VFS Global has reopened its Canada Visa Application Centre in Dubai with strict health and safety guidelines in place; under the directives received from the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC). The centre is providing limited visa services from Sunday to Thursday between 1000 to 1800 hrs. In order to ensure a safe, productive work environment for employees, while still protecting communities to the maximum extent possible from the spread of the COVID-19, VFS Global has established standardised protective measures to be followed across the centre including specific social distancing and sanitation mandates. All customers are subjected to body temperature checks at the entrance of the centre to assess their health conditions. Any customer exhibiting COVID-19 symptoms, including high fever, cough and difficulty in breathing will not be permitted to enter the centre and requested to return once the health condition improves. Additionally, all customers and VFS Global employees are required to wear a face mask within the centre.

ITB China 2020 which was postponed due to concerns around the COVID-19 pandemic has been rescheduled and will now be held from May 12-14, 2021 at the Shanghai World Expo Exhibition and Convention Centre. David Axiotis, General Manager, ITB China said, “The travel industry depends on face-to-face meetings like no other. We are very much looking forward to co-hosting 2020 Travel Daily Conference in November and welcoming the world in China again in the customary manner at ITB China 2021 in Shanghai next year. Given the success of three editions of ITB China, and given the fact the China travel market is gradually recovering, we believe the participation of the international suppliers to the events will enable them to speed up the pace to opening up the China market.” Early committed exhibitors who register for ITB China 2021 before 30 June 2020, can benefit from a discount of 15 percent on their stand rental fees.

Travel trade professionals from across the world will gather online today for the first day of Arabian Travel Market (ATM) Virtual, a newly-launched three-day event for the region’s tourism community. The debut event, which will run from today till June 3, 2020 will place a focus on emerging trends, opportunities, and the challenges which are directly impacting the travel and tourism industry amid the COVID-19 global health pandemic. Over the course of three days, ATM Virtual will feature comprehensive webinars, live conference sessions, roundtables, speed networking events, and one-to-one meetings, as well as facilitating new connections and offering a wide range of online business opportunities. Danielle Curtis, Exhibition Director ME, Arabian Travel Market (ATM), said: “Our debut event not only underscores ATM’s mission to support and guide the region’s vast travel and tourism industry during and beyond COVID-19, but it also demonstrates our commitment to delivering positive business and networking opportunities to the entire community, during even the most challenging times. With up to four live high-level sessions each day, industry experts will address a range of topics including a road map to recovery, tourism strategies for the future, the hotel landscape in a post-COVID-19 world, and the resilience of the travel industry, as well as exploring the ‘new normal’ that lies ahead, emerging travel technology and sustainability trends.” Fahd Hamidaddin, Chief of Investment, Strategy and Tourism Marketing, Ministry of Tourism Saudi Arabia, said, “As global travel restrictions ease, our focus is on ensuring that Saudi Arabia is ready to welcome visitors as soon as they are ready to travel. We are collaborating across the public and private sectors, to safeguard the wellbeing of visitors, while continuing to invest in …

Emirates airline updated its COVID-19 travel waiver policies into one simplified approach for rebooking and refunds on tickets issued in all its global markets, showcasing their customers first approach. Adnan Kazim, Chief Commercial Officer, Emirates said, “The COVID-19 pandemic is unprecedented for everyone, and we’d like to thank our customers and trade partners for their patience, understanding and support as we worked through this period to ensure our policies are not only customer-friendly but also in line with regulatory requirements.We sincerely hope that our customers will choose to rebook and fly with us again at a later time, and that is why we’re offering up to two years validity on their current tickets, or travel vouchers which can be redeemed for any Emirates product or service. Any fees for making a change to the tickets will be waived for tickets issued till May 31, 2020 for travel up to August 31, 2020. However, if they would still like to opt for a refund, we will process that. We would just like to seek our customers’ understanding that refunds will take time as we have a significant backlog to manage.”

Arabian Travel Market (ATM) has confirmed that Dr. Taleb Rifai, Chairman of the International Tourism & Investment Conference (ITIC) and former UNWTO Secretary-General will host a virtual summit as part of ATM Virtual. The summit, which is titled ‘Restructuring to Attract Sustainable Development and Customers in the New World Order’ will take place on Wednesday June 3 between 12.15pm – 1.45pm GST (9.15am – 10.45am BST). The session will examine sustainable investment measures for the Middle East travel and tourism sector and the strategies to restore travellers’ confidence post-pandemic. “We are living in unprecedented times for the tourism industry, which is facing its toughest challenge ever. Stay home means no travel, and no travel means no tourism. This ITIC summit is vital at this critical time and I am therefore pleased to be part of ATM Virtual, who I commend for facing the challenges and ensuring the industry is in direct contact during these difficult times,” said Dr. Rifai. The panel discussions will also focus on the part governments must play in helping sector recovery, the expectations of the industry going forward, and how travel and tourism businesses can plan for their financial future. Danielle Curtis, Exhibition Director ME, Arabian Travel Market, said, “We are delighted to be working with ITIC to reflect on the financial impact COVID-19 has had on the tourism sector and to garner their insights and advice on strategies to restore visitor confidence and how the industry can begin to recover during these difficult times.” “We must all think together, out of the box, and imaginatively. This is our real historic test. The Middle East has proven in the past that it is robust and can …

Dubai Travel and Tour Agents Group (DTTAG) has been restructured with the appointment of Asim Arshad, CEO, Orient Travel, as the President of the group along with Sumit Acharya, Managing Director BCD Travel, as the Vice President. The group has also revamped the Executive Committee to include industry stalwarts from leading travel agencies, namely Jamal Abdulnazer -CEO Cozmo Travel, Aubrey Heldt – General Manager Kanoo Travel, SavioVaz – Vice President Dnata Travel, Nasir Khan – CEO Al Nabooda Travel, JayaramIyer – Managing Director Sharaf Travel, Narendra Bhatia – Managing Director Team Travel, Santosh Cheriyan, Regional General Manager Akbar Travel. The groups Executive Committee members have been actively working closely with many travel companies and entities in order to coordinate and devise the best strategy to steer their businesses out of the challenges they are currently facing due to COVID-19. Managing the impact of the post COVID scenario on the travel industry and meeting potential changes to consumer behaviour and expectations are key areas of focus for DTTAG and its members in the immediate future. Therefore, DTTAG is playing a pivotal role in facilitating a forum for travel agency members to interact with one another with the goal of meeting needs of a variety of consumers and simultaneously achieving their own business goals through support and cooperation offered by the group’s members and government organisations involved with the Travel and Tourism industry. DTTAG, which enjoys the ongoing support of Emquest a division of the Emirates group and other associate members, has embarked upon an aggressive membership drive among the travel agency community by demonstrating value and effectively representing them with various airlines, government departments, IATA and other partners in the travel …

Geneva is all set to welcome travellers from the GCC and around the world, while still maintaining the necessary security measures to ensure the health and safety of all citizen and visitors. Geneva’s restaurants, shops, markets, travel agencies, museums, libraries and sports facilities were reopened with precautionary measures being applied. The re-opening plan consists of different phases where with each entity in Geneva will gradually take a step closer to being fully operational. On June 8; Phase 3 will take effect and swimming pools, theatres, cinemas, zoos, botanical gardens, animal parks and mountain transport services will be open to the public again. “We are optimistic about the current situation in Geneva and looking forward for more positive developments highlighted with the opening of airports for international flights soon,” says Franck Romanet, Market Manager GCC & India at Geneva Tourism & Conventions Foundation. “With the restrictions in Geneva being lifted and having more airlines announcing their return flights and connecting the GCC to our city, we hope to see more and more tourists from the GCC region travelling again to their favourite destination, Geneva,” Romanet continues. Every year Geneva welcomes the highest numbers of travellers from the GCC compared to other Swiss cities. This is linked to Geneva’s diverse offerings, natural scene and unique shopping opportunities which Arab travellers look forward to. The number of halal food restaurants and the hotels with Arabic speaking staff makes travellers from the Middle East region feel at home when visiting Geneva. Another important factor which makes Geneva an appealing destination for Arabs is its medical offerings which have a positive international reputation thanks to the number of clinics and hospitals available, the cutting edge …

Pedro Sanchez, Prime minister, Spain announced that the entry of foreign tourists to Spain in safe conditions will resume from July 1, and tourists can now plan their vacations in the country. Tourism needs security at origin and destination. The Spanish government will guarantee that tourists will not run any risk and that they will not bring any risk to Spain. Spanish tourism, in addition to its art, culture, gastronomy, beaches and landscape, will add two more landmarks: that of health safety and that of environmental sustainability. Spain awaits you since July. Whoever visits Spain can count on stepping on safe soil, with a health guarantee and committed to the sustainability of the planet. Prime minister Pedro Sanchez has pledged visitors and the sector’s workforce will be kept safe. Spain’s lockdown was implemented on March 14 and was one of the most stringent in Europe. Spain attracts more than 80 million tourists a year. He also emphasised that safety is paramount for tourism and the Spanish government will guarantee that tourists will not be exposed to any risks ‘and at the same time, will not bring any risk into the county’. Spanish tourism will have two new hallmarks going forward – health and safety and environmental sustainability, according to Sanchez. Spain produces guidelines for ‘safe reopening’ of tourism. The Spanish Secretary of State for Tourism in coordination with the Health Ministry has published 12 guides detailing the specifications for the ‘safe reopening’ of Spain’s tourism industry and help reduce the spread of COVID-19. The guidelines, drawn up by the Institute for Spanish Tourist Quality (ICTE), contain specifications for service, cleaning and disinfection, maintenance and risk management. They are designed to …

Travtalk Middle East will be hosting two important sessions at the ATM virtual which will be conducted from June 1 to 3, 2020. The sessions will be moderated by Sanjeet – Managing Director, DDP Publications. The first session will focus on Middle East: The New Asian Source Market with 3 key speakers from Asian tourism boards Beverly Au Yong – Area Director (Middle East) International Group – Singapore Tourism board, Daks Gonzales is the Philippine Department of Tourism (DOT), Head, for the Middle East Market and Nandini Lahe-Thapa, Senior Director at the Nepal Tourism Board is Head of the International Marketing and Promotion Dept. Their focus will be to understand 2020 and 2021 strategy to explore UAE and Middle East as a source market. When they will expect the first wave of tourism to come from the Middle East? Would the focus on Europe change for this year? How they will change their marketing strategy for the GCC market? What makes this market a lucrative one? This discussion will help the industry understand this global pandemic and the way forward in the long term. The second Webinar will focus on “The new normal: What the Future looks like for the hotel and tourism industry” – This will be a discussion on the new normal which will be the outcome post COVID-19 lockdown. The various strategies and measures taken by tourism boards and hotels in ensuring regulations and standards to be implemented The speakers at this session include: Nia Niscaya – Deputy Minister for Marketing, Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy, Republic of Indonesia, EVP, Consumer Travel of Seera Group and Paul Wilson – Executive Vice President – Commercial – Cross …

Sharjah Investment and Development Authority (Shurooq) is going the extra mile to ensure that all its hospitality, ecotourism and leisure destinations, which are scheduled to open in a phased manner, will strictly adhere to the UAE government’s health and safety protocols to ensure the highest levels of protection of all their visitors, residents and staff. Shurooq has announced the completion of a sterilisation and disinfection drive across its properties, and has opened its doors to their popular leisure and entertainment destinations, Al Qasba, Al Majaz Waterfront, Al Noor Island, The Flag Island, Heart of Sharjah, Mleiha Archaeological & Ecotourism Project, Khorfakkan Beach, Maraya Art Centre and 1971-Design Space In addition, its state-of-the-art City Sightseeing Sharjah (CSS) buses have begun to ply, transporting guests to tourist sites across the emirate. Shurooq’s hospitality offerings including The Chedi Al Bait, Sharjah and all three Sharjah Collection properties – Al Badayer Retreat, Al Faya Retreat and Kingfisher Retreat – are offering attractive staycation packages for individuals, couples and families, and will be offering these hotel stays in line with the UAE’s precautionary health instructions and guidelines aimed at combating the spread of COVID-19. According to Ahmed Obaid Al Qaseer, COO of Shurooq, “We are therefore working closely with the government authorities to ensure that the highest standards of hygiene are maintained, and that all recommended precautionary and preventive measures are in place for our guests to enjoy a well-rounded destination experience. Shurooq has a single-minded approach in enforcing these protocols and expect our guests to fully cooperate and take individual responsibility for their own safety and well-being while visiting all our destinations. We look forward to welcoming them again.”