter side, it has given rise to intimate wedding ceremonies that can be celebrated with the closest friends and family. As an added perk, Weddingz.in is also offering jaw-dropping offers that can be availed by couples looking to book wedding related services.
During Hestourex, I met Dr. Sevil Kaderli, the founder of Atalya Dental clinic in Antalya. We talked about the practice and the type of services that she offers to the customers. I was invited to visit the Atalya clinic in Antalya’s Kepez district. It was a seven-story building consisting of 17 clinics equipped with all the latest dental technology. One room was designed and decorated specifically for children. One floor was dedicated to a large laboratory for making teeth, dentures, crowns, and implants. There was also a floor with several apartments dedicated to accommodate foreign guests. Dr. Kaderli also owns and manages another branch in Dokuma district in the city of Antalya …. Writes Mohammed Reza Amirinia
Medical health tourism is a growing global trend. Many clinics, hospitals, and agencies advertise their services to attract tourists interested in various types of medical and cosmetic treatments. Spa treatments, thermal tubs, mud baths, traditional healing, and homeopathy are just some of the areas covered by in the world of wellness. Medical surgery covers anything from personal injuries and complicated disorders to cosmetic surgery for personal beautification.
The term “Medical Tourism” arose as many people began to travel from their own countries to other countries for the medical treatments for a variety of reasons, primarily economic but also recreational, whereby one has the desire to combine their healthcare with sightseeing and exploration.
An emerging trend involves the industry shifting from Europe to third world countries and developing such as Cuba and Costa Rica in the west or Turkey and Morocco in the East. Cost and quality are a key driver as to why westerners would, with advanced healthcare systems in their own countries, flock to less developed nations for health and wellbeing services.
The world of hospitality has combined with wellbeing to provide services and facilities beyond traditional hospitals and clinics. Customer care, transfer, spa treatments and other services are more similar to a luxury hotel, encouraging foreign customers to choose these new international tourist clinics.
In the UK, limitations in NHS healthcare and very expensive private treatments have encouraged British citizens to look for alternative plans overseas. UK hospitals have the best surgeons in the world and have historically been considered a mecca for foreign patients. They still attract many medical tourists who can afford the costs in very specialized fields in the UK. However, there is a void in the national healthcare system that encourages UK and European citizens to look for new avenues in healthcare in other countries, normally less developed countries.
I was in Antalya to attend Hestourex, the World Health, Sport and Alternative Tourism Congress and Exhibition. It was a great opportunity for B2B meetings for visitors from all over the world to engage with local Turkish businesses and other international guests working in healthcare. I visited many stands exhibited by Turkish hospitals and clinics from Antalya, Mulga and other Turkish cities and regions. There were also many hotels, resorts and sports institutions as the show was dedicated to the Sport.
During Hestourex, I met Dr. Sevil Kaderli, the founder of Atalya Dental clinic in Antalya. We talked about the practice and the type of services that she offers to the customers. I was invited to visit the Atalya clinic in Antalya’s Kepez district. It was a seven-story building consisting of 17 clinics equipped with all the latest dental technology. One room was designed and decorated specifically for children. One floor was dedicated to a large laboratory for making teeth, dentures, crowns, and implants. There was also a floor with several apartments dedicated to accommodate foreign guests. Dr. Kaderli also owns and manages another branch in Dokuma district in the city of Antalya.
Mr. Gokhan, the manager of Atalya Dental clinic explained the ambitious ideas of Dr. Kaderli and her team to provide a personal service to patients from initial consultation and caring therapy procedures to the final post-therapy advice to maintain cleanliness and hygiene.
I was there in Antalya for business meetings – I never thought that I would go for a dental treatment. I didn’t have any emergency issues with my teeth, however, due to historic tooth decay, I was previously advised to have dental bridges or implants done. Mr. Gokhan suggested having implants placed instead of bridges.
Dr Kedrli examined me carefully and recommended placing 6 dental implant posts. My flight was the next day, but Sevil assured me that she could do the job in the morning before my flight. It was a hard decision to go through such an intense procedure in half a day. However, I didn’t hesitate to accept going through the treatment. The nurse took a panoramic x-ray, monitoring the state of my tooth, before the surgical operation. The x-ray machine was a state of the art machine connected to a computer.
The surgeon began the operation after evaluating my x-ray and deciding the places of the implants. Dr Kedrli cut the gum to drill holes into my jawbone for insertion of implant. The deeply implanted fixtures act as new tooth roots. The implants are made of titanium, because it contains alloys that the human body can tolerate more easily and won’t cause any allergy or contamination in the body. The quality of my bone was low in one section around my tooth. Therefore, the surgeon had to use the bone graft to do bone rehabilitation and restore the bone structure to strengthen it to hold the implants. The bone grafting is a costly essential requirement, if the bone is not good enough to cover the implant.
My doctor also had to extract two teeth. It was a very cumbersome procedure with a delicate surgical operation, but it was all done diligently. I have always resented tooth extraction and root canal treatment. The local anaesthesia was required to relieve the pain. However, this implant placement caused just minor discomfort, despite intense treatment. The doctors and nurses were very supportive during the treatment and the whole procedure was done in a few hours. I was ready to fly back to London in the afternoon.
I had to use ice bags on my face to stop minor bleeding following the operation and during my flight. The implant wounds started to heal in a week and stitches were dissolved slowly. I didn’t have any inflammation, but I had a slight discomfort around implant posts after a few weeks following the procedure. I visited a local doctor to have an examination. He found an undissolved stich on my gum. He easily removed it and that relived my discomfort. It is always advisable not to panic with little pain. It is a good idea to have a regular check-up, in case of any complications. There are always risks of infection, bleeding or delays in bone healing. But the majority of people don’t have any serious complications. The dental implants are an important decision to make for anyone. Despite the cost, it seems that the implant placements are the most reliable option in the long term.
The placement of implant fixtures is the first phase of the treatment. The healing of the bone and the gum around posts, similar to the growth of gum tissue around natural tooth may take 3 to 6 months. You should allow enough time so that the implants blend with the jawbone properly, before the new tooth can be placed over the posts. Actually, the longer it takes the better, because the implants sitting on your jawbone would need to become part of the anatomy of your body.
I was extremely busy during the year and did not get a chance to travel to Turkey. I returned to Antalya after a year during Hestourex 2019. It was a good opportunity again to combine my business meetings and sightseeing tours with completing the dental treatment. I was there for only for five days, but normally it is better to allow one to two weeks to complete the second stage of the treatment.
Dr. Sevil Kaderli worked very intensely on my teeth over three sessions. She was initially satisfied that the implant healing was good by taking an up to date x-ray. Then she began by cutting and preparing my existing tooth to adjust them in line with the new artificial tooth. Sevil created a model of my upper and lower tooth and sent it to the laboratory. She made a temporary removable denture for my upper tooth, before the final one was done. Sevil owns her own private laboratory on the 6th floor of her building. Therefore, it was convenient for me to go to the laboratory for handy slight adjustments.
The new crown tooth was made of zirconia ceramic with a natural colour to match my existing tooth. The Zirconia crown is made of zirconium dioxide, a very robust material, and much stronger than porcelain. The zirconia is a kind of ceramic with high transparency and durability features. It doesn’t contain the metal. The crown was fitted via abutments to screw the prosthesis over my implants.
Sevil did all my treatments as a priority with immediate attention, but very carefully to avoid any negligence. I was amazed of her dedication and caring attitude, giving me comfort during the procedure with her bright demeanour. If you are going to do this dental treatment, I suggest to allow more time in each stage to get it done with more relaxation and be less worried about the time.
I am very happy with my new teeth, which has positively changed my appearance. Dental marketers call it the “Hollywood Smile” to promote their work. I look younger and happier and most importantly, it helps with my food digestion.
Dr. Sevil Kaderli also operates another branch in Rixos Downtown Antalya. It is a luxury private setting for clients who are looking for more exclusive dental treatments. The clinic is called Medworld in a building adjoining the Rixos Hotel Spa centre for various types of physical treatment and rehabilitation.
The Atalya clinic in the city of Antalya is only an example of several dental clinics in Turkey. There are always risks in choosing a reliable and trustworthy clinic. The selection of the right dentist is not just about cost, worrying about guarantees, but also the trust, professionalism, expertise, quality and appropriate dental equipment in the clinic. It can be worrying to fly to a distant country, speaking a different language and then going under any treatments. However, word of mouth and researching reviews online are good ways to help make a decision.
Turkey like many other countries in the world has suffered because of the covid-19 pandemic and all required restrictions. Slowly the situation is changing and things are going back to normal with careful consideration of social distancing. The Atalya clinic in Antalya is open and business is as usual to welcome the guests for all their dental treatments observing of all medical precautions.
For further information about the dental treatments by Atalya Clinic contact https://atalyadis.com/en/ or https://dentatur.com/.
He says that not a single day passes when he doesn’t ask himself: “Who the hell do you think you are?”…writes Sukant Deepak.
Stressing that everyone struggles with identity, both on a simple, mundane level as well as on a larger plane, writer Stephen Alter, who recently received the Mountain Environment and Natural History Award for his book ‘Wild Himalaya’, says, “Come to think of it, very few people are content with their origins and each of us seeks to reinvent ourselves in different ways.”
Alter, who in his latest work ‘Feral Dreams’ (Aleph) goes back to Rudyard Kipling’s ‘Jungle Book’ and takes it forward, says that the classic has been an important part of his imagination since childhood and over the years he has grown to appreciate the fact that those stories about the forests and wildlife of India can be employed as a message for conservation.
“As I revisited Mowgli’s adventures in a more contemporary setting, I tried to make these popular narratives relevant to our present times, when many species are threatened with extinction and the jungles have shrunk considerably since the days when Kipling first told his tales,” says Alter.
Born and raised in India, Alter, who lives in Littleton, Colorado, and Landour, Uttarakhand, and has to his credit around 20 fiction and non-fiction titles including books for children, insists that despite the Himalayas being home, several aspects of those mountains remain beyond his understanding.
“That’s what fascinates me. They are both familiar and unknown,” he says.
He may be an atheist, but that does not stop him from appreciating and writing about the sacred and spiritual in his works.
Adding that denying divinity allows him to ask questions that devotees of different faiths often avoid, the author, who has has taught writing at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and at the American University in Cairo, says, “The Himalaya represents a sacred space, but not as it is interpreted by organised religion and dogmatic purveyors of shallow, lowland truths.”
For someone whose first story was published in 1976, it is not really money that keeps him going.
“Writing is a fatal addiction that leaves your bank account empty but fulfils a storyteller’s desire to plunder a reader’s imagination,” he says.
The author, who has written around four books for children, feels that younger readers can be a demanding audience as they tend to focus intensely on a story and read every word while adults may skim over sentences and skip passages.
“It is important to provide them with new and challenging stories, both in fiction and non-fiction. India needs more writers who provide young people with the kind of literature that will entertain and inspire them,” he says.
A stickler for schedule, Alter, who writes between 7 am and 11 am by shutting out all intrusions, produces a thousand words everyday — his daily quota for the past 45 years.
Receiving The Banff Mountain Book Award for ‘Wild Himalaya’ has been an enormously satisfying experience for Alter.
“I feel happy because it means that all the time and effort I put into the book has been recognised by the jury members who understand and appreciate the mountains just as I do,” says the author, also a recipient of the Guggenheim Fellowship.
Refusing to talk about his next book, he says, “I am always working on something, but considering the fact that because I’m superstitious, in a cynical sort of way, I never tell anyone what my next book is about.”
Stephen Alterâs âWild Himalayaâ wins environmental award at Canadian festival
Prolific writer Stephen Alter has won the prestigious Mountain Environment and Natural History Award at the Banff Mountain Film and Book Festival 2020 in Alberta, Canada, for his book “Wild Himalaya” (Aleph) that brings alive the greatest mountain range on earth in all its terrifying beauty, grandeur and complexity.
Travelling to all the five countries that the Himalayan range – 2,500 kilometres in length, between 350 and 150 kilometres in breadth and rising to a maximum height of almost nine kilometres above sea level (Mount Everest) – traverses through India, Pakistan, Bhutan, Nepal and China, Alter braids together on-the-ground reports with a deep understanding and study of the history, science, geology, environment, flora, fauna, myth, folklore, spirituality, climate and human settlements of the region to provide a nuanced and rich portrait of these legendary mountains.
Adding colour to the narrative are riveting tales unearthed by the author of some of the range’s most storied peaks – Everest or Chomolungma, Kanchenjunga, Annapurna, Dhaulagiri, and Nanga Parbat, among others.
The book is divided into eight sections which delve deep into particular aspects of the Himalayas.
“Orogenesis” explores the origin, evolution, geology, geography and other such core aspects of these mountains; “The Third Pole” concerns itself with weather, glaciers, wetlands and rivers; “Flora Himalensis” details extraordinary Himalayan plants and trees; “Winged Migrants” goes deep into the world of Himalayan birds and insects; “Mountain Mammals” crosses high passes and goes above the tree-line in search of brown bears, blue sheep and snow leopards; “Ancestral Journeys” takes a close look at human settlement in the Himalaya and stories of origin and migration, both ancient and contemporary; “At the Edge of Beyond” recounts epic adventures and great mountaineering feats; and, finally, “In a Thousand Ages of the Gods” examines the essence of Himalayan art, folklore and mythology as well as enigmatic mysteries such as the existence of the Yeti, along with key questions of conservation.
Although there have been hundreds of books, and some masterpieces, about one or the other aspect of the Himalaya, rare is one that has come close to capturing the incredible complexity and majesty of these mountains.
Stephen Alter, a cousin of the late actor Tom Alter, is the author of 20 books of fiction and non-fiction. He was born in Mussoorie, Uttarakhand, and much of his writing focuses on the Himalayan region, where he continues to live and work.
His honours include a Guggenheim Fellowship and a Fulbright award. His recent memoir, “Becoming a Mountain: Himalayan Journeys in Search of the Sacred and the Sublime”, received the Kekoo Naoroji Award for Himalayan Literature in 2015. His most recent work of fiction, “In the Jungles of the Night: A Novel About Jim Corbett”, was shortlisted for the DSC South Asian Literature Award in 2017.
Why Stephen Alter calls Himalayas home
Alter was writer-in-residence at MIT for 10 years, before which he directed the writing programme at the American University in Cairo. He is the founding director of the Mussoorie Mountain Festival.
As beautiful as Switzerland is in summer, the changing colours of autumn paint the vistas of the country in delightful golden hues. Witnessing the delightful shades of orange, yellow gold and green, is a dream come true! Switzerlands colourful autumn in September and October is one of the best times to explore this gorgeous country.
Here are some snapshots of this glorious country painted in beautiful autumn shades!
Autumn Along the Grand Tour of Switzerland
The unique combination of the rural idyll, culturally thriving towns, and impressive culinary diversity, painted in autumn shades all packed into a small area, is what sets Switzerland apart. The Grand Tour of Switzerland combines all this in a fun way as the best way to experience Fall is on a self-drive through some of the most scenic regions of Switzerland. The Grand Tour combines all of Switzerland’s attraction on one route � all available on an app with suggestions for routes, attractions, accommodation as well as restaurants
Interlaken
The adventure capital of Europe turns into a trekker’s paradise in the Fall season! But of course, other adventures like paragliding, mountain biking, bungee and canyon jumping are also available.
Lake Geneva Region
The dramatic vineyards that drop off into Lake Geneva offer over 30 kms of trails. Nothing can be more romantic than a boat ride on Lake Geneva in autumn with your partner cruising through the captivating colours of fall or biking across the vineyards stopping to taste some wine at the several wine-tasting cellars that offer a tasting session along with the tour of the cellar.
Lucerne
Nestled amongst mountains and an aquamarine-tinted lake, Lucerne in fall will make you feel like you have time travelled to a quaint fairy tale-town with all its trimmings cobblestone streets and centuries-old pretty wooden bridges all surrounded by blazing autumn trees reaching up through a mysterious veiled mist.
Zermatt
The quaint, pretty alpine village of Zermatt nestled among the Swiss Alps comes alive in Autumn, and how! The best way to treat your eyes to the visual artistry of fall in this beautiful resort town is to walk/ trek through trails lined with warm coloured trees set against a backdrop of crystal-clear blue skies. And if that is too much effort, you can admire the nature from the comfort of a cable car of Matterhorn Glacier Paradise.
Zurich
The largest city of Switzerland is a must-visit in fall, not only are the leaves colorful, but also the diversity of exciting activities on offer in Zurich. Hikes, culinary specialties and wines are amongst the plenty of fun things to do in Zurich to lure visitors to this wonderful city!
Zimbabwe plans to gradually reopen borders from December (Xinhua/IANS)
Zimbabwe closed it’s ports of entry in March following the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic…reports Asian Lite News
Zimbabwe will gradually reopen it’s land borders beginning in December, Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services Minister Monica Mutsvangwa said.
Addressing a post-cabinet media briefing, Mutsvangwa said on Tuesday that borders to be opened first include the country’s busiest, Beitbridge, on the border with South Africa, and Plumtree which borders with Botswana, Xinhua reported.
“The borders will open first to private passenger vehicles and pedestrian traffic from December 1, 2020, while further assessment is being undertaken with regard to preparations for handling public passenger transport,” said Mutsvangwa.
She said the borders will operate between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m., until further notice.
After nearly 9 months of restrictions, Zimbabwe will begin to open its borders on December 1st.
To all Zimbabweans who complied with the #COVID19 measures, your resilience has saved countless lives across Zimbabwe.
Let’s now work together to get our economy back on track! 🇿🇼
The private charter flights will be allowed at two ports of entry namely, Maun and Kasane International Airports…reports Asian Lite News
Botswana authorities have announced that the country is ready to receive private charter flights into the country’s resort towns starting next month amid the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.
The private charter flights will be allowed at two ports of entry namely, Maun and Kasane International Airports, said a press statement from the Ministry of Environment, Natural Resources Conservation and Tourism issued on Monday.
The announcement further said the government is finalizing the required legislative framework to facilitate such air travel, which will include protocols for compliance, Xinhua reported.
PRIVATE AIR CHARTER TO BOTSWANA FOR TOURISM PURPOSES
The Ministry of Environment, Natural Resources Conservation & Tourism is pleased to inform members of the public and the international community that Botswana is ready to receive private charter flights from 1st November 2020. pic.twitter.com/39f5qPmgYC
With international tourists expected to start coming into the country, the ailing tourism industry is expected to revive its plunging operations.
Uncertainties still haunt the tourism industry and threaten to plunge the sector into an abyss. Statistics paints a gloomy picture of the tourism industry and Germany recently donated 4.8 million Euros to support the local tourism sector which has been adversely affected by Covid-19.
In addition, the tourism industry is also part of the government’s Economic Recovery and Transformation Plan (ERTP) expected to ignite several sectors from the Covid-19 impacts.
The winter schedule for domestic aviation, which began on Sunday and will run until 21st March next year, permits a total of 12,983 flights from 95 airports, said the aviation regulator…reports Asian Lite News
India’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation, DGCA, on Sunday increased the number of domestic flights countrywide to 56 per cent of pre-COVID-19 levels, aimed at paving the way to an eventual resumption of scheduled international air travel into and out of India.
The winter schedule for domestic aviation, which began on Sunday and will run until 21st March next year, permits a total of 12,983 flights from 95 airports, the aviation regulator said.
According to the Minister for Civil Aviation, Hardeep Singh Puri, domestic flights connecting bigger cities to smaller towns was a pre-requisite to the resumption of overseas flights. This is because many passengers arriving at international airports need connections to reach their final destinations on the domestic route.
When air travel was resumed in India on 25th May after a two-month gap, caused by a total lockdown, the DGCA permitted airlines to operate 33 per cent of their pre-Covid-19 number of flights on the domestic sector. Today’s announcement marks the highest level since the lockdown on a graduated basis.
Phase-7 of Vande Bharat Mission begins from 29 Oct.
The DGCA has been allowing overseas repatriation flights of Indian citizens and foreign nationals in both directions. Some special international flights sanctioned by the Ministry of Home Affairs have also been allowed.
Puri said the future of international travel will depend on the availability of a vaccine against Coronavirus. “There is no country which has completely opened its borders for all. Everything depends on the availability of a vaccine as countries will feel more confident once a vaccine is there.”
Several foreign airlines have expressed interest in resuming flights to India. For now, international flights have been suspended until the end of this month.
Demand for international flights is expected to go up after the Ministry of Home Affairs on Thursday permitted foreign nationals to visit India for any purpose, except tourism. Overseas Citizens of India can also now travel to India. Such visits were prohibited from the start of the lockdown.
Puri said “there are three issues to consider before resuming regular international flights. One, resuming domestic connectivity between bigger cities and smaller towns. Second, the nature of the virus on which I can’t comment and the third is international restrictions. Every country wants their people to return, but for others, there are plenty of restrictions.”
People wearing masks walk on the Trocadero Place near the Eiffel Tower in Paris, France (Xinhua/Gao Jing/IANS)
The European Union’s (EU) domestic tourism has recovered faster than foreign tourism after most countries started easing their Covid-19 restrictions by June, official figures have revealed.
In a report on Friday, the EU’s statistical office Eurostat said during the early part of 2020, the tourism industry suffered as a result of travel restrictions implemented in response to the pandemic.
Tourist numbers dropped sharply during March and April 2020, when compared with the same period a year earlier.
Since June 2020, most EU countries have begun to ease travel restrictions.
However, other restrictions related to Covid-19 have remained in place, such as tourists having to quarantine on return from some foreign destinations.
These have prompted a preference for domestic tourism, which has recovered more quickly than incoming tourism.
After a drop of 93 per cent in April 2020 compared with the same month of the previous year, by July 2020, domestic tourism in the EU almost returned to the level of the previous year.
In July 2020, nights spent by EU residents in tourist accommodation inside their own country were only 22 per cent lower than in July 2019, while nights spent by non-residents were 64 per cent less than the previous year.
According to the UN World Tourism Organization, the EU saw 66 per cent less international tourist arrivals year-on-year in the first half of 2020.
Although the EU interior borders were reopened in the summer to spur the EU-wide tourist industry with precautionary measures taken, the exterior borders have remained been closed to the world.
While borders were reopened on October 1, tourists from some European countries and the United States are barred due to high levels of Covid-19 cases there…reports Asian Lite News
South Africa’s tourism industry was losing over R300 million (18.4 million US dollars) daily due to lack of international tourists, said Tourism Business Council of South Africa (TBCSA).
“It’s a large sum of money we are losing. There’s little activity that has happened since the re-opening of borders,” TBCSA CEO Tshifhiwa Tshivhengwa told Xinhua on Wednesday.
While borders were reopened on October 1, tourists from some European countries and the United States are barred due to high levels of Covid-19 cases there.
“People who were coming through have cancelled their bookings due to high-risk list,” said Tshivhengwa, accommodation figures were down more than 80 per cent.
Statistics South Africa estimated that accommodation alone lost more than R7 billion between March and July which was during the lockdown.
He said tourists from countries not on the high-risk list such as China and Japan usually make their bookings at this time of the year, but he was not sure if they would still come in their numbers in 2020.
