Indonesia bans traditional Ramadan exodus to rein in coronavirus

JAKARTA (Reuters) – Indonesia will ban its traditional annual exodus by people streaming out of cities at the end of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, as the Southeast Asian nation looks to curb the spread of coronavirus, President Joko Widodo said on Tuesday.

Indonesia’s tally of 616 virus deaths is the highest in East Asia after China, but Widodo had previously resisted a ban, seeking instead to persuade people to stay put.

But health experts had warned that allowing millions in the […]

Chinese travellers expect to travel overseas within 2020: survey

BANGKOK – As China’s tourism economy begins to reopen, a survey of first-tier city consumers shows that 53% are planning to travel out of the country within the year.

The China Thailand Travel Sentiment Survey 2020, conducted in mid-April, was based on over 1,000 travellers by hospitality consultancy C9 Hotelworks and Delivering Asia Communications.

It found that August, October and December were the most popular months for trips within the remaining half of the year.

The sentiment comes as China has begun to […]

What now for Virgin Australia?

BRISBANE – The future of Virgin Australia, in which Singapore Airlines has a significant stake, is reaching a critical stage with  indications the debt-laden airline is heading for voluntary administration.

But while Virgin Australia may have almost shut down its business – at least temporarily – there is no shortage of speculation about the airline’s future. That speculation includes interest from several private equity groups.

The airline’s prospects have rallied in recent  days with the state governments of Queensland and New South […]

Interview with Sylvain Pasdeloup: “Hoteliers are fighters and warriors”

DENPASAR – A leading Bali hotel general manager has said that marketing has never been so important as it is now for hotels to stay connected with their guests.

Sylvain Pasdeloup, area general manager Accor Bali and Lombok, and GM of Sofitel Bali said, “ We all believe that this recovery will not be a matter of re-opening our doors and just waiting for guests, but will most probably be our biggest battle ever, to reassure people that it is safe […]

Welcome to the new world of flying where space will carry a cost

SINGAPORE – When air travel resumes at scale, airlines expect to be faced with more costs as governments and health authorities mandate stricter health safety rules and travel restrictions.

International Air Transport Association (IATA) director general and chief executive Alexandre de Juniac has warned that when the aviation industry resumes business, new strict rules intended to reduce the spread of Covid-19 will be imposed.

IATA said it plans to conduct virtual meetings with governments and other stakeholders to begin coordination efforts on […]

Travel restrictions grip 96% of global destinations

The UNWTO is calling on all governments to continuously review travel restrictions and ease or lift them once it is safe to do so, following its recent findings that almost all worldwide destinations have introduced travel restrictions in response to the pandemic.

The landmark report, highlighting the unprecedented disruption caused by Covid-19 to global tourism, shows that almost all global destinations have imposed restrictions on travel since January 2020, including complete bans on all travel as they work to contain the […]