A deserted street of the iconic Grand Bazaar is pictured on May 20, 2020 in Istanbul, amid the spread of the epidemic COVID-19 caused by the novel coronavirus.

After rare silence, Istanbul's Grand Bazaar prepares to reopen

An eerie silence has fallen over Istanbul's Grand Bazaar, one of the world's oldest, largest and most visited markets, where a raucous mixture of languages, cultures and commerce has buzzed for centuries.

5 years ago

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New Zealand expects plan for safe travel with Australia in June

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said on Wednesday a draft blueprint on safely starting travel between New Zealand and Australia will be presented to both governments in early June. ...

5 years ago

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South African Airways aims to resume domestic flights in mid-June

South African Airways (SAA) aims to resume domestic flights between Johannesburg and Cape Town from mid-June, the cash-strapped airline said on Tuesday, as coronavirus lockdown restrictions ease. ...

5 years ago

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People (rear L) visit the archaeological site of Pompeii on May 26, 2020, as the country eases its lockdown aimed at curbing the spread of the COVID-19 infection, caused by the novel coronavirus.

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From Wall Street to Bethlehem, iconic sites reopen from virus

Iconic world sites from the New York Stock Exchange to the Church of the Nativity reopened their doors Tuesday from the coronavirus pandemic, but new alarm bells rang in Latin America over a spike of infections.

5 years ago

The Kaname Inn Tatemachi first provided a period of free lodging to a Dutch traveler in late March, and has since received an increasing number of inquiries from foreign tourists and students.

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Hotels, university offer free stays for foreigners stranded in Japan

Some hotels and a university are offering free accommodation to foreigners who are stranded in Japan because their home countries have closed the borders due to concerns over the spread of the coronavirus.

5 years ago

TAP airline aircrafts remain on the tarmac of the Humberto Delgado airport in Lisbon on April 9, 2020.

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Portugal's TAP to restore more than 200 flights from July 1

Portugal's flag carrier TAP will resume some of its international operations to hard-hit Italy, Spain and various other destinations from the beginning of July as lockdowns imposed to combat the coronavirus are slowly lifted.

5 years ago

Japanese women in kimono are walking to Tenryu-ji temple, Kyoto, Arashiyama, Japan.

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Kyoto hotels hit by 90% slump in foreign stays as pandemic takes toll

The number of foreign tourists staying at hotels in the normally thronging tourist destination of Kyoto plunged 89.5 percent in March from a year earlier amid the coronavirus pandemic, according to a recent survey.

5 years ago

AirAsia staff members (front) speak as they maintain social distancing at the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport after the government eased restrictions imposed as a preventive measure against the COVID-19 coronavirus, in Ahmedabad on May 24, 2020.

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India domestic flights to resume, but coronavirus cases rise

Domestic flights will resume across India on Monday after a day of "hard negotiations", the federal civil aviation minister said on Sunday, after some states sought to limit the number of flights.

5 years ago

The picturesque Indrayanti Beach in Gunungkidul, Yogyakarta.

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Local tourists try to enter Gunungkidul’s closed beaches

Local tourists have tried to visit several beaches in Gunungkidul regency, Yogyakarta, during the Idul Fitri holiday.

5 years ago

People gather at Mackenzie beach in the coastal city of Larnaca on the Mediterranean island of Cyprus on May 23, 2020.

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Cyprus beaches reopen as new virus cases hit zero

A new form of beach life, spaced apart, emerged Saturday on the Mediterranean holiday island of Cyprus after more than two months of coronavirus-imposed curbs were lifted on freedom of movement.

5 years ago

The empty street is pictured in front of Spanish architect Antonio Gaudi's 'Casa Mila' building, commonly known as 'La Pedrera', in Barcelona on March 19, 2020.

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In the absence of tourists, locals reclaim their cities

The lockdowns caused by the coronavirus pandemic may not have been universally popular but they have had the effect of alleviating, at least temporarily, some of the ills associated with tourism, notably the overcrowding of city centers and a rapid rise in prices and rents.

5 years ago

The temple of Athena is pictured on September 14, 2017 at the Paestum and Velia archeological park which contains three of the most well-preserved ancient Greek temples in the world, in Capaccio-Paestum, near Naples.

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Italy opens ancient Greek site as lockdown eases

Ahead of the Colosseum and Pompeii, the towering Greek temple complex at Paestum near Naples is the first Italian archaeological site to reopen to tourists after the coronavirus pandemic lockdown.

5 years ago

Lufthansa will resume flights to 20 destinations from mid-June, including some holiday hot-spots.

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Lufthansa to resume flights to 20 destinations from mid-June

Lufthansa will resume flights to 20 destinations from mid-June, including some holiday hot-spots.

5 years ago

The Yogyakarta administration will apply “new normal” health protocols starting in July, including in the tourism industry.

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'New normal' protocols to be applied in Yogyakarta in July

The “new normal” protocols in Yogyakarta will include limiting the number of visitors to tourist destinations to 100 people.

5 years ago

Australia set out measures to resume tourism to Victoria's rural regions.

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Australia to resume tourism to bushfire-hit Victoria as virus cases stay low

Australia set out measures to resume tourism to Victoria's rural regions, after a testing blitz in the country's second-most populous state showed continuing low cases of community transmission.

5 years ago

A girl adjusts her protective face mask as she walks past Puerta de Alcala Gate amid the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in Madrid, Spain, on May 21, 2020.

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Easing lockdown, Spain to reopen for tourism in July

Spain will reopen its borders to tourists in July and its top soccer division will kick off again in June, marking another phase in the easing of one of the world's strictest lockdowns.

5 years ago

Virtual tours have become popular amid COVID-19 pandemic, especially as an alternative for those who long for traveling but have to stay at home.

News

Indonesian travel organizers tap into virtual tours amid pandemic

Online trips require thorough preparation and practice to make them more engaging than just "explaining the slides".

5 years ago

A tram is pictured at an empty street as the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continues in downtown Lisbon, Portugal, on March 20, 2020.

News

Portugal ready to welcome back tourists, says government

Portugal's doors are open to tourists, one of the first European countries to welcome back visitors from elsewhere in the continent.

5 years ago

Passengers line up at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Tangerang, Banten.

News

AP II denies rumor about charging domestic flight passengers for rapid test

Free rapid tests are conducted for repatriated Indonesians upon arrival from overseas. They are not for passengers of domestic flights.

5 years ago

A family wearing masks to avoid the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) arrive at Gimpo international airport in Seoul, South Korea, on May 1, 2020.

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South Korea says long-term visa holders must have medical examinations before returning

Foreign long-term residents of South Korea will need to obtain a re-entry permit before leaving the country, and a medical exam before returning, to help stem coronavirus infections.

5 years ago

A passenger wearing a face mask as a precaution against the novel coronavirus arrives at Heathrow airport, west London, on May 22, 2020.

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UK to introduce 14-day quarantine for international arrivals

Travelers arriving in Britain will face 14 days in quarantine from next month to prevent a second coronavirus outbreak, the government announced, warning that anyone breaking the rules faced a fine or prosecution.

5 years ago

Empty benches are seen during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak on the main square of the city of Hallstatt, Austria, on April 22, 2020.

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Austria plans heavy virus testing of hotel staff to reassure tourists

Austria plans a hefty expansion of its coronavirus testing just to screen hotel staff, in the hope of luring Germans and other tourists this summer and banishing the uncomfortable memory of a massive outbreak at a fashionable ski resort.

5 years ago

A picture taken on November 21, 2019, shows a nesting beach of hawksbill turtles in Cousin Island, a nature reserve island managed by Nature Seychelles, a national environmental NGO, Seychelles.

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Seychelles considers admitting Israelis in initial tourism restart

Seychelles may admit Israelis as part of an initial reopening of its tourism industry, hit hard by the archipelago's coronavirus precautions, officials said on Thursday.

5 years ago

An aerial view shows the Athens' newly renovated Omonoia square as the Acropolis hill is illuminated in the background, in Athens, on May 21, 2020.

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Greek tourism operators see massive drop in 2020 arrivals

Greek tourism operators on Thursday said they expect a 70-percent drop in arrivals this year after the government announced the season could restart in mid-June.

5 years ago

People get out in the sunshine in broadway market, Hackney, north east London on May 20, 2020, as temperatures in the capital are expected to reach 28 Celsius degrees.

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UK set to outline quarantine measures for international arrivals

The United Kingdom will later on Friday spell out details of its plans for a COVID-19 quarantine for travelers arriving from overseas, a measure that airlines have warned will devastate their industry.

5 years ago

The cruise ship Ruby Princess departs from Port Kembla, some 80 kilometres south of Sydney, on April 23, 2020, after a few hundred virus-free crew members disembarked to begin the process of repatriation to their home countries.

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Australia extends cruise ship ban to September

Australia on Friday extended its ban on most international cruise ships for three months until mid-September, making no mention of a hoped-for exemption for travel to neighboring New Zealand.

5 years ago

Singapore Airlines and its low cost subsidiary Scoot airline planes are parked on the tarmac Changi International Airport in Singapore on March 16, 2020.

News

Planes grounded by COVID-19 kept in tip-top shape at Changi

The coronavirus pandemic has grounded airplanes and emptied offices all around the world for months. But these idle assets need to be kept in top condition and ready to run when economies reopen.

5 years ago

In this file photo a general view of the Black Spire Outpost at the Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge Walt Disney World Resort at Disney's Hollywood Studios on August 27, 2019 in Orlando, Florida.

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Disney World in Florida reopens a bit, but no rides yet

Walt Disney World cracked open its doors on Wednesday, offering dining and shopping to masked customers but leaving the beloved rides closed.

5 years ago

A worker stands outside a store in a narrow alleys in the Greek Cycladic island of Mykonos, on May 12, 2020.

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Greece to restart tourism mid-June, international flights July 1

Greece will restart its tourism season on June 15 and gradually restore international flights from July 1 to boost its economy after the virus lockdown.

5 years ago