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Past Event Nov. 2019
Theme: Global Investment Opportunities in Sustainable Tourism focusing on Africa, Island nations and emerging destinations
Italy opens its borders to European tourists next month
Italy will reopen its borders on 3 June, following a decision taken over the weekend by Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte and the Council of Ministers.
From this date, EU citizens and people living in the Schengen area will be able to travel to Italy, without being placed in quarantine for two weeks.
According to an Italian government press release, the decision could however change based on how the “epidemiological risk” evolves.
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Until now, travel to Italy has been restricted to Italians living abroad or foreigners who live in the country wanting to return, due to the coronavirus pandemic.
A border reopening in early summer is good news for the country’s tourism sector, one of the most important sectors in the country.
With 32,000 deaths Italy has been severely affected by the coronavirus, the third highest figure behind the US and UK.
MORE NEWS HERE
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Dr Taleb Rifai, former UN WTO secretary calls for ‘safe’ tourist areas to be created
Tourist destinations will have to consider offering Corona-free hotels, beaches and areas to ensure that visitors feel safe ‘from the minute they leave home until they return”.
The initiative was voiced by Dr Taleb Rifai, the Former Secretary General of the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) and chairman of the ITIC advisory board.
He was speaking at a new grassroots initiative with leaders from the travel and tourism industry joining from 76 countries the #rebuildingtravel globally: High Level Taskforce Meeting.
At the meeting, hosted by ETurboNews, Dr Rafai revealed his four pillars for the recovery of the travel & tourism sector.
Rebuilding.travel started two weeks ago and already many of the who’s who in the global travel and tourism industry as part of the group. Today membership has increased to 102 countries.
In a follow up to initial plan, Dr Rifai was clear that as the world moves from the containment to the recovery phase, the whole economy was more important than our specific industry.
But travel & tourism are essential for employment and the economies of many countries worldwide said Dr Rifai, speaking from Amman, Jordan, to a virtual gathering of industry and government leaders from around the world.
Speaking second to the Taskforce, he offered his own four point roadmap for recovery.
First he said is making domestic tourism a priority. “It does not contribute to balance of trade or bring in foreign currency but it it keeps facilities open and maintains employment,” he said. It reflects his own philosophy that “we should encourage people to enjoy their country,” something he admitted had not always been the case and had sometimes caused conflict between visitors and local people.
Second he said was the need to concentrate on the digital sector. “The future of tourism is centred around technology,” said Dr Rafai. “This is a main pillar of the post-corona era.
“Everything is going to be from home and we must start thinking outside the box. I have attended weddings where the priest is on one line marrying people elsewhere.”
Number three, he said, is training: “Our new post-corona era will be completely different. How we qualify our waiters – they will need trained to do packing for home delivery.” He said hotels will need to be more clean, training of staff to ensure the very best sanitisation will become a priority as destinations “compete with each other”.
Fourth, he said, every country must put money in the hands of people to encourage spending. “Spending is very, very important,” he said.
He urged destinations to prepare now for setting side certain areas that are corona free. “Destinations must start thinking about this: certain areas, certain hotels, certain beaches… that mean people are safe from minute the arrive until they return to their homes.”
And these protocols will need certification, he said. “You cant have any protocol if you don’t have certification. This is something you will need to see in the future.”
MORE NEWS HERE THE FUTURE OF TRAVEL & TOURISM VIRTUAL CONFERENCE June 10, 2020 DETAILS & REGISTRATIONQATAR AIRWAYS REVEALS ‘SUBSTANTIAL’ STAFF CUTS
Qatar Airways has warned today (May 6) of “substantial” redundancies as it struggles with a collapse in demand.
Its chief executive Akbar Al Baker wrote to staff warning of the job losses, although the airline has not revealed the numbers.
Qatar Airways said it needed to “act decisively to protect the future of the business”.
Worldwide it employs 45,000 people and runs a fleet of 240 aircraft – described as one of ‘the world’s youngest airline fleets’.
“The truth is, we simply cannot sustain the current staff numbers and will need to make a substantial number of jobs redundant – inclusive of cabin crew,” Mr Al Baker wrote in an internal memo.
The state airline of the wealthy, gas-rich Gulf country was considered less vulnerable than many Europen and US airlines but today’s news indicates the depth of damage Covid 19 is causing to the sector.
Qatar Airways increased its stake in British Airways owner IAG to 25% as part of its strategy to invest in other carriers.
BA revealed this week it would cut 12,000 jobs from its 42,000 employees. See our story HERE
“The unparalleled impact on our industry has caused significant challenges for all airlines and we must act decisively to protect the future of our business,” a Qatar Airways spokesman said.
“As a result, Qatar Airways can confirm that the airline will make a number of roles redundant due to the impact of Covid-19.”
The International Air Transport Association (IATA), warned last month that air traffic in the Middle East and North Africa was forecast to fall by more than half.
IATA also warned that most airlines would struggle to make a profit if social distancing measures were introduced, such as keeping middle seats empty.
On Tuesday, Virgin Atlantic said it would be cutting 3,000 jobs and quitting its operations at Gatwick airport.
THE FUTURE OF TRAVEL & TOURISM VIRTUAL CONFERENCE June 10, 2020 DETAILS & REGISTRATION
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