The post Snowboarders can now swap snowy slopes for sand dunes of Qatar appeared first on TD (Travel Daily Media) Travel Daily.

Qatar National Tourism Council (QNTC) in partnership with Q Explorer Tourism is offering a novel alternative for skiers and snowboarders who missed out on their annual snow holiday due to travel restrictions: the thrills of the desert dunes.

The premium tour company is offering up to a third off the price of sand sports experiences until September 2021, giving ski and snowboard fans the opportunity to get their annual adrenaline fix.

For 2021, QNTC is inviting those who missed out on a ski or snowboarding trip to visit the country when borders re-open to get out of their comfort zone and try something new – at a fraction of the cost. The spectacular dunes of Khor Al Adaid, otherwise known as the Inland Sea, offer a mesmerising alternative to tried and tested ski slopes and are waiting to be discovered by adventure-loving travellers. Skiers and snowboarders are reminded to pack their sunscreen – to avoid goggle marks from the warm winter sun.

Q Explorer Tourism is promoting three package deals for day trips, as well as one- and two-night stays for two to four people. With a wide range of tours available, those who missed out on the snow season can enjoy an action-packed, unforgettable tour.

Chief operating officer of Qatar National Tourism Council, Berthold Trenkel said: “Travel restrictions have been challenging for many over the last 12 months and there is strong pent-up demand for adventure and new experiences among travellers. We invite those who enjoy the exhilaration of the slopes to seek their adrenalin rush on the desert dunes this year. Qatar is a compelling choice for active holidaymakers and the range of desert activities available make up just a small number of experiences this unique destination offers.”

Top desert adventures in Qatar include:

Sandboarding

Sandboarding at the desert near Qatar’s Inland Sea, Khor Al Adaid, is an enthralling experience to get adventurers out of their comfort zone. Those looking for a thrilling ride can slide down the sands in the warm Arabian breeze.

Dune bashing

For daredevils looking for a new and high-octane experience, the thrill of conquering the dunes on a quad bike in the desert is sure to deliver.

Desert Safari

Qatar is an ideal location for a desert safari, giving travellers the chance to explore the 11,4372 kilometres of desert that lies less than an hour from Doha. Visitors will enjoy an exhilarating experience gliding across the Qatari desert in air-conditioned 4x4s with a professional 4WD driver. For a truly unique dining experience, foodies can end their desert safari with dinner by candlelight beneath the stars.

Camel riding

Qatar is a perfect location to discover the spectacular rolling desert dunes by camelback. The majestic animals will offer travellers a unique and authentic experience, including visiting sites such as Khor Al Adaid or Al Wajbah Fort.

The post Snowboarders can now swap snowy slopes for sand dunes of Qatar appeared first on Travel Daily.

The post Signum Hotels and realty major IQI to promote domestic tourism in post Covid India appeared first on TD (Travel Daily Media) Travel Daily.

Signum Hotels & Resorts, a hospitality brand operating hotels in India as well as overseas, has announced a strategic joint venture with the leading real estate player, IQI India. The joint venture committed an investment of USD 150 million in developing hotel assets across the country, and globally, over a period of two to five years.

The joint venture comes at a time when the Indian hospitality industry is triggering a recovery phase. Though the investments in the sector are at its lowest, the partnership will capitalise on the opportunity to identify and acquire assets at competitive deals and aims to develop 5000 keys over a period of next two to five years.

The expansion will be fuelled through mergers, acquisitions and property investments across metros, tier 2 and 3 cities in India to promote domestic as well as inbound tourism to experiential destinations, pilgrimage, getaways and key places of interest.

Mehul Sharma, founder and CEO of Signum Hotels & Resorts said: “This strategic joint venture will accelerate our expansion in the country where IQI brings in assets and Signum operates these assets. No hotel brand is successful without a real estate partner, and this joint venture will capitalise on IQI’s global real estate prowess to identify and develop the right assets. At present, domestic tourism is the leading light to recovery for the Indian hospitality industry, and our partnership aims to further fuel growth in the domestic sector, in turn generating more employment opportunities and contributing to government’s #vocalforlocal initiative.”

IQI India, is the India arm of the global IPC IQI based in Malaysia having operations in 17 countries through PaMa D’Globizen. Pankaz Jaiin, chairman and managing director of IQI India and chairman of PaMa D’Globizen said: “Our experience of decades in the India real estate and retail market coupled with our access and network through more than 200 cities across India fosters our confidence in the Indian hospitality market. We are eyeing an aggressive expansion in commercial real estate segment.”

While expansion in the Indian market will remain the focal point of this collaboration, opportunities to expand overseas will also be explored given IQI’s strong International presence. Regions in South East Asia like Singapore, Bangkok and Indonesia, significant parts of Europe and Americas will remain of particular interest for any expansion opportunities.

The post Signum Hotels and realty major IQI to promote domestic tourism in post Covid India appeared first on Travel Daily.

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The post Indonesia introduces travel ban during Eid in May appeared first on TD (Travel Daily Media) Travel Daily.

Indonesia has announced an internal travel ban during next month’s Eid al-Fitr celebrations, in an effort to prevent large-scale transmission of the coronavirus, a transport official said. The world’s most populous Muslim-majority nation is gearing up for the start of the holy month of Ramadan next week as it continues to battle one of Asia’s highest rates of transmission of Covid-19.

The halt on sea, land, air and rail travel for the 6-17 May holiday adds to a ban announced last month by Indonesia on the mass exodus tradition, locally known as ‘mudik’, where vast numbers of people head en-masse to their home provinces.

About 27 million respondents of a transport ministry survey said they would ‘mudik’ even with a ban in place, said transport ministry spokeswoman Adita Irawati when announcing the travel curbs. Authorities have said that vacations lead to a sharp increase in infections and that border security will be increased. Indonesia has reported more than 1.55 million known coronavirus cases and 42,200 deaths.

Exempt from the travel ban will be diplomatic travellers, workers who have received approval from their superiors, and travel to see ailing family members or for bereavement reasons.

(Source: Channel News Asia)

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The post India’s air travel will double in next decade: Boeing appeared first on TD (Travel Daily Media) Travel Daily.

Aerospace major Boeing has forecast strong aviation growth in India due to the country’s growing economy and an expanding middle class, fuelling demand for more than 2,200 new jets valued at nearly USD 320 billion over the next 20 years. Boeing shared its India forecast as part of its annual Commercial Market Outlook (CMO) which anticipates resilient long-term demand for commercial airplanes and services.

Although the COVID-19 pandemic sharply reduced Indian air travel last year, the country’s domestic passenger traffic is recovering more rapidly than in most other countries and regions, recently reaching 76 per cent of pre-pandemic levels. India’s passenger market is the world’s third-largest. Its economy is predicted to grow at 5% annually through the forecast period, the highest of any emerging market.

While COVID-19 remains a near-term challenge, the country’s passenger traffic is forecast to outpace global growth, doubling from pre-pandemic levels by 2030, according to the CMO.

India air cargo growth is expected to average 6.3 per cent annually over the next 20 years, driven by the country’s manufacturing and e-commerce sectors. The ‘Make in India’ initiative is expected to support the above-global average cargo traffic growth in the Indian domestic market.

Boeing managing director of regional marketing David Schulte said Indian carriers have opportunities for growth in international markets. “Several airlines have started or plan to start non-stop routes between India and North America to serve a passenger preference for direct service flights,” he said.

India’s civil aviation industry will require nearly 90,000 new pilots, technicians and cabin crew personnel during the 20-year forecast period, with a growing number of women choosing to pursue aviation careers.

“India’s burgeoning manufacturing and services business means the region is uniquely positioned to become a major aerospace hub. We remain committed to partnering across India to develop the nation’s aerospace ecosystem, as continued investment in the civil aviation infrastructure and talent will enable sustained growth,” said Salil Gupte, president of Boeing India.

(Source: ANI)

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The post The magical voyage begins! Soneva Fushi retraces the Adventure of the Corbin appeared first on TD (Travel Daily Media) Travel Daily.

From enchanting quests and journeys for children and teenagers filled with awe-inspiring tales of the Corbin, decadent treats and magical entertainment on the island of Kunfunadhoo in the Indian Ocean, Soneva Fushi continues to offer an experience of fantasy and adventure.

The award-winning luxury resort in the Baa Atoll, is now inviting young guests to embark on the Adventure of the Corbin and delve into the Maldives’ remarkable maritime history. The one-of-a-kind experience is part of the new Soneva Academy, which offers a range of thought-provoking, educational courses to children and teens aged 12 and above at Soneva Fushi and Soneva Jani.

Combining nautical history, ancient navigation techniques and essential survival tips, the experience traces the journey of the Corbin, a 400-tonne French galleon carrying a cargo of silver from St Malo across the Indian Ocean in search of trade with the East.

Plagued by bad omens from the start of its voyage, the ill-fated vessel ran aground on a reef just off the coast of Goidhoo on 2 July, 1602, sinking with its precious cargo.

The three-night, three-and-a-half-day adventure enables young Sonevians to follow the footsteps of the early 17th century sailors who would have sailed onboard the Corbin. Armed with GoPro cameras to record every step of their intrepid voyage, the quest begins at Soneva Fushi, with a barbecue on Turtle Beach and the chance to learn about the marine world and island life of the Maldivian archipelago.

On the second day, participants travel by speedboat to Innafushi, an uninhabited island near the Corbin wreck, where they pitch their tents for a two-night stay. During their time on the island, the young adventurers follow the real-life accounts of François Pyrard de Laval, a French navigator who survived the sinking ship, to get a glimpse of what it was like to be shipwrecked in the Maldives. This includes learning how to navigate using only the stars and getting to grips with basic survival skills, such as how to fish, prepare and cook their catch, and how to determine which plants and sea creatures are edible or poisonous.

A visit to the site of the shipwreck on day three is an opportunity to snorkel the clear waters, which are rich in colourful marine life, and learn about the Corbin’s lost treasure. There is also a visit to the Rose Garden, a thriving reef system that is considered one of the best snorkelling spots in the Maldives. As evening falls, local Maldivian drummers teach the group how to play the boduberu drums, an ancient musical tradition in the Maldives’ Dhivehi culture, believed to have been brought to the islands by sailors in the 11th century.

After returning to Soneva Fushi on day four, each participant produces a short film of their adventure, with a special family screening and certificate ceremony in the evening.

“Offered through our new Soneva Academy, The Adventure of the Corbin is a truly unique, immersive experience,” says Dr. Bart Knols, managing director of Science and Conservation at Soneva. “As well as giving young learners an insight into the Maldives’ fascinating nautical history, this unforgettable adventure also teaches them about island ecosystems, ancient navigation techniques and essential survival skills.”

The Adventure of the Corbin experience is suitable for children and teens aged 12 to 15, with group sizes of between 8 and 16 participants. The fully inclusive experience is priced at USD 1,500 ++ per child when travelling by speedboat, or USD 2,500 ++ per child when travelling on the Soneva in Aqua yacht.

The post The magical voyage begins! Soneva Fushi retraces the Adventure of the Corbin appeared first on Travel Daily.

The post Will international travel recommence in 2021? appeared first on TD (Travel Daily Media) Travel Daily.

Will international travel in 2021 recommence? It was a devastating 2020 for the airline’s industry across the globe and the airlines in Australia were no exception to it with Qantas posting a record loss of AUD1.47 billion (USD1.17 billion).

But since vaccination has begun in lots of countries around the world and coronavirus cases are growing in Europe, the US, India and South America whilst in Australia, we are doing well with a zero-rate local transmission in all states, which is due to the strict closure of our international borders and the good tracing system implemented by the state governments.

Our chief medical officer has said s few times to the media that international travel will not restart until early 2022. However, the controversial fact looks more positive than that for international travel to commence sooner, beginning with the New Zealand two-way bubble which starts on 18 April and I am pretty optimistic that toward the end of 2021 there will be more travel bubble in place and others that will impose the conditions that travellers are fully vaccinated against Covid-19.

Vaccine rollout began in Australia with phase 1A the last week of February and after one month on 23 March, phase 1B has just commenced which aims to have 6 million Australians vaccinated by the end of the phase.

Qantas has already announced that will not resume international services before October this year, however, services may be a far cry from pre-pandemic routes, leave flight New York, Santiago and Osaka not directly operated, instead of using their partner’s airlines to reach the destinations.  However full capacity is not expected to recover on the operated routes until 2024.

Domestically Qantas aims to resume 1200 flights between capital cities in Australia by Christmas, but it’s not yet certain whether the covid 19 vaccination will be made mandatory before embarking on one of those journeys.

Qantas had to cut back unintentionally 30% of their workforce with many being put on job keeper government scheme, which is finishing today after which the future for the staff on job keeper is uncertain. However, there is the bright perspective of advancement with the vaccination and potential travel bubbles with countries like New Zealand, Singapore, Pacific Islands, and some other Asian countries that may start before the end of this year, there is a good possibility that most of their staff will recommence their fulltime position soon.

So, the big open question remains “will international travel commence in 2021?” I think the answer is probably no, except for a few tightly managed travel bubbles, however, for the rest of the world, restrictions on travel will not be lifted before the end of the year.

Even after 75% of the population is fully vaccinated the re-start will be slow and trust in international travel will take years to rehabilitate.

The post Will international travel recommence in 2021? appeared first on Travel Daily.

The post Qatar Airways welcomes first fully Covid-19 vaccinated flight appeared first on TD (Travel Daily Media) Travel Daily.

Qatar Airways has operated what it claims is the first fully Covid-19 vaccinated flight.

Flight QR6421 departed Hamad International Airport at 11:00am yesterday carrying only vaccinated crew and passengers onboard, with passengers also to be served by fully vaccinated staff at check-in.

The special flight, which will return to Doha at 14:00, will showcase all the measures the airline has put in place to ensure the highest standards of safety and hygiene on board.

Qatar Airways Group chief executive, Akbar Al Baker, said: “Today’s special flight demonstrates the next stage in the recovery of international travel is not far away.

“We are proud to continue leading the industry by operating the first flight with a fully vaccinated crew and passengers and providing a beacon of hope for the future of international aviation.

“With aviation being a critical economic driver both globally and here in the state of Qatar, we are thankful for the support we have received from our government and local health authorities to vaccinate our staff, with over 1,000 vaccinations being administered per day.”

Qatar Airways is also trialling the new IATA Travel Pass mobile app.

The pass ensures passengers receive up-to-date information on Covid-19 health regulations at their destination country, as well as complying with strict global data privacy regulations to enable the sharing of Covid-19 test results with airlines to verify they are eligible to undertake their journey.

The post Qatar Airways welcomes first fully Covid-19 vaccinated flight appeared first on Travel Daily.

The post United Airlines to restart new pilot hiring as air travel picks up appeared first on TD (Travel Daily Media) Travel Daily.

United Airlines could start hiring new pilots as early as next month according to an internal memo shared with pilots last week. The decision comes on the back of a quicker than expected rebound in travel demand driven by a hugely successful vaccination program and a fare war that has attracted price-conscious leisure travellers back to the skies.

In the internal memo, the airline told its pilot workforce that it would restart the process of hiring around 300 pilots who had either been given a conditional job offer last year or had a new hire class cancelled as the pandemic devastated the aviation industry.

United shrunk its total flight crew workforce by around 1,000 pilots last year through retirements and voluntary early outs in response to what the airline thought would be a years-long decline in travel demand. The number of new pilots to be hired, however, remains uncertain and could change depending on United’s recovery out of the pandemic.

“With vaccination rates increasing and travel demand trending upwards, I’m excited to share that United will resume the pilot hiring process that was halted last year,” explained the senior vice president of flight operations, Bryan Quigley in an internal memo shared with United’s 13,000 pilots on Thursday.

At the height of the pandemic last summer, United had warned that it could involuntary furlough roughly a third of its total pilot workforce. In the end, the United pilot union managed to avoid furloughs by getting pilots to agree to flying fewer hours and taking more unpaid days off each month.

“I know some have questioned whether now is the time to increase our pilot population when pilots are receiving reduced hours under the Pandemic Recovery LOA (agreement),” continued Quigley.

“To be clear, it’s important to me, and to our collective future together, that we all be excited and motivated about increasing our seniority list and growing our airline. That’s why I couldn’t be more pleased to announce that, at any time there are new-hire pilots on the property, we’ll be suspending the use of Paragraph I ‘Work reductions’,” the memo explained.

Such was the fear that the world faced a glut of unneeded pilots for years to come that the British BALPA pilots union warned last November that those thinking about entering the profession should instead save their money and not bother taking on the debt that training entails.

“We urge potential pilots to get experience in another profession first which will postpone any training until the industry is in a more robust shape, provide additional skills and experience and also give them another avenue to fall back on,” commented Wendy Pursey, head of careers services at BALPA.

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The Center For Disease Control (CDC) has updated its travel warning for Canada to include vaccinated travelers over concerns of the new Covid-19 variants spreading in the country.

While the warning has been in place for months, it was updated to include vaccinated travelers. “Because of the current situation in Canada even fully vaccinated travelers may be at risk for getting and spreading COVID-19 variants and should avoid all travel to Canada,” reads the advisory.

The CDC states that if U.S. travelers must travel to Canada, they should be vaccinated first and follow all prevention protocols.

“If you must travel to Canada, get fully vaccinated before travel. All travelers should wear a mask, stay 6 feet from others, avoid crowds, and wash their hands.”

With over 1 million cases in Canada, the CDC is urging those in the U.S. to avoid travel into its northern neighboring country.

The border between the two countries has been closed to non-essential travel since the pandemic began in March of 2020. While the Canadian border remains closed for tourism, the country began allowing select travelers to enter the country back in October.

Although Canada has some of the strictest border rules in the world, it has not stopped Covid-19 from spreading in the country including a new outbreak in British Colombia of the highly contagious and more deadly variants. The variants of concern in B.C. are B117, first detected in the U.K., and P1, associated with Brazil.

Doctors say they’re seeing a disturbing trend of younger patients with the disease between the ages of 20 to 50 requiring critical care.

Canada’s Slow Vaccine Rollout

According to the New York Times, Canada’s vaccine rollout has been one of the slowest in the developed world. With only 2% of its population fully vaccinated, the country ranks 43rd overall with vaccination rates similar to developing countries including Indonesia and Brazil.

USA Today recently covered the envy Canadians have over the United States vaccine rollout. “Meanwhile in Canada” has been trending on social media as Canadians continue to express their frustration with the rollout.

Conservative Canadian parliament member Michelle Rempel Garner took to Twitter to comment on the U.S. push to open up vaccination appointments to all adults. She also noted that the Oakland Zoo plans on vaccinating some of its animals this summer.

“Most Americans aged 16 and over will have access to a vaccine in the next week or two. In Canada, that milestone is far away. In fact, these zoo animals in the United States might have access to a vaccine before many Canadian adults will. That’s how badly Trudeau has failed” Garner Tweeted.

Canada is by no means alone with the CDC’s level 4 ‘Avoid all travel’ warning. The Center For Disease Control rates over 150 countries at the highest warning level including Americans favorite destinations of Mexico Jamaica and the Dominican Republic.

Canadians have felt strongly about keeping the land border closed to the United States but it will be the U.S. that reaches herd immunity far before its neighbor to the north. Now the U.S. is likely to keep the land border closed to stop the influx of Canadians that would cross the border to receive a vaccine. Many states have opened vaccinations to all adults with no residency requirements.

Read More:

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These US States Vaccinating Travelers

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