Category Archives: NTO (National Tourist Offices)

The State of Qatar has re-opened its borders to international travellers who have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19, with vaccines that are approved for use by the Ministry of Public Health in Qatar. A new streamlined set of measures designed to make travelling to Qatar as easy as possible, while maintaining the necessary precautions to continue to protect against the spread of COVID-19, has been implemented and is effective immediately. The new measures will allow people who are fully vaccinated to visit Qatar without the need for quarantine. The new arrangements will also make it easier for citizens and residents of Qatar to travel in and out of the country, enabling fully vaccinated people to bypass the quarantine requirement when returning to Qatar. All visitors – vaccinated or non-vaccinated – will be required to undertake a PCR test up to 72 hours prior to travel. However, travellers are advised to check the entry requirements of the country they are travelling from and will return to from Qatar, before booking any flights and should understand that those policies can change with very little notice. In order to visit Qatar – international visitors, citizens and residents – must register and upload required documentation such as a vaccination certificate, valid PCR test up to 72 hours prior to travel, and personal details through the ‘Ehteraz’ website (www.ehteraz.gov.qa). Travellers have to apply for the authorization through the ‘Ehteraz’ website (free of charge), at least 12 hours before their planned departure to Qatar. All in-bound travellers are advised to submit their application as soon as they have all their required documentation, to ensure they can board their flights as planned. Airlines are advised to only …

Finland’s new entry model opens up Finland for leisure travellers: travellers from EU and Schengen countries can enter Finland freely as of 12 July without any additional health safety measures when they are fully vaccinated, or have had a covid-19 infection before, or are born in 2006 or later, or arrive from a country with low virus incidence. Those with one vaccination only are instructed to take a covid-19 test earliest 72 hours after arrival to Finland, and those without any vaccinations are required in addition to have a negative test result before departure to Finland or a test on arrival. In line with this new model, Finnair will as of 12 July discontinue its requirement for customers to present covid certificates before boarding flights to Finland. “With the new legislation, the requirements for entry are checked on arrival, so our customers do not need to show their certificates to Finnair customer service agent at the check-in when their destination is Finland”, says Jaakko Schildt, Finnair Chief Operating Officer. “We continue to check the documents for those transiting to an international flight at Helsinki, per authority requirements.” “The health and safety of our customers is a key priority for us, and we continue to have comprehensive measures in place on our flights to ensure safe travel. These include, among others, the obligation to wear a mask for the duration of the flight”, Schildt says. The Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare recommended earlier this year that all airlines with flights to Finland require their customers to show either a negative test result, a certificate of recovery, or a vaccination certificate, and Finnair has been the only airline flying to Finland …

YouGov’s new report throws light on the travel plans, considerations, and motivations of consumers from 25 markets globally. Data from YouGov’s “International Travel & Tourism Report 2021” reveals that UAE residents were the most likely among other global consumers to say they intend to travel abroad for leisure in the next 12 months. Using YouGov Global Travel Profiles, the report looks at global travel demand, concerns and motivations of approximately 185,000 survey respondents from 25 markets globally. Data from Global Travel Profiles, a daily survey which runs in 25 countries, found that in the month of May half of people worldwide said they plan to take a domestic holiday in the next 12 months. On the other hand, appetite for international holidays is lower and less than a fifth of consumers (18%) globally are planning an international vacation in the next 12 months. The United Arab Emirates and Kingdom of Saudi Arabia stand out in terms of international travel sentiment, with respondents planning to travel substantially more than consumers in other countries. In fact, in both these countries intent to take international leisure trips is higher than domestic trips. Apart from travelling for leisure, people in the Middle Eastern countries have also shown a higher interest in business trips. Consumer sentiment data shows that respondents in the MEA (18%) and APAC (14%) regions are more likely to travel for business, both domestically and internationally, than consumers in Europe (6%) and North America (11%). This makes them a favourable target market for airlines and hotels, particularly those offering premium products. Even though travel is on a recovery path, certain factors put additional pressure on consumer’s confidence and willingness to travel. When …

Egypt is set to increase hotel and entertainment venue occupancy rates by almost a quarter as the country continues with the phased reopening of its vital tourism sector. Hotels, restaurants, cafes, cinemas, and theatres can raise capacity from 50% to 70% occupancy, Egypt’s cabinet confirmed on Monday in a meeting chaired by Prime Minister, Mostafa Madbouly. In the meeting, Egypt’s health minister, Dr Hala Zayed, reviewed the coronavirus situation in the country, including infection rates, and the various precautionary measures designed to curb the spread of the virus. Egypt lifted its initial ban on inbound tourist traffic 12 months ago and has been reopening its tourism market in phases so that it can assess health and safety precautions designed to stem the spread of COVID-19. In one year, Egypt has managed to recover visitor numbers. Since July 2020, some 4 million people have visited Egypt, according to the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities. The ministry says it expects visitor numbers to return to pre-pandemic levels by Fall 2022. Dr. Khaled El-Enany, Minister of Tourism and Antiquities of Egypt, said that Egypt’s tourism reopening strategy “is on track” and that the country was able to increase occupancy rates because it closely followed a plan that focused on a cautious reopening. Strict Hygiene safety measures, vaccinating all hospitality staff in several governates and by closely monitoring our hotels and venues, we have been able to reopen safely. Following Egypt’s efforts to introduce precautionary measures, the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) granted the country its Safe Travel Stamp, sealing its status as a safe destination.  Inbound travelers are required to undertake a PCR test and the country is also checking all vaccination …

Turespaña together with Manarat Al Saadiyat, part of Abu Dhabi Department of Culture and Tourism presents, in the Capital of the United Arab Emirates, an exhibition ‘The Arab legacy in Spain: a journey through the most impressive buildings’. It will take place from July 8 until July 29 at Manarat Al Saadiyat, Abu Dhabi. The exhibition takes the visitor on a tour through the most impressive buildings of Arab origin in Spain, explaining the strong cultural ties between Spain and the Arab nations. It aims to promote the Arab legacy of Spain in the United Arab Emirates in such a way that one can enjoy these wonders. It’s expected to awaken the curiosity of visitors and make them aware of its existence and generate the desire to travel, and experience the monuments through the 5 senses, enjoying at the same time all that Spain offers. The exhibition consists of 26 visuals showcasing different images of the following monuments: the Giralda, the Torre del Oro, the Real Alcázar of Seville, the Mosque of Cordoba, Medina Azahar, the Alhambra, the Aljaferia de Zaragoza, some fortresses such as those of Málaga, Guadix or Badajoz, the Cristo de la Luz in Toledo or the cisterns of the Palacio de las Veletas in Cáceres. On all panels there is a brief description in English and Arabic, alongside the image. The exhibits include: an introduction to the exhibition, a brief history of Al Andalus and suggested itineraries in Spain to be able to visit all these monuments. All panels have QR codes to access more information. Free entry from 10am to 8pm.

Dubai College of Tourism (DCT), part of the Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (Dubai Tourism), has announced its second successive Summer Training Programme for students between the ages of 16-19. The distance learning online programme of Medyaf aims to increase Emiratisation within the tourism industry and provides students with relevant information and skills about the sector, as well as introducing the promising opportunities it offers for its citizens and their role in supporting the industry’s success and prosperity. Medyaf was established as part of DCT’s industry nationalisation initiative to lay the groundwork for talented Emiratis to join the city’s tourist-facing workforce. The latest training programme aims to empower students to enhance their knowledge and skills over the summer period, while earning an accredited training certificate. The 2021 Summer Training Programme will be implemented over four consecutive courses with each course taking place for a period of five days. The courses include workshops delivered live by experienced speakers with interactive games and educational activities, and will be held as per the following schedule; 4-8 July 2021, 11-15 July 2021, 25-29 July, and 1-5 August.

Oman Tourism Development Company (OMRAN) unveiled VisitOman.om, the first authorized national online booking and information gateway for Oman’s Travel Trade sector. In its first phase, registration is now open for Travel Trade partners in international markets together with Oman’s travel and tourism players for future bookings. Envisioned to become a fully integrated digital Travel Trade ecosystem for the Sultanate, VisitOman.om will serve four overarching objectives: First, to position Oman as a growing tourism destination to global markets. Second, to increase inbound tourism. Third, to introduce an accreditation process for the Omani Travel Trade stakeholders featured on the platform. And fourth, to boost socio-economic development in Oman. His Excellency Salim bin Mohammed Al Mahruqi, Minister of Heritage and Tourism said, “The launch of the brand identity of the National Travel Operator ‘VisitOman.om’ is an important step that aligns with Oman Vision 2040 and the economic diversification plans. The platform will digitize the local tourism supply chain, in cooperation with our partners, and will become a vital factor in supporting the Sultanate’s vision to increase local and international investments in the tourism infrastructure, in addition to achieving our objective to attract 11.7 million tourists by 2040, of whom 5 million are international tourists.” His Excellency added, “This platform is also in line with the recovery plan adopted by the Ministry of Heritage and Tourism.” The launch of VisitOman.om comes as the Sultanate rolls out strategic initiatives to reboot the tourism sector and resume tourism activities. As global traveler demands evolve, the portal will offer quality assured packages with instant confirmation, fully supported by destination and partnership specialists. This 360-degree approach ensures the booking process gives Trade Partners, and end consumer confidence, particularly …

An end to the COVID-19 pandemic seems far beyond the horizon, but the tourism industry of the Philippines is dedicated to ensuring a phased reopening of the islands to offer utmost safety and hygiene to potential international travellers. Department of Tourism (DOT) Philippines has developed the GREEN Corridor Initiative (GCI), its flagship domestic programme to spur tourism recovery and response. The development of green corridors plays an important role in maintaining regional biodiversity, improving environmental quality, offering economic resilience opportunities, protecting heritage and culture, and supporting the jumpstart of the economy to restart tourism activities in the new normal. “The creation of travel corridors has been a key component in the resumption of tourism in some of the country’s destinations,” says Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat. The programme has been implemented in several of the archipelago’s islands. While the Philippines is presently opening the country for tourism only to its domestic populace, this staggered approach to re-opening is only a surety of the country’s objective to keep tourism safe and allow travellers to be confident of safety & hygiene when touring the country. Puyat adds that while the operational guidelines for the GCI are still being ironed out, the identified tourism products will be based on their readiness and quality, guided by the development standards espoused in the National Tourism Development Plan (NTDP) 2016–2022 and the Tourism Rapid Assessment (TRA).  A bottom-up or participatory approach will also be used in identifying the areas of development in the project. “The technology will be able to assess the carrying capacity of identified tourism sites and attractions. In effect, tourists will easily be informed about tourist flows using this digital platform, which will alert …

After the announcement of Spain opening to all vaccinated international travellers on 7th June 2021, there was much excitement all across the UAE and other parts of GCC. One of the main reasons was the acceptance of not only European Union accepted vaccinations but also those accepted by the WHO. Tourism office of Spain in Gulf Countries hosted their first travel trade event in Dubai at the newly opened  luxury hotel St.Regis the Palm with all leading travel professionals attending the event. Namratha Rose- Manager Marketing and Trade Relations Spain Tourism GCC said, “It was amazing to see so many agents turn up for the event and I am extremely happy to see that the travel trade partners are so keen to promote Spain this summer. We had an attendance of 60+ partners from renowned travel companies , airlines, representatives of Spanish hotel brands and 7 destination partners from Spain present virtually. The main aim of this event was to celebrate Spain opening up and to inform the travel trade partners with all the recent updates, developments and offerings of Spain,launch our new campaign and also to thank them for their continued support in promoting Spain as a preferred destination from the UAE.” She welcomed and  introduced all the partners present at the event and handed over  the stage to the Director of Spain Tourism to present and  launch the new campaign . Daniel Rosado, Director of Spain Tourism for the Gulf countries, in his opening remarks stated that after many months of meeting agents online, it was refreshing to see them face to face. He reiterated in detail the entry requirements for travellers from the GCC, the new health certificate which …

Series of uniquely soothing sensory videos created under the 360 Hong Kong Moments initiative by the Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB), which has managed to capture and bottle the city’s auditory essence into highly immersive and pleasurable viewing experiences. A highlight of the Great Outdoors Hong Kong (GOHK) 2021-2022 summer campaign, four distinctly themed Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response (ASMR) videos will each feature 30-second snapshots of dreamy environmental acoustics heard in far-flung corners of the city. The videos are designed to stimulate the senses and to heighten one’s sensitivity to the harmonic countryside symphonies just a stone’s throw from the city. ASMR in Peng Chau invokes a ship’s horn, a temple’s chimes and the hypnotic kau cim (shaking of fortune sticks). Swaying leaves, dripping waterfalls, chirping birds and flapping wings angle for attention in ASMR in Shing Mun Reservoir. ASMR in Stanley spans splashing in the ocean and swooshing open a paper fan, to biting into a piece of deliciously warm French toast at a local cha chaan teng diner. Finally, ASMR in Sai Kung delves into the myriad tones and timbres of the open sea, which can be encountered during a lone stand-up paddle-boarding session. Both calming and provoking, the video series stars curious individuals exploring the outskirts of Hong Kong through a hyper-focused lens, and culminates in a three-minute magnum opus, which brings all the contrasting elements together into one beautifully euphoric whole. The ASMR videos form part of the broader GOHK summer campaign, which will also showcase 13 seasonal routes, covering hiking and sightseeing destinations, island-hopping itineraries and water sports experiences. A particular focus is water-based activities, which are easily accessible but often overlooked by visitors who …